Time: 10:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: National Forest land

North Fork of Ten Mile Creek 07/26/2024 Photo Album

My fly fishing friend, Nate, was in scooter/bicycle accident that resulted in a broken ring finger on his left hand. He is right handed, and like many of us, is a fly fishing fanatic. Unfortunately, his recent visit to the doctor resulted in a large cast on his left arm that stabilized his wrist and entire hand except for his index finger and thumb. His devotion to fly fishing was so intense that he attempted to fish a couple times, and he managed most of the necessary actions. The one activity that was difficult to perform with one hand was netting a fish, removing the fly and releasing the fish.

I fished for three consecutive days at the beginning of the week, but I was not satiated, so I offered to accompany Nate on a fishing trip. I suggested that we could fish together and alternate pools, so that I would be nearby to assist should he hook and land fish. Initially Nate rejected my offer, as he felt that fishing was too big a risk for his recovery, but eventually his strong desire to fish during one of the prime seasons of the year trumped other concerns, and we planned a day on his off day of Friday.

Charcoal Body on This Brook Trout

For a destination I suggested that we visit the North Fork of Ten Mile Creek. I fished there nine days ago with great success, and it met the criteria of a small stream with lots of fish that required anglers to alternate pools. Nate and I met at the Woolly Mammoth parking lot at 8AM, and we arrived at the North Fork parking lot by 9:00AM. After a rest stop break and assembling our gear, we hiked along the trail and approached a nice section of the creek for dry fly fishing. I chose my Orvis Access four weight and stuffed my raincoat and lunch in my backpack, The temperature at the start was a cool 61 degrees, even though the high in Denver was projected to hit 91 degrees.Corner Pocket

I began my day with a peacock hippie stomper, and Nate and I began alternating, as we progressed methodically up the creek. We failed to generate interest in the first four glassy smooth pools, but eventually we began to meet with success, I added a  hares ear nymph on a dropper, and this move resulted in two landed brook trout. By lunch time Nate recorded seven landed brook trout, and I notched five. We only counted fish over six inches, but very few sub-six inch fish visited our nets during the fly fishing prior to lunch. Nate was remarkably self sufficient in one-handed mode, but I did assist with a few hook removals and releases.

Pastel Hues

By lunch time some dark clouds obscured the sun, and the wind kicked up even more than what we had already experienced, so I dug out my raincoat for warmth and as a windbreaker. I was pleased with this move, as the rain shell remained in place for the remainder of our time on the water.

Nate Threaded the Needle Here

For some reason the fishing slowed considerably after lunch. We agreed that some of this was attributable to the quality of the water. Most of our action originated in deeper water next to faster currents, and the early afternoon featured numerous glassy smooth pools and shallow riffles. We approached these locales with stealth, but the number of darting fish was significant. Even relatively long casts with soft landings sent the wild trout scurrying for cover.

Clear and Smooth

In response to the slow action I added a size 16 light gray comparadun on a twelve inch dropper, and the comparadun accounted for a pair of trout. As more time elapsed, however, the hippie stomper once again began to dominate the appetites of the trout, and the trailing comparadun was a nuisance, so I removed it and fished the stomper solo.

Nature’s Palette

By 2:15PM the sky darkened, and a light rain descended. Nate was very concerned about getting his cast wet, so he retreated among a dense stand of tall evergreens for cover. As I mentioned, I was already cloaked in my raincoat, so I persisted through the rain and ramped up my fish count to eleven. After fifteen minutes the rain stopped, and the sun reappeared, and Nate resumed his fly fishing adventure. I relinquished my casting turns, and Nate upped his fish count to ten, so we called it a day and hiked back to the car.

Handful

Short Pool

Nate and I agreed that the biggest difference between my visit of 07/16/2024 and Friday, 07/26/2024 was the decrease in flows. Clearly the lower volume of water along with extreme clarity made the fly fishing significantly more demanding. The conditions dictated long casts and light deliveries. The difficulty was enhanced by the strong wind that made delivering a fly to a tight spot an extreme challenge. Placing casts in narrow slots beneath bushes and along the banks was frequently a risk of a snag or errant cast. In spite of these drawbacks we persisted and logged a fun day. Above all it was a pleasure to fish along side Nate. His fly fishing abilities have progressed significantly since we last met on a stream. Hopefully his recovery is rapid, and he is able to participate in some outstanding fly fishing over the remainder of the summer and fall.

Fish Landed: 11

Time: 10:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: National Forest

Beaver Creek 07/24/2024 Photo Album

Note: In order to protect small high country streams, I have chosen to change the name for a few. This particular creek happens to be one of them. Excessive exposure could lead to crowding and lower fish densities.

Great Place to Start

After two days of non-stop action with small brook trout, I was anxious for something different, and Wednesday proved to be the answer. I fished Beaver Creek previously, so I knew it was primarily a brown trout fishery.

Off and Running

I arrived at the small parking lot at the trailhead by 10:00AM, and the dashboard thermometer registered 71 degrees. The sky was devoid of clouds, and I was certain that Wednesday would be a hot one. I grabbed my Sage R8 four weight and prepared it for a day of fly fishing. I replaced some missing salvation nymphs and beadhead hares ear nymphs in my fleece wallet, and I departed for the creek.

Wide Section

As I surmised, my hike generated quite a bit of perspiration, but the cold water was very welcome. I began my day with a size 8 tan pool toy hopper, a beadhead hares ear nymph and a salvation nymph. In the early going I landed two brown trout in the twelve to thirteen inch range and another smaller brown. The largest of the trio crushed the hopper, while the others snatched the hares ear.

Pleased with This One

Another Brown Trout Prize

After my initial run of success, things slowed down, so when I reached five trout landed, I switched to a dry fly approach. Initially I utilized a size 12 yellow stimulator, and it delivered some smaller brown trout, but I prospected some very attractive pools with no results, and i lost confidence in the stimulator. I decided to continue with a dry, so I added a twelve inch dropper and attached a purple haze. The haze nabbed another small brown, but then both flies went unmolested in several nice pools, so I replaced the purple haze with a size 14 parachute green drake. Once again I was disappointed with the results, so I paused for lunch on a nice wide log next to the creek.

Quite a Pool

While eating lunch I pondered my next move. Clearly the fish were looking toward the surface for their source of nutrition, so I swapped the double dry for a peacock hippie stomper. The stomper is always reliable, so why not on this creek? I did not persist with the nymph earlier, so I decided to give it a second chance. I added a 2.5 foot 5X dropper and knotted a beadhead hares ear to my line.

Deep Frothy Hole

Tough Wading Ahead

The stomper/hares ear combination stayed on my line for the remainder of my time on the stream, and it produced outstanding results. The fish count ascended from seven to twenty-eight, and quite a few of the afternoon trout stretched the tape to twelve and thirteen inches. Of course, some small brown trout also found my net, but the average size of the trout was clearly superior to the morning session. Both flies yielded positive results, but I estimate the the hippie stomper accounted for roughly 70% of the fish; whereas, the hares ear was nabbed 30% of the time. One ten inch rainbow mysteriously landed in my net, and all the other fish were brown trout. As always, refusals and temporary hook ups were part of the equation, but I simply shrugged them off and moved on at a steady pace knowing that some of the trout would recognize my offerings as food.

Best on the Day

Nondescript Home of Best Fish of the Day

I clocked my return hike on my activity tracker, and I covered .5 mile while fly fishing. Wednesday was an enjoyable day in an utterly spectacular setting. The creek was clear and cold, and enough fish favored my offering to produce quantities of trout. My final fish was a fourteen inch brown trout that crushed the hippie stomper from what appeared to be a marginal location. I also tallied a thirteen inch brown in the early going, and quite a few spunky twelve inch fish were in the mix. Catching brown trout in small mountain creek was a nice break from the repetitiveness of catching small brook trout. Of course, I will never turn down brook trout, however, adding different species is always fun.

Fish Landed: 28

Time: 11:30AM – 2:30PM

Location: West of Frisco, CO

North Fork of Ten Mile Creek 07/16/2024 Photo Album

If you read my last report, you know that I dipped into my bag of good fortune, when I recovered my lost wading staff on Bear Creek. Apparently I used up my good luck. Let me explain.

For Tuesday I planned a trip to a new stream that I never fished previously. I prepared my lunch on Monday and allowed my gear to remain in the car from Monday’s trip. I woke up earlier than normal, and these actions paid off, when I departed from the garage at 7:00AM. My destination required a two hour drive and a forty-five minute hike, so an early start was essential, and I was excited. I drove for one block, when I noticed a red warning light on the dashboard that informed me that the tire pressure in the left rear tire was low. In fact, it was 18 PSI. I immediately returned to the garage, and I dug out the small air compressor that I carry, and I inflated the tire back to 35 PSI. Needless to say I was very frustrated. Not being able to fulfill my planned day on a new creek was a bitter pill to swallow. I went online and learned that the local Les Schwab tire center did not open until 8:00AM.

As I was inflating the tire, I noticed that fluid was dripping from beneath the engine, and this raised additional concerns. I waited until 7:45AM, and I made the short drive to Les Schwab, and the nice lady at the counter put me on the schedule for a morning tire repair. I asked if the mechanic could look at the dripping fluids and give me an opinion on the source. I asked how long I needed to wait, and she replied an hour, so I made a cup of coffee and settled in a chair in the waiting area to ponder the daily Connections puzzle. After a short wait, Josh called my name, and he informed me that the dripping resulted from condensation from the air conditioning unit. This was a huge relief.

In less that an hour a young lady appeared, and she announced that my car was ready. The tire specialist found a screw in the impacted tire and repaired it for no charge, and I was free to go. I returned home and pondered my next move. One option was pickleball, but I still clung to the fly fishing option, so I decided to explore a different stream that required a shorter drive. I restored my lunch, pretzels and tote bag to the car, and I was on my way to the North Fork of Ten Mile Creek. I hiked this trail several times, but I never fished it, but I put it on my list of small streams to sample.

When I arrived at the trailhead parking lot, it was full, so I turned left and went under the highway to a larger lot on the east side of Interstate 70. This lot was also full, but I found a wide shoulder along the short entrance way, and I designated it as my parking spot. There were no signs, and another car was parked in a similar fashion right behind me.

I cycled through my normal preparation, and after checking the relatively normal flows of the North Fork next to the parking lot, I chose my light Orvis Access four weight. I crossed the exit ramp and the entry ramp and hiked up the North Fork trail, until I reached a section that appeared to be prime for fly fishing. The gradient was reduced, and there was adequate space for backcasts.

Along the way I passed a man in a national forest uniform, and he was not very forthcoming with information, When I asked if the small stream contained fish, his answer was, “one or two”. Next I passed a woman, and she saw my fly rod, and she volunteered that there were an abundant quantity of brook trout a short distance ahead. I was encouraged by this information.

Number One

Smooth

Within thirty minutes I reached the area that I targeted, and I tied a peacock hippie stomper to my line and began to lob long casts to the relatively smooth water. I began fishing at 11:30AM, and by the time I paused for lunch, the fish count rested on five. All were brook trout, and all consumed the solo hippie stomper.

Brilliant

Distracted from Fly Fishing by Wildflowers

After lunch I continued my upstream migration, and the success of the first thirty minutes repeated itself, until I foolishly roll cast the hippie stomper into a dead tree limb higher than my reach. This was my second hippie stomper, as the hackle collar unwound on the first peacock version after being mauled by thirteen brook trout. The second one and the one lost to the tree limb contained a purple body.

Very Dark Coloration

Gorgeous Run

The fish count was twenty-nine, and I was unwilling to risk another hippie stomper, so I experimented with a lime green trude and a Jake’s gulp beetle. The trude was ineffective, and the beetle enabled me to increment the fish count to thirty-one.

One More Gem

Tuesday was a fun day. For the most part the creek allowed for adequate backcasting space. I was able to launch long casts, and the brook trout were quite hungry. In addition to the thirty-one trout that I counted, I probably landed another fifteen small ones beneath my six inch cut off. All the trout were in the six to nine inch range with possibly a few ten inch monsters. I moved at a steady pace, placed upstream casts in the likely spots and enjoyed the colorful fighters on the end of my line. I salvaged an enjoyable day of fishing after the low tire fiasco. My original plan remains a near term objective, but I discovered another high country option for hot summer days.

Fish Landed: 31

Time: 11:30AM – 4:00PM

Location: National Forest

Willow Creek 07/12/2024 Photo Album

Note: In order to protect small high country streams, I have chosen to change the name for a few. This particular creek happens to be one of them. Excessive exposure could lead to crowding and lower fish densities.

Start of Lower Gradient Section

A high of 102 degrees was predicted for Denver on Friday, July 12, 2024, so I sought a fly fishing destination at high elevation. My friend, Nate, told me about one such place, so I decided to make the trip. I love exploring new fly fishing destinations, and visiting a place that provided cooler temperatures was icing on the cake.

Greedy Brook Trout Were Prevalent

I arrived at my chosen parking space by 11:00AM, as the Friday traffic was already heavy at the usual choke points. The dashboard temperature read 72 degrees and the sky was bright blue and absent cloud cover, and the weather would remain the same during my afternoon on the creek. I chose my Sage R8 four weight, and once I was prepared, I hiked down the road for .2 mile and then cut perpendicular to the stream.

Undercut Bank Produced a Gorgeous Brown TroutUndercut Bank Brown Trout

For a start I knotted a size 14 olive body stimulator to my line. I was hoping that the large bushy attractor would pound up some fish, but after twenty minutes of inactivity, I had nothing to show for my efforts. The section I chose to launch my day in was relatively narrow with a high gradient. The creek seemed higher than average, but it was crystal clear, so in retrospect, my lack of action was probably attributable to water type more than fly selection.

Very Pretty and Very Productive Pool

Loved These Occasional Brown Trout

By noon, when I broke for lunch, I swapped out the stimulator for a size 10 Chernobyl ant trailing a weighted 20 incher, and the Chernobyl ant prompted a take for my first trout, a small brook trout, but it also was accompanied by some refusals. At least I discovered the presence of fish in my newly explored fishery.

Another Respectable Small Stream Brown Trout

Shelf Pool Produced

I downed my lunch quickly and resumed my progression, but now the terrain shifted to a more moderate slope, and this in turn, evolved into an increased number of spots more conducive to trout holding lies. The Chernobyl was not clicking, and the 20 incher was too heavy, thus causing snags and a lack of movement. I made yet another change, and in this instance I replaced the Chernobyl with the ever-present peacock hippie stomper and a beadhead hares ear dropper.

Resting Brook Trout

This adjustment proved to be the ticket, and I increased the fish count from one to thirty-five between 12:30PM and 4:00PM, when I quit for the day. In short, I had a blast. Most of the trout snatched the trailing hares ear on the drift, but a fair number also rose to inhale the reliable stomper, as it bobbed along on the current seams. Slower moving shelf pools, current seams, tail outs at the end of a pool, and slow moving sloughs along undercut banks were the locations, where my flies brought success.

Aggressive Brown Trout

I reveled in the fast paced action, as I moved quickly from promising spot to promising spot. I probably covered .4 mile of stream real estate in the course of my day, and the only downside to the experience was the wind, which whipped incessantly down the valley. The rushing air, in turn, caused numerous difficult tangles, and why is it that the strongest blasts coincide with attempting to perform a delicate unraveling operation?

Brook Trout Haven

What sort of fish were attacking my flies? Most of the landed fish were colorful brook trout in the six to nine inch range, although I estimate that eight were very nice browns in the twelve to thirteen inch size slot with one fourteen inch outlier to my credit. I love catching trout that surpass my expectations in a small stream environment, and Friday’s outing certainly qualified in that regard.

Other than the wind, it was a nearly perfect fly fishing outing. Temperatures were in the seventies, the creek contained an abundance of hungry fish, and a sprinkling of above average size brown trout kept me focused. Given the wind, it was fortunate that minimal streamside vegetation existed to snag my flies. I look forward to another visit to this newly discovered fly fishing playground.

Fish Landed: 35