Time: 9:30AM – 1:30PM
Location: Behind Cutthroat Anglers and upstream to the outlet mall area
Fish Landed: 1
Blue River 10/11/2015 Photo Album
For some reason the Blue River between Silverthorne, CO and Green Mountain Reservoir has tormented me during my fly fishing life in Colorado. The river is quite pretty with crystal clear water cascading over round light beige and tan river rocks. Every time I drive by, I am tantalized by the inviting appearance of cold pure rushing water and the abundance of trout that I imagine populate this picturesque waterway. Unfortunately on the occasions when I actually wet my fly line in the Blue River currents, I do not experience consistent success.
I contacted my Instagram buddy, Danny Ryan, a week ago, and he informed me that he planned to fish the Blue River on Sunday morning October 11 before continuing to Vail where he taught a class. He invited me to join him, and I agreed since I had not fished with Danny since April. We agreed to meet at the Cutthroat Anglers parking lot between 8AM and 8:30AM.
On Sunday morning I arrived first, and then when Danny joined me, we stopped at the nearby Red Buffalo Cafe for tea and coffee. Once we satisfied our caffeine cravings, we stopped at the Cutthroat Angler and purchased some mysis shrimp flies and small Thingamabobbers. Mysis are a species of freshwater shrimp that populate Dillon Reservoir, and they pass through the dam on a regular basis and become a welcome food source for the hungry trout that dwell downstream in the Blue River. After we put on our waders and rigged our rods, we crossed to the Blue River behind the fly shop. There was a pedestrian bridge that spanned the river, so we crossed and paused to observe some large rainbow trout that were finning in the slow water next to the swift center current.
Danny Changes Flies on the Blue River
We descended to the edge of the river, and I began fishing above the bridge while Danny took a position below. I employed the Thingamabobber/level line system at the start of my day and tied on a salvation nymph and zebra midge. I persisted with these two flies for quite a while, but they did not produce, so I switched the salvation for a mysis shrimp. Again positive results were absent, so I exchanged the zebra midge for a beadhead RS2. While I was making these changes I migrated upstream past two additional pedestrian bridges.
Eventually I reached the area bordered by outlet stores, and I decided to abandon the nymphing approach. My confidence was at a new low, so I removed the 0X connector, thingamabobber, and the level 5X line and replaced them with a tapered leader. To the tapered leader I knotted a Chernobyl ant, beadhead hares ear, and salvation nymph, and I resumed fishing through some very attractive runs and pools created by man made rock structures. Once again my efforts were thwarted until I joined Danny, and we walked through a tunnel that enabled us to pass underneath route 9.
Lots of Company Upstream
On the west side we found a nice section that was unoccupied. Two spin fishermen focused on fish that apparently were stationed where the river flowed beneath the highway bridge, and several more fishermen were in the Big Gulp pool above us. Danny agreed to fish the pool across from us that extended to the opposite bank, and I claimed the near pool. I made five drifts, and on the sixth I spotted a decent rainbow trout as it moved from the bottom of the river and hovered just below the Chernobyl. I was encouraged by the first semblance of any interest in my flies since I began futilely flailing the river in the morning.
Despite being snubbed by the rainbow, I continued drifting through the area where the fish appeared, but these repeated casts simply added to my frustration. I concluded that change was in order, so I removed the salvation nymph and replaced it with a soft hackle emerger. Certainly these fish see a frequent supply of blue winged olives, and they would surely jump at the opportunity to eat a food that appears in abundance. It was a nice try, but another ploy that went awry. Suddenly I remembered the ploy of downsizing after a fish refused the large Chernobyl. I utilized this strategy on Clear Creek with resounding success, so perhaps it could work on the Blue River. I removed the three fly dry/dropper arrangement and tied on a Jake’s gulp beetle with a peacock dubbed body.
I plopped the beetle in the middle of the pool, and it slowly drifted toward the tail. After slowly covering four feet, a shape emerged from the depths, and it slowly swam beneath the beetle and tipped up and sipped. Despite hours of inactivity, I remembered what to do in the event of a fish take, and I raised my rod with a solid hook set and shouted to Danny, “Fish on”. The seventeen inch rainbow put up a surprisingly meager fight, and I quickly netted it and celebrated the prevention of a skunking.
Seventeen Inches
Danny waded over and snapped some photos with my camera. I was now confident that I could fool another fish with the beetle, if I could sight one. In short order Danny spotted a large rainbow trout in front of the bridge support below us. This was probably the fish that was drawing the interest of the spin fishermen, who had since departed. I cast to this fish for at least fifteen minutes, as it cruised about in a tight circle, but the best I could accomplish was a moment when the fish drifted toward the fly and inspected it briefly. Danny tried presenting his nymphs to the fish as well, but he was also thwarted.
Finally we called it quits, and since our upstream path was blocked by several fishermen in the Big Gulp, we reversed our course. Before returning to the car Danny suggested that we walk out on the first pedestrian bridge behind the fly shop and check to see if the large fish observed earlier were still present. Sure enough we spotted two, but one was even larger than any we had seen in the morning. Danny immediately charged to the other end of the bridge and took a position downstream and began to cast to the monster, while I remained on the bridge to guide his casts.
Danny’s first cast came up short, but his second lob was on target and drifted right over the massive finned creature. Suddenly I saw the head of the fish lift, and I exclaimed to Danny that he hooked it! For a split second Danny elevated the leviathan, but then the brute wagged its tail several times and simply broke off Danny’s line. My hands were shaking, and I was not even connected to the fish!
Danny was not as visibly upset over the loss of this trophy fish as I would have been. He shook it off and reveled in the fact that he actually hooked the giant fish. Even more surprising was the fact that he hooked it on a pine squirrel leech, as we had been fishing mostly minute tailwater offerings up until that point. With that excitement behind us, we returned to the car and prepared to go our separate ways.
It was another frustrating day on the Blue River, but I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my pal Danny. The weather was pleasant, and the scenery was splendid, and I managed to outwit a seventeen inch rainbow trout. I saw my friend hook perhaps the largest fish I have ever seen in Colorado. It may be awhile until I return to the Blue, but it was a worthwhile experience for October 2015.