Author Archives: wellerfish

South Boulder Creek – 08/16/2024

Time: 11:00AM – 2:45PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 08/16/2024 Photo Album

My most recent day on South Boulder Creek, 08/07/2024, was successful; but it did not satisfy my ongoing need for fishing to the western green drake hatch. After returning from our camping trip to the Taylor River, I checked the flows on South Boulder Creek, and initially they were reduced to 127 CFS. I had an open date on Friday, 08/16/2024, and I kept watch on the weather, flows and wildfire status; and fortunately everything aligned for a day trip. The flows bumped slightly to 133 CFS on Thursday, but this was not enough to deter me from my anxiously anticipated trip.

The temperature was a toasty upper seventies, when I arrived at the Walker Ranch Trailhead Loop. I quickly gathered my gear and fit together my two piece Loomis five weight, and I assured myself that I was in possession of my green drake fly box. Yes, I have a fly box that is almost entirely filled with five versions of western green drake dry flies.

First of Several Parachute Green Drakes

Early Honey Hole

By 11:00AM I was stationed in South Boulder Creek. I decided to go directly to a parachute green drake, and I was rewarded in the first fifteen minutes with four trout, and the quartet included a gorgeous thirteen inch brown trout with dark black ink spots. I was cautiously optimistic that my goal of fishing to green drakes was on the path to fulfillment. I continued advancing upstream, and by the time I broke for lunch, the fish count rose to ten. The one hour of fishing was rather action packed; however, it was not without its share of refusals and fishing to attractive spots with no action. After seven fish the olive grizzly hackle on the parachute fly got shredded, so I switched to another matched copy to continue my day.

South Boulder Creek Bruiser

While eating lunch I observed several natural western green drakes, as they floated slowly upward from the stream surface. I was encouraged by this sighting, as I knew this translated to fish eagerly searching for the large food items. Between 12:15PM and 2:45PM a scenario similar to the morning evolved on South Boulder Creek. I moved steadily upstream and tossed casts to all the likely locations, and quite often a fish responded. A sure sign that my fly was a solid imitation was how aggressively the fish inhaled it. I needed the assistance of my hemostat to remove quite a few flies, but I feel fairly certain that the fish were released unharmed. Ironically obvious deep pools were not as productive as some very marginal spots characterized by small pockets and moderate riffles near submerged boulders. I popped casts to any likely spot, and quite often I was surprised by the results.

Perfect Water for Green Drake Prospecting

Rainbows Also Love Green Drakes

By 2:15PM the pace of the action slowed, and refusals began to dominate the scene. The fish count rested in the upper thirties, so I decided to experiment with other versions of western green drakes. First a size 14 green drake comparadun went on my line. The fly looked very similar to the naturals with its large spread out deer hair wing, but it produced no fish. I returned to a new parachute green drake, and it nudged the fish count upward, but refusals began to outweigh takes. I managed to coax some takes by twitching the fly during across and downstream drifts, and apparently the motion imitated the naturals attempting to take off. Eventually even this tactic failed to produce, and fish were looking at the fly but not committing.

Pretty Green Drake Eater

I spotted a few pale morning duns, so I speculated that the fish’s selectivity shifted to PMD’s, so I replaced the green drake with a peacock hippie stomper and trailed a light gray size 16 comparadun. The hippie stomper and comparadun were primarily drawing looks with no takes. In a final effort to shift the momentum back in my favor, I switched to a user friendly green drake that trailed a cinnamon comparadun. Neither of these flies clicked, so I clipped my flies to the rod guide at 2:45PM and began the return hike which included the one mile uphill struggle at the end. This was my third trip to South Boulder Creek, and it was the first, where my exit hike took place during clear skies and direct sunlight. It was hot.

Splendid Shelf Pool

So Many Speckles on This Rainbow

I landed forty trout, and every fish ate a parachute green drake. There was a period after lunch when the action could only be described as torrid. It seemed as though it did not matter where I tossed the fly, and a fish would crush the low floating paradrake. My goal was to meet a green drake hatch in 2024, and Friday’s fly fishing realized my objective. I am not certain another opportunity to fish green drakes on South Boulder Creek will arrive, but I will restock my green drake fly box just in case.

Fish Landed: 40

 

Taylor River – 08/13/2024

Time: 1:00PM – 3:00PM, 4:30PM – 5:45PM

Location: Between Lodgepole CG and Lottis Creek CG

Taylor River 08/13/2024 Photo Album

I removed my raincoat for the two mile trek from Lottis Creek to Lodgepole, but I still perspired. By the time I sat on a rock to eat lunch, the sun appeared, and the temperature was delightful and in the upper sixties. I planned to cross the river near my lunch spot, as historically the north bank fished better than the roadside with more and bigger fish. I chose a line that I deemed doable, but after three steps, I thought better of the attempt. The current was swift, and the distance to the opposite shore was intimidating, and I am seventy-three years old. For once, I exercised my better judgement.

I decided to focus my fishing on the south bank upstream from my abandoned crossing point under the theory that the water near the campground gets pounded by the campers. After two hours of frustrating fishing, I discovered that the less pressured section along the south bank remains that way for a reason. There are very few attractive fish holding spots. I skipped around many fast riffles, where the current ran tight up against the bank. I managed to land three brown trout. The first was a respectable chunky twelve inch fish that snatched a pheasant tail nymph. I began my quest for Taylor River fish with an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, a 20 incher and a beadhead pheasant tail. The 20 incher was there for depth, and the pheasant tail was a response to a pale morning dun sighting.

Afternoon Best

The dry/dropper stopped producing, and a few sporadic rises appeared among a brief flurry of PMD emergences, so I switched to a double dry featuring the reliable peacock hippie stomper trailing a light gray size 16 comparadun. Frustration reigned. Both flies provoked refusals or in a few cases foul hooked fish, as the trailing fly penetrated the fish after a snub of the first fly. Clearly the fish were eating something. Could body color be the difference? I exchanged the light gray for the same size in cinnamon. Finally two small browns ate my flies. One gulped the stomper, and the other sipped the PMD.

Very Attractive Pool

It was approaching 3PM, and the western sky darkened, so I paused my day and hiked back to the campground. I gave some thought to driving to Spring Creek to salvage the day, but those thoughts were drowned by a deluge of showers. Jane was in the car staying dry, so I jumped in the drivers’ seat, and we watched waves of water cascade down the windshield.

Evening Action

Shelf Pool Bonanza

Finally we decided to drive the five miles to the Taylor Reservoir Overlook, where cell phone service was available. Eventually the sky brightened, and I completed Connections and the Mini, so we retreated to the campground. I remained in my waders, so I geared up and crossed the highway to to the south shoreline section near the campground. I swapped the comparadun for a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis, and I methodically forged a path up the river while prospecting likely spots. In 1.25 hours I landed six additional trout including a pair of decent twelve inch battlers. I also momentarily hooked what felt like a bigger fish, but it broke off the caddis. This late afternoon session salvaged my day, and I returned to the campground in better spirits.

Fish Landed: 9

Rain Yields Mushrooms

Lottis Creek – 08/13/2024

Time: 10:00AM – 11:45AM

Location: Near Lottis Creek Campground

Lottis Creek 08/13/2024 Photo Album

My wife, Jane, expressed an interest in camping, since she had not camped since 2023, so I accessed the USFS campground reservation service and reserved campsite number eleven at Lodgepole Campground along the Taylor River for two nights, August 12 and 13. Jane does not fly fish, and we only had one car, so the campground location was ideal, since it was directly across from a section of the Taylor River that I like to fish. I could operate independently, while she commandeered the car for a trip to hike and browse around Crested Butte.

We made the drive to our campground on Monday, and stopped for a sumptuous lunch at the House Rock Kitchen along the main street in Buena Vista. By the time we arrived at Lodgepole, it was three PM, and we quickly set up the canopy and tent, before we took a stroll along the river.

Small Stream

Tuesday was my allotted day to fish. I mentioned that historically the Taylor does not fish well in the morning, and I often fish Spring Creek for a few hours before returning for prime time on the Taylor River in the afternoon. We tried to devise a plan whereby Jane dropped me off at Spring Creek, but all the scenarios had me not returning to the Taylor until 2:00PM. As an alternative I thought of Lottis Creek. I checked the map, and it was two miles from Lottis Creek to Lodgepole, so we adopted a new plan. Jane would drop me off at Lottis Creek, and I would fish for a few hours in the morning, and then I would hike the two miles back to Lodgepole to fish the Taylor. Neither of us would be constrained by timing deadlines to meet up.

Early Catch

I prepared to fish at the campsite with my Sage R8 four weight, and Jane dropped me off next to the campground at 10:00AM. The air temperature was in the sixties, and the sky was quite overcast, so I wore my rain shell for warmth. I was geared up with my rod strung, so I advanced immediately to the small creek that was running quite full for August 13. I began my day with a Chernobyl ant, and I landed a pair of small browns.

Big Boy

Home of Big Boy Between Branch and Log

After a fast start, I began to witness refusals, so I added a beadhead hares ear nymph two feet below the Chernobyl. Once I was ready, I flicked a short cast to a narrow band of slow water tight to the bank. I had already fished the spot, before I added the hares ear, so I had low expectations. In fact, it was a perfunctory effort aimed more at simply getting the nymph wet in anticipation of a cast farther upstream. While I watched the top fly, I noticed a fish beneath the surface making a quick move, so I set in case it grabbed the nymph. It did! Not only that, but this fish was a monster compared to the small size of Lottis Creek. It put up a powerful fight in a confined space, before I slid the fourteen inch brown trout into my net. This catch vindicated my decision to fish Lottis, and in fact, it made my day.

Salivating Over This Stretch

I continued fishing the Chernobyl and hares ear upstream and added five more trout to the count to reach eight. One was a six inch brook trout, one was an eight inch rainbow, and the remainder were small browns with perhaps one or two twelve inch fish in the mix.

At 11:45AM I called it quits and departed on my two mile jaunt along the highway back to Lodgepole. In 1.75 hours of fishing, I landed eight fish including a fourteen inch prize. I was pleased with my session on Lottis Creek.

Fish Landed: 8

Frying Pan River – 08/09/2024

Time: 10:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Below Reudi Reservoir

Frying Pan River 08/09/2024 Photo Album

Jane and I visited our daughter, Amy, Thursday through Saturday, and a fishing day was in my plans for Friday, August 9, 2024. I checked the flows on the Frying Pan River tailwater on Thursday evening, and the chart depicted steady outflows from Reudi Reservoir of 256 CFS for the last week. I decided to commit to the tailwater. Next I visited the Taylor Creek Fly Shop web site, and here I learned that the green drakes were present on the bottom one-third from mile marker zero to four.

This bit of information convinced me to begin my day on the lower river. I pulled into a wide pullout between MM 3 and 4 and prepared to fish. I assembled my Sage R8 four weight, and I ambled back down the road for .2 mile to a spot where the river veered back along the road. As I approached, I noticed a guide with two clients, so I reversed and found a worn path through the dense brush that carried me to a large red rock that jutted into the river. I carefully waded downstream for twenty yards, so I could cast to a nice narrow pool that bordered the bank.

256 CFS

I rigged with a tan size 8 pool toy hopper, a prince nymph, and a salvation nymph. On an early cast a trout rose and snubbed the hopper. This was not the beginning I hoped for. I persisted with some casts to the top of the run, and much to my amazement I hooked up with two fish that felt substantial. In both cases the brief connection ended with escaped trout.

I shrugged off this bout of misfortune and waded upstream to the deep run just below the huge red rock. Even though I failed to land a fish in the first location, I was encouraged by the rapid fire action. Unfortunately the trend did not continue, and I made matters worse, when I attempted a roll cast and hooked a limb high above me and out of reach. My only option was to apply direct pressure, and three flies found a new home in a tree branch. I cursed briefly and mounted the rock and found a small ledge to sit on, while I replaced my lineup with the same trio of flies.

Evicted by the Swimmers

As I focused on my knots, I heard some car doors slam, and I gazed across the road, where I spotted a tall red transit van and a group of kids. I did not give it much thought, until a cluster of kids arrived wearing swimming suits on top of the rock I was sitting on. One of the young boys told the others that they needed to wait because the fisherman (me) was there first. I appreciated the etiquette, and I announced that I would vacate the rock in twenty minutes. I returned to replacing my tippet and flies, and I realized that I was using up my allotted time, so I told the group that I would move upstream. The day that I anxiously anticipated was morphing into a series of challenges; escaped fish, lost flies, and now an invasion of young swimmers.

I quickly returned to the car and retrieved pool toy hoppers, prince nymphs, and salvation nymphs to replace my lost flies. I spotted a path near the car and whacked my way back to the river forty yards above the summer camp swimmers. For the next hour I diligently worked my way upstream, and I thoroughly cast to the left bank, but I was not convinced that a single trout was present in this stretch of the river. I was very frustrated with my lack of action and at a loss for what to do to reverse my fortunes. I encountered a path back to the road, so I took advantage and returned to the car.

Perhaps a change of scenery would renew my confidence? I stowed my gear and drove upstream to a spot on the upper third of the river. My dreams of green drake fishing were dashed. I found a nice rock and ate my lunch by the river, as I gazed across a section of shallow pockets.

First Decent Fish

Once my lunch was completed, I resumed casting, and I quickly landed three small brown trout that snatched the salvation nymph from the drift. However, this small amount of action was accompanied by a flurry of refusals to the hopper. I decided to downsize, and I migrated to a peacock hippie stomper with a salvation nymph. A nice twelve inch brown trout found the hippie stomper to its liking, but then refusals once again dominated, and the salvation was totally ignored.

Nice Deep Run Along the Bank

My dropper was relatively short (perhaps an explanation for the lack of interest in the salvation nymph), so I snipped off the salvation and replaced it with a parachute green drake. The drake failed to induce takes, and the hippie stomper drew a few refusals. It was time for yet another change. The section I was now wading was characterized by a wide riverbed and an abundant quantity of pockets and runs over moderate depth. I pondered the situation and decided to return to a dry/dropper approach. For the top fly I chose an amber ice dub size 8 chubby Chernobyl, and beneath it I knotted a 20 incher and a salvation nymph, and in this instance I extended the chubby to 20 incher tippet to four feet in order to attain a greater depth on my drifts.

Love the Dark Ink Spots

Finally I found a combination that clicked. I moved up the river methodically and prospected all the runs and pockets for two hundred yards, and in the process I boosted the fish count from four to twenty-three. Among this haul were four very respectable browns in the twelve to thirteen inch range. The remainder were smaller brown trout ranging from six to eleven inches.

Slick in the MIddle of the River

By 3:15PM I reached a section of the river that required more commitment than I was willing to provide, and the sky darkened, as the temperature dropped, and the wind kicked up. I hooked my fly to the rod guide and waded back to the road and returned to the car. Steady rain commenced, just as I began removing my waders, so the timing was fortuitous.

Finish Line

Twenty-three was a decent fish count, although the average size was beneath my expectations. My best fish were the two that escaped early and a couple larger fish that flashed their sides, as they refused the chubby. 256 CFS is actually at the top end of what I deem acceptable. Of course, a strong hatch could overcome my reservations on flow rates, but none materialized, while I was fishing the Frying Pan River.

Fish Landed: 23

South Boulder Creek – 08/07/2024

Time: 10:30AM – 2:45PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 08/07/2024 Photo Album

Finally on Wednesday all the factors necessary to fish South Boulder Creek aligned. The roads were open after the wildfire was controlled, there were no dam expansion impacts, the flows were an acceptable 146 CFS, and the weather was forecast to be decent with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms. I was quite anxious to return to South Boulder Creek, and Wednesday was the day. Would the green drakes be driving the fish to gluttonous feeding?

Near the Start

I arrived at the Walker Ranch Loop parking lot, and the air temperature was already 81 degrees. I quickly gathered my gear and put together my Loomis two piece five weight and hit the trail. I observed no other anglers or moose on my inbound hike, and I was stationed next the stream with a peacock hippie stomper and size 16 deer hair caddis ready to cast by 10:30.

Early Eater

Promising Run

Almost immediately three trout crushed the stomper and caddis, and I was off and running. All was not perfect, however, as the hippie stomper also attracted its share of refusals. From 10:30 until noon I steadily moved upstream and boosted the fish count to twenty, before I rested on a large flat rock for lunch. Landing fish was a matter of popping casts to likely fish holding spots, moving quickly and ignoring the many fish that refused one of the flies. Roughly 70% of the landed fish grabbed the caddis and 30% fell for the hippie stomper.

Decent Rainbow Joins the Parade

Sparse Spot Pattern

After lunch I continued the upstream migration, but after I spotted a solitary green drake, I exchanged the hippie stomper for a parachute green drake. I never saw another natural green drake, and my flies were moderately effective. I cycled through the parachute version, a comparadun imitation, and a user friendly green drake. A user friendly is essentially a hippie stomper with a green drake color scheme. I landed a few fish on each type of green drake imitation, but the most effective seemed to be the user friendly. Historically the parachute green drake has outperformed the other green drake versions, but that was not the case on Wednesday. The size 16 caddis remained in place throughout the afternoon, and it was responsible for the most fish, as the fish count soared from twenty to thirty-six.

Exquisite Colors

During the afternoon session, I had to work harder for my catches. Places that seemed like certain producers were not, and marginal pockets near the bank surprised with trout. Surprisingly the number of rainbow trout increased to a 60/40 split with 60% being browns and 40% the pink striped fighters. Size was a positive with quite a few browns and rainbows in the twelve to thirteen inch range.

Love This One

During this time I approached a challenging wading predicament. I was along the left bank having carefully crossed the creek. 146 CFS was lower than the 165 CFS of my previous visit, but it remained at a level that inhibited free movement back and forth. The creek rushed against a high rock wall, before it glanced off an angled exposed rock that jutted into the creek similar to a stream improvement deflector. In the past I placed my bottom on the jutting rock and swiveled my legs to the upside and then slowly slid down into the creek before quickly stepping along the rock wall. On Wednesday I attempted this same move, but my feet reached and reached, but never gained traction. I should have pulled back, but instead I persisted, until the strong current along the rock swept my feet downstream, and I became a soggy floating human bobber. After a six foot float I gained my balance, but the damage was done, and cold tailwater rushed down my waders and filled my stocking feet. My frontpack and fly boxes were soaked.

Midstream Pockets

A bit later I landed a decent brown trout that I decided to photograph. In order to remove the fly and get a grip, I kneeled, but when I did so, cold water rushed down along my thighs. Where was this coming from? I assumed that it originated from water collected inside my waders and pooled just above my cinched wader belt.

Highlight of the Day

By 2:30PM some dark clouds rolled in, and I heard distant thunder, so I went through the chore of removing my gear in order to pull on my raincoat. I continued fishing for another fifteen minutes, and a short period of rain ensued, but then I heard more thunder and decided to call it a day. I sloshed back to the car including the one mile climb from the creek to the trailhead. My wet state actually helped cool me on the uphill climb, and the clouds remained for much of my return hike, so that I was not as hot, as I expected.

Tough Cast Beneath the Branches

When I arrived at the car I removed everything, and pulled on a change of clothes. After I dumped the water from my waders, I inspected them, and I discovered a small tear in the seat area that was the length of the end of my little finger. This explained the sensation of rushing water on my thighs, when I was releasing the brown trout. It was my second day of using my new waders, and I already damaged them. I recalled stumbling backward early in the day and landing on a log with sharp branch stubs, so I suspect that incident precipitated the tear. When I returned home, I dried out the waders and patched them, so they should be ready for my next fly fishing adventure.

Thirty-six is a big number day, and the size of the fish was quite acceptable. Obviously my brief swim and tearing my waders put a bit of a damper on my enjoyment, but the biggest disappointment was the relative lack of success with green drake flies. Hopefully the water managers cooperate, and I am able to visit South Boulder Creek again soon. In fact, as long as I am submitting wishes, another drop in flows would be highly welcome.

Fish Landed: 36

Curtain Ponds – 08/05/2024

Time: 11:00AM – 2:15PM

Location: Near Copper Mountain

Curtain Ponds 08/05/2024 Photo Album

Ben and I tossed our gear in the back of the Telluride and kept our waders on and our rods in ready mode and made the short drive west on Interstate 70 to the Curtain Ponds. Unfortunately I was now defaulting to what I felt was my backup plan.

We hiked to one of the ponds, and I allowed Ben to wade along the shoreline, while I fired some long casts from the bank east of his position. My chubby Chernobyl and prince nymph remained on my line, but it quickly became apparent that the dry/dropper was not the correct approach for the pond. I took the necessary time to remove the two flies that I deemed inappropriate, and I replace them with a peacock hippie stomper trailing a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis.

Initially Ben and I moved along the bank and fired long casts either toward the interior of the pond or parallel to the shoreline. The sun was high in the sky, the air temperature soared, and rises were nonexistent. We spotted schools of decent fish, but they seemed to be sulking in deep holes next to thick aquatic vegetation, where they streaked when my flies landed above them. I was not optimistic that the fallback would be any better than the exploratory first hour.

We slowly moved over to a sharp bend in the shoreline, and I cast to a corner nook, and finally a small six inch brook trout smashed the hippie stomper. Ben abandoned the pond closer to the highway and joined me, and we slowly shuffled our way along the bank, but the fish continued to flee at the first sight of our lines overhead. It was at this time, that I foolishly placed my backcast in the tip of a young evergreen tree. I attempted to bend the young conifer, but it was was too strong, and I snapped off both flies. I was quite peeved by my reckless casting ability.

Early Success Story

While I took the requisite time to redo my line with the same flies, Ben moved on, and he began to observe some very sporadic rises toward the center of the pond, and he reported several refusals to the hippie stomper. After I connected with and landed another countable brook trout on the deer hair caddis, I decided to offer him one as well. He eagerly accepted, and while using the stomper and caddis, he landed his first brook trout of the day.

Ben on the Board

I was moving along closer to the shallow shoreline with no success, so I decided to check out the next pond, which featured deeper water. I hypothesized that brookies in the deeper water would feel safer; and, therefore, more prone to visit the surface to pick off tidbits of food. My theory did not pan out, as I managed to land one two inch brook trout, before I returned to the main pond that now featured Ben along the bank opposite the highway. While I was chasing windmills, Ben landed enough brook trout to boost his fish count to five.

Focused

I joined him along the same shoreline, and we fanned casts toward the center of the pond in all directions. I finally managed to nail a couple brook trout to bring my total up to four, and at this point I found a seat on some thick railroad ties that formed a sort of dock, and I downed my lunch. Some dark clouds were building in the southwestern sky, and we welcomed the advancement of cloudiness.

After lunch, our wish was fulfilled, and the clouds blocked the sun for long periods. During these low light times, the amount of surface feeding increased, and this corresponded with an improvement in our fish catch rate. Ben and I matched each other with catches until his total stood at seven, and I boosted mine to six. I had written the day off as an exercise in futility, but we were now achieving a moderate amount of success and having fun.

The Fish Dove into the Aquatic Goop

Ben moved east toward the next corner of the pond, and I waded out on an underwater point that featured light colored rocks for a solid bottom. For some reason my success rate stalled, so I contemplated another fly change. Before embarking on the trip, I replaced a parachute hopper that I lost on the previous trip with another one, although it was a size 12 instead of a 10. These parachute hoppers were flies that I tied ten years ago, before I migrated to foam. For some reason I knotted it to my line behind the hippie stomper, and I began launching long casts toward the center of the pond. Initially I was frustrated by refusals and a couple very brief pricks, but I stuck with the hopper, and I landed three more brook trout to increase my fish count to nine. I also lost a couple fish that burrowed into the aquatic goop, before I learned that I needed to keep my rod tip very high in order to keep the fish near the surface. Catching fish on old flies that I resurrected from my fly storage boxes was very gratifying.

Fly Change Knot Tying

While this was transpiring, Ben, unfortunately was dealing with some tangles, but eventually he resumed his long distance casting and boosted his fish count to eight. The dark clouds rolled closer and the wind kicked up, and I could see waves of rain against the distant mountains. Some thunder rumbled down the valley, and this was the prompt that motivated us to call it quits. We hustled back to the car and threw our gear in the rear and sat in the driver and passenger seats and watched the rain flow down my new windshield (I replaced the old one that sported a long crack 80% of the way across). I could see a brighter sky to the southwest, so we decided to investigate another pond and an upper section of Ten Mile Creek.

Pretty One

We made the short drive to another parking lot, and we strolled down along the creek to near the first pond, but once again the sky darkened and in this instance we saw lightning and heard more thunder, so we adjourned our day of fishing, returned to the car and traveled back to Golden. We persevered and salvaged a decent day in early August.

Fish Landed: 9

Ten Mile Creek – 08/05/2024

Time: 9:30AM – 10:30AM

Location: Between Frisco and Copper Mountain

Ten Mile Creek 08/05/2024 Photo Album

Monday and Wednesday were open dates for fly fishing during the first full week of August, 2024. I desperately wanted to return to South Boulder Creek, but now that the Lake Shore wildfire was under control, the water managers raised the flows to 211 CFS. That is too high in my estimation for comfortable wading and fly fishing. How many hurdles can the fly fishing gods throw at me in order to thwart my ability to fly fish South Boulder Creek?

I decided to check in with my fly fishing student, Ben, to see if he was available to tag along for a day. I contacted his mother, and she informed me that Ben might be open Monday, but there was a chance he could work, and she would get back to me on Sunday. True to her word, she texted me on Sunday that Ben would not work, and he was free to join me.

Since Ben is a relative newcomer to the sport, I wanted to choose a place that was not too challenging for backcasts. I fished the North Fork of Ten Mile Creek a short while ago with my young friend, Nate, and I wondered if the main stem of Ten Mile Creek might produce similar results. When I first moved to Colorado, I avoided Ten Mile Creek, because it supposedly contained heavy metals from mining that stunted the growth of the fish population and reduced the insect supply. Perhaps, however, over the intervening period of thirty-four years, the aquatic environment improved. I decided it was worth a try, and the Curtain Ponds were available as a fallback.

Wide and Shallow Near the Start

I picked up Ben at 8AM, and we made the drive to the parking lot at the Frisco Main Street exit off of Interstate 70. I chose my Orvis Access four weight, and Ben armed himself with one of his 8.5 foot six weights, and we hiked down the trail for .1 mile and then cut to the creek. I was wearing my new waders after determining that the three year old Redingtons were worn beyond repair. The air temperature was in the low seventies, and the sky was deep blue. I explained to Ben the rules of alternating fishing on streams that were too narrow to allow anglers to fish in parallel, but Ten Mile Creek was wider than I expected, and we decided to move side by side. Ben took the left bank, and I occupied the right bank.

Ben began his quest for trout with a hippie stomper that he bought with a lime green body. I, meanwhile, opted for an amber ice dub body chubby Chernobyl with a beadhead hares ear nymph on an eighteen inch dropper. For the next hour we attacked the small rushing creek next to Interstate 70 with extreme vigor, but the results were quite disappointing. Neither of us landed a single fish. Furthermore, we never witnessed a look or a refusal or even a fish darting for cover as a result of clumsy wading. In the early going I blamed the quality of the holding water, and hoped that some attractive pools might change our luck. At one point I lengthened my leader to achieve deeper drifts and swapped the hares ear for a prince nymph. Just before 10:30AM we approached a gorgeous deep run and pool below some fallen logs, but even this juicy spot failed to yield a trout. This was the last straw, so we clipped our flies to our guides and found the trail and returned to the parking lot.

As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Unfortunately we were victims of the nothing gained part of the sage saying. The creek was cold and clear and surrounded by scenic mountains, but based on our experience, it contained a sparse population of trout. Were we too early? Did we need to allow the water to warm to generate more movement from the fish and a greater appetite? Did we choose the wrong flies? The observation that led to our departure was the total lack of fish sighting. This is highly unusual for a productive Rocky Mountain stream based on my years of experience.

Fish Landed: 0

Willow Creek – 08/02/2024

Tiime: 9:45AM – 2:30PM

Location: National Forest Land

Willow Creek 08/02/2024 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.

Friday was another hot day in Denver with temperatures approaching 100 degrees. I sought a high country stream or a tailwater to cool myself off and to escape the sauna that is called Denver. I experienced a superb day on South Boulder Creek on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, so my inclination was to return. Recall that I experienced issues with my wading boots and my waders, so I was anxious for redemption using my repaired fly fishing uniform. I replaced the Boa cables on my left and right wading boots, and I concluded that my Redington Sonic Pro waders were irreparable, and I ushered my backups into service. I checked the flows on South Boulder Creek, and they remained higher than I prefer, but only a notch below Tuesday’s levels at 162 CFS. I prepared my lunch and loaded the car with fishing gear and staged all my other fishing needs, so that I was prepared for an early start. In short, I was excited for another day on South Boulder Creek ( SBC).

All this took place before Jane stumbled across an online map that showed the areas affected by the four Front Range wildfires. When I viewed the map surrounding the Lake Shore Fire, I discovered that the blaze was near Gross Reservoir, and the impacted area extended over the Walker Ranch Loop Trailhead; the very trailhead that I use to access the creek since Gross Dam Road has been mostly closed since construction work on the dam began. I dug further, and I found out that Flagstaff Road was closed between a fire rescue station and Gross Dam Road, and the closure was before the turnoff to the Walker Ranch Loop Trailhead. A quick change in plans was in order. I did uncover a bit of good news surrounding the Lake Shore fire, as the web site informed me that the fire was quickly contained and confined to a relatively small area, so barring another fire or a sudden change in status, I suspect that SBC will once again be accessible shortly.

Finning in the Net

Now I needed to choose a new destination. Most of the Front Range options were impacted by wildfires including the Big Thompson and the St. Vrain. I was not impressed with my last visit to Bear Creek, and Clear Creek was not attractive to me, as it does not fish well in the heat. I investigated Eleven Mile Canyon, and the flows were in the 175 CFS range, but the fly shop report cited crowding even during weekdays. The report actually suggested showing good angling etiquette twice, and I took that as a bad sign. Finally I decided to revisit a stream that I fished twice this summer already. As mentioned earlier, I was prepared, so I got off to a nice early start, and that enabled me to park near the creek by 9:15AM.’

Good Start

Prime Pool

I pulled on my backup waders and cinched my replacement Boa cables on my wading boots, before I broke out my Orvis Access four weight, and I was ready to fish. I arrived at a spot on the stream that was different from my first two visits, and I began my effort with a solo peacock hippie stomper. I was shocked when the hippie stomper failed to interest any fish in the first fifteen minutes, and I approached a place with some faster entering current, so I added a beadhead hares ear nymph on a 2.5 foot dropper. The action improved, and I built the fish count to twenty by the time I paused for lunch at 11:50AM. That may seem like a torrid catch rate, but I also experienced my share of refusals and temporary hookups. Nearly all the trout in the morning session were brook trout, but I also landed one small brown and another juvenile brown trout beneath the six inch minimum.

Handle with Care

The section of the creek that I fished on Friday contained many more slow moving pools, and the level of the stream was quite a bit lower than my last trip with Ben. This translated to long casts and gentle presentations. I will be the first to admit that I did not execute this finesse on a consistent basis; and, therefore, I witnessed many mass evacuations from some prime pools. Nevertheless, twenty fish in a little over two hours of fishing was quite acceptable, and I was very focused on my approaches and casting technique. Quite a few beaver dams existed along my upstream migration, but in each case they were breached. It made me wonder if a human being was responsible to keep the water flowing.

A Rare Double

After lunch I resumed prospecting with the dry/dropper, but it seemed as though the catch rate waned a bit. The hippie stomper and beadhead hares ear continued to deliver positive results, and the fish count blossomed to thirty. At this point the hackle on the hippie stomper unraveled, so I decided to introduce some new surface flies, and while I was at it, I exchanged the dropper nymph as well. For the top fly I cycled through a parachute hopper, a Jake’s gulp beetle, and a size 10 Chernobyl ant. For the nymph component I tried a salvation nymph, and it nabbed a few fish, but the hares ear seemed far more effective, so I returned to the dependable hares ear after a reasonable salvation trial.

A Very Decent Brown

I managed to boost the fish count from thirty to forty-one with this mix of flies, but none of them compared favorably to the high standards of the hippie stomper. During the afternoon the brown trout portion of my catch improved somewhat, as I landed four countable browns, and this included a pair of very respectable thirteen inchers. A couple brook trout in the ten inch range also visited my net, and they represented the largest brook trout on the day.

Bank Dwellers?

The last twenty minutes were quite challenging, as it seemed that I spooked large schools of decent sized fish. I even observed one fish that must have measured in excess of fifteen inches, but it was fleeing its position and darting to an undercut bank from the impact of my flies. In retrospect, I wish I would have tried a double dry rig. Even though I landed forty-one fish and quite a few on the nymphs, I suspect that I would have startled fewer fish with the softer landing of two small dry flies.

Best Brown Trout on the Day

One factor I left out of this piece was the wind. It was atrocious, as it gusted quite regularly. As the creek meandered a bit, I faced cross winds and head winds, but never a tail wind. The cross winds were the worst, especially when I attempted to place the flies close to the right bank. Compensating for a variable wind is a casting skill that is at the expert level. I managed to do it a few times, but I also hooked some bushes and slapped down some heavy landings. Wind induced tangles were also a repeating problem, although I felt like I minimized untangling time quite well under the conditions.

Another Smooth Pool

Friday was a very enjoyable fly fishing day, and I am quite infatuated with the stream that I named Willow Creek. My three visits met or exceeded my expectations. The heat wave is projected to continue for the foreseeable future, so I will likely be seeking tailwaters and mountain creeks in August. Hopefully, South Boulder Creek, returns as an option shortly.

Fish Landed: 41

Redington Sonic Pro Waders – 08/01/2024

Redington Sonic Pro Waders 08/01/2024 Photo Album

I normally do not write equipment reviews, but I thought my experience with this brand of waders merited a report. In December of 2021 my wife gave me new waders as a Christmas gift. I researched waders and picked out the Redington Sonic Pros as a wader brand that was middle of the road price wise, yet it appeared to be more durable than some of the waders in the lower price bracket.

When the waders arrived, and I inspected them, after Christmas of course, I noticed that the edges of the seam tape were curled up and not properly adhered on both the right and left neoprene boots. I thought perhaps this was an issue, but I concluded that the main portion of the tape remained adhered, and it covered up the seam. In my haste to accept the new waders and avoid the hassle of returning them, I ignored this warning sign.

Wader Top and Stocking Feet Seams

I used the waders for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and they never leaked. However, on Wednesday, July 30, when I returned to my car after a day of fishing, I removed my waders and discovered that my sock was soaked. I was able to wring water out of the sock, so it was not the typical small pinhole leak.

Large Seam Split on This Foot

The Other Foot

On Wednesday afternoon I leak checked both legs and feet, and I discovered a seam leak on the right boot foot. The seam separation was over an inch in length, and this was the point of entry of the water. I was going to coat it with a sealer, but before I did so, I turned the waders right side out, and this is when I discovered that there was a severe separation of the seam on both boot feet where the tape had previously covered and protected the seam. By now the tape peeled off and was no longer protecting the seam from wear and tear. I concluded that coating the split on the inside of the neoprene boot foot was a waste of time, because the seam would surely continue to separate.

This Clearly Shows How the Tape Peeled Away Only In the One Section Where It Was Not Properly Adhered

The Other Foot

I emailed Redington and admitted that the waders were beyond the warranty period, but I felt that faulty workmanship reduced the life of the waders, and I asked for some consideration. A prompt reply was returned, and Redington simply cited the one year warranty policy. I am posting this report to warn potential buyers of the tape problem with Redington Sonic Pro waders. Please inspect your purchase and return it, if there is even the slightest imperfection.

South Boulder Creek – 07/30/2024

Time: 10:00AM – 3:00PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 07/30/2024 Photo Album

Today can be described as a day with a close encounter, equipment failure, and a fantastic day of fly fishing. Let me explain.

I fished four out of five weekdays during the previous week, but three days of grandson and grand puppy sitting had me craving another day for fly fishiing. Wednesday and Thursday were already booked with non-fishing commitments, so Tuesday was a day available to fish. I cashed it in. The flows of South Boulder Creek below Gross Reservoir were listed at 165 CFS, and that level was maintained for three days. I have had success in the past at flows as high as 180 CFS, so I decided to give it a try. I was also curious to discover whether green drakes announced their presence on the small Front Range tailwater.

Because of the work expanding Gross Reservoir, I was forced to drive through Boulder and then over Flagstaff Mountain to the Walker Loop Trailhead. Traffic was heavy on the Boulder Turnpike, but I used my Express Pass to avoid the worst tie ups. Tuesday became a more expensive fishing day with express toll usage required on both my outbound and inbound drives.

Four or five cars preceded me to the parking lot, but as best as I could tell, none seemed to be fishermen. The sun was pounding down on the car, as I prepared to fish, and the dashboard informed me that it was 81 degrees at 9AM. I debated whether to hike in to the creek in my waders, or whether to wear my wet wading pants and boots and carry my waders in my large backpack. I chose hiking in the waders, since it seemed far less hassle. For my casting tool I chose my Loomis two piece five weight.

Roughly half way down my descent of the Walker Loop Trail, my left foot seemed to be looser than normal. I stopped to examine the cause and discovered that the Boa cable on my Korkers had broken. Needless to say, I was not happy about this development. I was too far along to return to the car, and was unsure if I had a means to repair it in any case. I plunged ahead and racked my brain for some sort of temporary fix. The best I could concoct was to find a vine and wrap it around the wader boot and secure with a knot. It never happened, and I hiked in and out and fished for five hours with a very loose left wading boot. I made sure the wader cuff remained in place, and I was able to manage through the Boa failure. When I returned to the car, I noticed that the cable on the right boot was also frayed, so I scheduled time to replace both Boa cables. I have done it before, and I have several backup cables in my fly tying desk.

Prime Rainbow Spot

As I strolled along contemplating a boot fix, I heard a loud clop clop sound, and I instantly froze. I spotted a glimpse of movement in the trees ahead of me, and then I heard a splash, and a huge antlered moose stood in the middle of South Boulder Creek and stared back at me. I concluded the clop clop sound was the hooves of the moose striking rocks. I backtracked a short distance to an opening next to the creek, and I frantically pulled out my camera and snapped a photo. Next I hit the video button, and the moose decided I was not a threat, as it waded downstream and then crossed the other half of the creek to the opposite shore. I kept my camera out and proceeded down the trail a short distance to another opening, and I recorded another clip of the moose, as it meandered out of sight into a grove of evergreen trees. My heartrate was quite elevated after this encounter.

Moose Crossing

In spite of the loose boot, I arrived at my chosen starting point along the stream and began fly fishing by 10:00AM. I began with an amber ice dub body size 8 chubby chernobyl trailing a size 14 prince nymph and a size 14 iron sally. During the morning session between 10:00AM and noon I landed twenty trout. One grabbed the iron sally, four attacked the chubby, and one snatched the salvation nymph, after I swapped it for the iron sally. The remaining fourteen gobbled the prince nymph. All my action came from slower moving pockets, riffles and runs near the right bank. A few trout under six inches were also part of the morning, and refusals to the chubby were a frustration. I must admit, however, it is hard to be frustrated with twenty fish in two hours, although the size of the fish was somewhat lacking. I did manage one thirteen inch brown with dark spots, but most of the catch fell within the six to nine inch range.

Morning Brown Trout

Nice Spot

During lunch I observed quite a few yellow sallies floating skyward, so I decided to switch tactics, and I converted to a size 14 yellow stimulator and a size 14 peacock hippie stomper in a double dry fly configuration. The combination met with decent success, and I boosted the fish count from twenty to thirty. The trout ate either the stimulator or hippie stomper in roughly equal proportions, but the trailing stomper seemed to generate a larger number of refusals.

Love the Pattern on This Rainbow

Excellent Brown Trout

The thirtieth fish was a stunning thirteen inch brown trout, but then I once again experienced refusals, and I began to wonder, if the trout were seeking green drakes and perhaps the hippie stomper was a close but not close enough approximation? I replaced the hippie stomper with a parachute green drake, and I managed a few small brown trout, but the paradrake was an overwhelmingly excellent refusal generator. I returned to the hippie stomper, and eventually I raised the fish count to forty-one. Number thirty-nine was a gorgeous rainbow trout of thirteen inches and perhaps the best fish of the day.

Deep Body Color on This Rainbow

Top Notch Brown

The most productive areas were riffles of moderate depth and medium current velocity. Trout seemed to appear out of nowhere in these spots, and this was especially true, while I had the prince nymph on my line. Short deep pools and shelf pools were consistently unproductive, and I am unable to explain that circumstance.

Shelf Along the Far Bank Yielded Two Nice Rainbows

At forty-one I was satisfied with my day, and my watch indicated that it was 3PM, so I hit the trail with my loose left boot. I was concerned about hiking out with the loose fit in the afternoon heat, as the return hike involved a one mile climb up a steep hill. I took my time and drank an abundant quantity of water and reached the parking lot by 4:00PM. I passed three other anglers in the creek on the way back, and two fishermen arrived and were preparing to fish, as I removed my gear. When I removed my right wader leg, I discovered that my hiking sock was saturated with water to the point, where I could wring it out. I added wader repair to boot repair on my list of Wednesday afternoon activities.

Pretty in Pink

Wide Pool

Tuesday proved to be an eventful day on South Boulder Creek. Landing forty plus fish is always rewarding, but seeing a wild moose within casting distance was easily the highlight of the day. My ability to enjoy a successful outing while dealing with a broken boot was also a noteworthy accomplishment. I spotted one solitary green drake, so they are imminent, but the fish are not yet tuned into the large western mayflies.

Fish Landed: 41