Time; 1:00PM – 3:30PM

Location: Clear Creek Canyon

Clear Creek 04/29/2025 Photo Album

Weather was the main consideration for my choice of a place to fish on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. The high in Denver was projected to reach the mid-sixties, and that translates to frigid temperatures at higher elevation destinations. My choices were confined to the foothills and lower elevation locations. After three long drives during the previous week, I was reluctant to undertake another lengthy trip. In 2.5 hours on Monday I experienced decent success in Clear Creek Canyon, so I decided to take advantage of the short drive, and returned to the nearby stream.

Curved Position

The high temperature in Clear Creek Canyon was forecast to reach 61 degrees, but wind was a factor, and rain and cooler temperatures were expected to predominate from 3:00PM onward. I decided to forego morning fishing, and instead I headed to Prospect Park with Jane for some pickleball. I packed the car with everything I needed for an afternoon of fishing, and I departed the park by 11:15AM and arrived at my chosen parking lot by noon. The wind was gusting, and I decided to take advantage of the car and downed my lunch before gearing up and departing for Clear Creek.

Pocket Water

I swapped my pickleball shirt for my long sleeved Under Armour thermal undershirt, and then I slipped on my light down North Face and added my raincoat as a windbreaker and protection from the forecast rain. Once I was prepared, I hiked along the path for .2 mile, and then I crossed the creek at a wide tail section to reach the south bank. I began my day at 1:00PM with a tan mini chubby, an olive perdigon, and a sparkle wing RS2. I began working my way westward along the left bank, and I tossed the dry/dropper in likely locations.

Stretched Out

Nice Pool

I persisted with this style of fishing for the next 2.5 hours, and I landed nine trout. Two were rainbows and the remainder were browns. I never observed a rising fish until the last twenty minutes, when the wind kicked up, and a huge black cloud began delivering rain, sleet and snow. My hands were too cold to change to a double dry, so I continued with the dry/dropper and landed two decent trout. One of the late trout snatched the olive perdigon, and the other crushed a yellow fat Albert on the surface.

A Bit Larger

After building the fish count to five between 1PM and 2PM on the strength of the tan mini chubby, the olive perdigon and the sparkle wing; I encountered an extended lull. Two of the first five landed fish took the mini chubby, one nipped the sparkle wing RS2, and the other two gobbled the olive perdigon. During the lull, however, the resident trout began to refuse the tan chubby, so I made a change.

Productive Water

One of Two Rainbows

I substituted a yellow fat Albert for the mini chubby, and I replaced the sparkle wing RS2 with a psycho prince. The dry/dropper clicked for two trout, and eventually I replaced the psycho prince with another sparkle wing, when I spotted a few rising fish during the onset of the extremely foul weather.

Raised Up

Tuesday was a decent day on Clear Creek, although I never encountered a decent hatch similar to that which entertained me at the start on Monday. I worked hard for nine trout and covered a decent amount of stream real estate. The mini chubby produced a few fish, and that lured me into staying with it longer than I should have, even though it was the object of refusals during the second hour. A blustery storm that caused a rapid drop in temperatures, chased me from the creek when my hands began to sting.

Fish Landed: 9

Time: 1:30PM – 4:00PM

Location: Clear Creek Canyon

Clear Creek 04/28/2025 Photo Album

As I looked ahead at the last week of April, the weather forecast was not conducive to fly fishing across much of the state. In addition, I tested the air conditioning system on the Saturday, when the high temperature poked into the upper 80’s, and the unit was not cooling the house efficiently. The HVAC repairman visited on the following Thursday and ordered a replacement part, and he was scheduled to return on Monday morning.

I checked weather reports in towns near possible fishing destinations, and I concluded that I could sneak in a few hours on Clear Creek, if the wind was not overly onerous. The section of Clear Creek that I targeted is only 45 minutes from my home, so it was a viable option for a half day after the HVAC experts were finished.

Theo’s Thing

By 11:00AM the two man crew departed, and Jane returned from pickleball, so I downed my lunch and departed for Clear Creek Canyon. By the time I made the drive, pulled on my gear, assembled my Sage four weight, and hiked and waded to the creek it was 1:30PM. I decided to test the streamer fly that I freelanced, while my grandson, Theo, looked on. In honor of Theo’s input I named it Theo’s Thing. I flicked the streamer through a long but relatively narrow pool along the left bank for ten minutes, and I actually observed a trout, as it followed the baitfish imitation; however, it did not seal the deal.

Early Success

I circled around a pair of wading anglers and another fisherman seated across from the parking lot, and moved upstream along the left bank. I was considering a change to another more proven streamer, when I noticed a couple rises in a nice deep shelf pool across from my position. I considered abandoning my streamer project, but I was hesitant to spend time switching out my line configuration. The trout made my decision for me, as at least five or six began to sip something tiny from the surface in a fairly regular rhythm.

Many Rising Fish in the Pool Behind the Exposed Rock on the Left

I snipped off the streamer and tied on a peacock hippie stomper and trailed 5X tippet off the bend and added a CDC blue wing olive. I began lobbing casts across the swift center current with reach casts, and I managed to land four small brown trout in the nine to eleven inch range over the next hour. The shelf pool featured some funky currents with an eddy at the top and then a long wide glide at the tail. It was difficult to produce a drag free drift with the conflicting currents, and the strong wind was not aiding my efforts. In addition to the landed trout I endured a few momentary hook ups, as tracking the tiny olive was a challenge even with the leading hippie stomper.

Grand Colors

Eventually the sun peaked out a bit, and the hatch waned, so I moved upstream to some riffles of moderate depth. A pair of fish refused the hippie stomper, but their reckless behavior allowed me to spot their holding positions, and a bit of persistence resulted in two more blue wing olive eaters.

The Bubbles Held a Rising Fish

Another move brought me to a nice shelf pool that resulted from man-made stream improvement structures, and it was here that I lost my awareness and hooked an overhanging tree. My flies dangled up high and out of reach, and I lost the hippie stomper and CDC BWO to a limb.

Not Bad

I concluded that the dry fly action was over, and the creek structure ahead featured much faster water and pockets and was not conducive to dries, so I made another change over to a dry/dropper arrangement. For this session that extended to the end of my day I knotted a tan mini chubby to my line and added a 3.5 foot 4X tippet connected to an olive perdigon. Another 1.5 feet below the perdigon held a size 22 sparkle wing RS2. If this sounds familiar, it was, as the perdigon and RS2 combination have evolved into a favorite offering this spring.

Mini Chubby Eater

Fly Removed

The revised lineup produced, and I doubled the fish count from six to twelve over the remaining time on the creek. Much to my amazement, two browns smashed the mini chubby. One grabbed the RS2 on the swing and the others nabbed the olive perdigon. My last fish was a twelve inch rainbow; the only ‘bow to rest in my net on the day.

Eager to Cast Upstream Here

Monday proved to be a nice outing with twelve fish landed in 2.5 hours of fishing. The wind was rather strong at times, but I was able to wait out the worst gusts. Hitting a blue wing olive hatch was unexpected but much appreciated, and I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of fooling small browns on tiny dry flies. Once again the tungsten bead perdigon did the heavy lifting, and the sparkle wing RS2 complemented it nicely. Two fish on the mini chubby was a total surprise. The flows ranged from 65 -75 CFS during my time on the creek, and the air temperature peaked in the mid-fifties. The creek was a bit tinged, but it did not seem to bother the trout.

Last Fish Was a Rainbow

Monday was one of my better days on Clear Creek in recent years, and I am contemplating another visit before the snow melt takes charge.

Fish Landed: 12

Time: 1:00PM – 4:00PM

Location: Clear Creek Canyon

Clear Creek 03/12/2025 Photo Album

Wednesday’s forecast promised another mild late-winter day, with temperatures in Denver expected to climb into the upper sixties. The urge to hit a stream was strong, but first, I had to handle a commitment at home—the expected delivery and installation of our new dishwasher. Our fifteen-year-old unit had given up on properly cleansing the top shelf, forcing us into the less-than-enjoyable habit of handwashing. By 10:30 AM, the Home Depot crew had completed the installation, and I was free to chase some trout.

Given the late start, I opted for a short drive to Clear Creek Canyon west of Golden, CO. I arrived at my chosen pullout by 12:30 PM and immediately downed my standard lunch. The section of the creek, where I planned to start, was already covered in shadows, so I made a quick wardrobe adjustment—swapping my short-sleeve undershirt for an Under Armour long-sleeve thermal, layering on my North Face light down, and finishing with a rain shell as a windbreaker. The combination kept me comfortable for the entirety of my outing, even as the late afternoon sun shifted my fishing spots.

Plenty of Ice and Snow Remained Along the Creek

I assembled my old Sage four-weight and followed the south side of the creek for roughly 0.2 miles before scrambling down the steep bank to begin fishing. My starting rig consisted of a size 8 yellow Fat Albert, a 20 Incher, and a size 16 olive Perdigon—a trio that had served me well on the Arkansas River just two days earlier.

For the next hour, I worked my way upstream, managing to land two small brown trout, each around six inches. One fell for the Perdigon, and the other snatched the 20 Incher. It was a far cry from my successful outing on Monday, and despite casting to some very promising pools, my drifts remained largely unproductive. Hoping to change my luck, I swapped the 20 Incher for an Ultra Zug Bug, but that adjustment proved ineffective as well.

One of the Better Fish

By 2 PM, I reached a bridge and climbed up to the highway to cross to the other side. My plan was to continue upstream, but the narrow canyon kept much of the water in the shade, and the chill was beginning to set in. Rather than tough it out, I packed up and moved half a mile west to another wide pullout. Another angler had already claimed a spot directly across from the cars, so I opted to hike along the guardrail for some distance before descending a steep, boulder-strewn bank, carefully using hand grips to steady myself.

Prime Spot

With the change in location, I decided it was also time for a change in tactics. I swapped the Fat Albert for a Peacock Hippie Stomper, thinking that the relatively low flows—24 CFS—might make the large foam hopper too splashy. I kept the 20 Incher but replaced the Perdigon with an Emerald Caddis Pupa.

One of Two Rainbows

The adjustment paid off. My catch count climbed from two to seven, before I called it a day at 4:00 PM. A rainbow rose to the Hippie Stomper, while another trout nabbed the Emerald Caddis Pupa. A brown took the 20 Incher, and my final fish—a brown—fell for a size 14 Prince Nymph. There was no single pattern that dominated the action, but the change in flies certainly made a difference.

Last Fish of the Day

Clear Creek, with its narrow, shaded canyon, still had plenty of ice shelves and packed snow along its banks. The cold water likely kept the trout sluggish compared to other rivers flowing through open valleys. Of the seven fish landed, two were rainbows and the rest were browns, with the largest stretching to a modest nine inches.

While it wasn’t a banner day in terms of size or numbers, it was still a rewarding outing. The beauty of the setting and the simple pleasure of being outside were enough to make it worthwhile. With a trip to Phoenix on the horizon, I’ll have to put my fishing ambitions on hold for a bit, but I hope to get back on the water in the final two weeks of March. Stay tuned!

Fish Landed: 7

Time: 1:45PM – 3:30PM

Location: Clear Creek Canyon

Clear Creek 09/21/2024 Photo Album

Saturday marked the sixth day of my ongoing battle with a cold, and although I wasn’t fully recovered, I felt well enough to squeeze in a short fishing trip. A storm watch was in effect for the Denver area starting at 3:00PM, but I hoped to sneak in some action, before the weather took a nasty turn.

Clear Creek Canyon was my chosen destination, mainly due to its close proximity. Upon arrival, the conditions were rather pleasant—temperatures hovered in the upper sixties, sunshine bathed the creek, and, perhaps most importantly, there was no wind. Quite the contrast to what was forecasted later in the day. However, by the time I called it quits at 3:30, the wind had picked up, the sky was ominously gray, and the temperature had begun its rapid descent.

For this outing, I opted for my trusty Sage four weight rod. I started with a classic combination: a peacock hippie stomper and a size 14 light gray deer hair caddis. The first half hour was frustrating—one small brown trout, barely long enough to count, and a whopping nine refusals. Swapping the caddis for a smaller size 16 version didn’t change the story much. The trout in Clear Creek, while small, are certainly selective.

Productive Spot

Determined to crack the code, I switched tactics. Off came the stomper and caddis, and I tied on a Jake’s gulp beetle. The result? Silence. Not even a nibble. I moved on to a parachute gray hopper paired with a beadhead hares ear nymph. Again, nothing. It was getting to the point, where I missed the earlier refusals—they at least confirmed the presence of fish.

Best of the Day

With time running out, I decided to go back to basics. I tied on a single size 16 olive body deer hair caddis, and finally, I found some success. The fish count rose from one to five. Though the trout were small, and I had to cover a lengthy stretch of water, I was glad to finally experience a bit of action.

By the time I finished, the sky had darkened, and the wind was howling. I was more than ready to climb into the warmth of my car and head home. Clear Creek remains something of a puzzle, when it comes to local fly fishing.

Fish Landed: 5

Time: 9:30AM – 11:00AM

Location: Shoreline

Clear Lake 06/17/2024 Photo Album

After a rewarding day on Friday, June 6, I anxiously looked forward to a return to Clear Lake. Monday was that day. The high in Denver was forecast to reach 90 degrees, but the higher elevation Georgetown, CO was expected to see temperatures in the low seventies. This in fact played out, as the temperature, when I arrived at the parking lot was 67 degrees, and it was 69 degrees, as I departed at 11:00AM.

Congestion on Guanella Pass Road

Upon my arrival I rigged my Loomis 8.5 foot two piece five weight, and I slipped on my fleece hoodie, and I headed up the trail that borders the lake. As I approached “my spot”, the spot where I enjoyed success on Friday, I was disappointed to see a pack of anglers across from my desired casting location. I made a quick decision to cross to the opposite shore with the hope that I could squeeze in along the narrow band of lake next to the steep bank. As I continued on the trail, I realized that a man and young companion were just ahead of me, so that posed yet another constraint on my plan.

Once I was on the other side of the lake, I determined that the man and young fishing friend landed farther down the shoreline. I paused above my desired location, and at this point I noticed two large bobbers stationed within eight feet of the near bank, so it was clear that I would not be able to thread the needle and claim “my spot”. I continued along the path and situated myself on the point that featured two huge boulders.

Morning Calm from the Point

For the next 1.5 hours I sprayed casts in every direction from the point, and then I edged eastward along the shoreline to a small cove. During this time I observed very sporadic rises. I began my quest for trout with a pool toy hopper and size 16 deer hair caddis, and the caddis generated a few refusals and one very brief hook up. I decided the caddis was not the answer, so I exchanged it for a size 20 down wing dry fly with a black body. This also instigated a few tentative bumps and refusals.

After an hour of this futility, I decided to try a dry/dropper approach. It worked quite well on Friday, and this was the same lake, was it not? I removed the down wing dry and replaced it with a beadhead pheasant tail nymph and a bright green go2 caddis pupa. The dry/dropper combination also caused a few very temporary connections, but once again my efforts to catch a fish were stymied. It became pretty clear that I was in store for a challenging day on Clear Lake, if I remained in my current locale, so I decided to cut my losses and moved on. Sadly I am apparently dependent on dumb stocked rainbows in a certain location to enjoy success at Clear Lake.

Fish Landed: 0

Time: 10:00AM – 4:00PM

Location: Clear Lake

Clear Lake 06/14/2024 Photo Album

Friday was forecast to be a cooler day than Wednesday with highs in the low eighties in Denver and a strong chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Having spent Wednesday at the Curtain Ponds, I decided to take my chances with Clear Lake on Friday. I love the setting of Clear Lake, as it makes me feel like I am fishing in a high alpine lake without the long hike generally associated with such a setting.

When I arrived, I noted that the lower parking lot was full, so I circled around the loop and parked in the upper lot. As I did so, I noticed a fisherman positioned in the very spot that I was seeking, but it was a quick glance, and maybe I misjudged his spot. The air temperature was 62 degrees, so I pulled on my rain shell over my fishing shirt, and I assembled my Loomis 8.5 foot two piece five weight. I like this fly rod for casting three fly dry/droppers. I quickly ambled along the path that borders the lake, until I was across from the spot that I favor. As I suspected, another angler occupied “my” spot, so I configured my dry/dropper along the western shore. I began with a size 8 amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl and dangled a beadhead hares ear nymph and prince nymph. I was aware of the trees behind my backcast, and I began firing casts to the edge of the moving water across from me. As I began my day, two women arrived, and they positioned themselves ten yards north of me, and just as they arrived, the chubby dipped, and I guided an eleven inch stocker rainbow into my net.

Starting Point

Given the large number of vehicles and fishermen at the lower parking lot, I began to suspect that a recent stocking had taken place. Much to my amazement the angler opposite me relinquished his prime spot, and I watched him climb the bank and head south. I was not sure he was permanently gone, so I resumed casting, but after a reasonable amount of time, I spotted the tip of his rod on the south side of a huge boulder that blocked my view. This was all I needed to know, and I instantly followed the path to the south and found a crossing point for South Clear Creek, and then I carefully followed the trail on the other side of the lake to my targeted casting position. I passed the other gentleman and ended up twenty yards below him.

Opposite Bank Was My Favorite Spot

In the early going I focused on long sidearm casts (to avoid the overhanging evergreen boughs) targeted toward the faster flowing water, but I was disappointed with the results. After ten minutes of inactivity, I checked my flies, and somehow the prince and the lower tippet disappeared, so I added another length of leader and a replacement beadhead prince. Once this correction was made, the action picked up considerably. I also discovered that the more productive location was the slower moving deeper water directly across from me, where the current dropped off a ledge.

Heavily Speckled Stocker

My unknowing partner in this venture, meanwhile, was enjoying some success fishing downstream above me. As he moved about and released fish, his presence may have been sensed by the trout upstream of me, so that was another reason to focus in the deeper slow moving water near my location.

Pollen Was So Dense I Could Barely See My Chubby at Times

By noon I raised the fish count to double digits. Somehow in the process of landing fish using the dry/dropper, I lost three prince nymphs, and that raised my concern that I would run out of that valuable commodity. I replaced the third lost nymph with a size 16 ultra zug bug, and this move paid huge dividends, as the UZB boosted the fish count considerably throughout the remainder of the day.

Decent Stocker

Some large gray clouds rolled above me as I ate my lunch on the bank, and I was quite chilled. I needed another layer. The other angler had recently departed, and I owned the entire bay by myself, so I gambled that I could return to the car before another competitor arrived. When I reached the Telluride, I added my fleece hoodie layer beneath the raincoat, and I swapped my cowboy hat for the billed hat with ear flaps. In addition I raided my boat box, and I replaced the prince nymphs, ultra zug bug and hares ear nymphs that I lost during the morning session.

Smooth Lake

I returned to my bare spot between evergreens on the steep bank, and I resumed my fly fishing attack on the Clear Lake trout. Initially the results lagged the morning, but then I attempted a roll cast and snagged all three flies in a tall narrow evergreen. I was unable to reach the distressed flies, and after a brief assessment, I snapped them off. I used this interruption as an opportunity to reconfigure. The wing of the chubby was saturated and difficult to follow at times, and the surrounding trees made it difficult to generate multiple false casts to dry it, so I replaced the chubby with a yellow fat Albert. I retained the beadhead hares ear and opted for a size 18 beadhead pheasant tail as the bottom nymph. I had tested a supernova nymph and emerald caddis pupa previously with lackluster results, but the pheasant tail experiment proved to be a spectacular winner. I chose the pheasant tail after I spotted one lonely pale morning dun slowly elevating above the surface, and from past experience I knew that the pheasant tail was a solid representation of the pale morning dun nymph.

Chubby

I raised the fish count steadily, until it perched on thirty-five by 3:00PM. I was tempted to depart, but as this scene unfolded, I observed quite a few refusals to the fat Albert and the hopper Juan that replaced the fat Albert. What if I was missing out on dry fly action? I converted to a double dry that featured a peacock body hippie stomper and a size 14 light gray comparadun. Both flies generated refusals. Eventually I replaced the comparadun with a parachute black ant, and that also prompted some refusals, so I never achieved my goal of landing a fish on a dry fly. I ended my day at thirty-five and made the hike back to the parking lot in a euphoric state of mind.

Point the Trout Home

What a day! It was overcast and chilly, but I managed to make up for my skunking on Beaver Lake with  thirty-five fish in my net. The ultra zug bug, beadhead pheasant tail and prince nymph were the top producers. Sure the fish were all stockers, but with rivers and streams in Colorado in a state of turbulence, I will accepted my good fortune at Clear Lake.

Fish Landed: 35

Time: 1:30PM – 3:15PM

Location: Clear Creek Canyon

Clear Creek 05/01/2024 Photo Album

In order to set the stage for today’s report, I must begin with a prologue. I am a user of Instagram, and yesterday’s feed from @charliesflybox included a piece by Max about fishing with small streamers on Clear Creek. He suggested the method as an effective tactic for catching fish on small Front Range streams at this time of the year. This caught my attention.

The second part of my prologue involves my other passion, pickleball. Our favorite courts at Charles Whitlock Recreation Center were shutdown yesterday, Tuesday, as a result of an ordinance that requires courts to be more than 350 feet away from residences due to paddle noise. Yesterday was the last day that Whitlock was available, so our fun group held a party after and during pickleball competition. Jane and I transported our charcoal grill and cooked brats and hot dogs, and others chipped in with the usual picnic fare. We had a great time and bid farewell to our old friend, the Whitlock courts.

Of course, the Whitlock crew questioned each other about our new pickleball venue, and many stated that they would shift their playing time to Prospect Park. Wednesday, May 1, was our introduction to Prospect, and I decided to do a combined pickleball and fly fishing day and packed the car accordingly. After I ended my morning pickleball session, I munched my lunch on the lip of the hatchback, and then I drove to my chosen destination; nearby Bear Creek.

I usually check the DWR flows for area streams, before I commit to a destination, but Wednesday was one the few times, when I overlooked my standard practice. My rare lapse proved to be a mistake. When I pulled over in a wide pullout, I immediately strolled over to the bank to survey the stream, and I was disappointed to see high murky flows. I walked along the path for a bit, and due to the high volume of water, I concluded that the number of fish holding lies would be few, thus, requiring excessive walking and bushwhacking. Clarity was also an issue, although I suspect that it would have been acceptable in slow moving protected spots along the bank. I made a quick decision to short circuit my Bear Creek plan, and I departed for home, however, I quickly decided to detour to Clear Creek in the canyon to scout out that nearby stream. When I returned home on Wednesday after fishing, I checked the Bear Creek flows, and they were indeed elevated at 114 CFS. The graph depicted a huge jump on Saturday, which coincides with the timing of a heavy rainstorm, although I suspect that run off explains the continued rise in water three days later.

Jane and I hiked the Peak to Plains Trail on Sunday, and based on that visit, I knew that Clear Creek was flowing high and stained, but I was hopeful that three days allowed the volume to subside and clarity to improve. When I arrived, I immediately scanned the creek only to realize that the flows remained a bit high, and turbidity remained an issue. In spite of this, I decided to give it a go. I recalled the @charliesflybox Instagram piece, and I decided to commit to small streamers. The air temperature was in the low sixties, so I wore only my fishing shirt with no extra layers, and I rigged my old Sage four weight. I searched in my fishing backpack, and I retrieved my sinking tip line and reel, and I attached it to my four weight rod while dropping my four weight floating line in my backpack in case I decided to convert my method later.

Black Ghost Was a Star Performer

Once I was prepared, I crossed the highway and dropped down the steep and rocky bank to the north side of Clear Creek, and I began to fire long casts and roll casts to the slow moving shelf pool on the opposite side of the stream. My initial fly choice was a black ghost, and I trailed a go2 caddis pupa on an eighteen inch tippet from the eye of the streamer. I was unable to generate strikes or follows, but it was difficult to get swings of any depth due to the strong current pulsing down the center of the creek between me and the flies. After ten minutes, I was quite chilled, as a strong cool breeze swept down the canyon, so I retraced my steps to the car, and I added my fleece hoodie and a rain shell. Some gray clouds were building in the western sky, and I deemed it prudent to have rain protection.

Rainbow Home

When I returned to the creek, I crossed the footbridge and followed the Peak to Plains Trail a short distance, until there was a break in the fence, where I could safely descend to the south bank of Clear Creek. I was now perched next to the soft shelf pool, that I was attempting to reach from the other side. I began looping upstream casts, three-quarters casts, and across and down casts; as I concentrated on working the streamer through the slower moving water above and below me. I altered the speed and depth of my retrieve, and I was pleasantly surprised to feel a bump. I persisted and eventually felt a smack and hooked a nice ten inch rainbow trout with a black ghost in its lip.

Head Shot with Black Ghost

Rainbow Stretched Out

For the next 1.5 hours this game continued, and I landed three trout in total. As I just mentioned, the first was a rainbow, and the next two were small brown trout. All three grabbed the black ghost, and I discovered that the most effective offering was to allow the flies to swing below me and then pause and then strip and pause and strip and pause. In addition to the landed trout, I connected briefly with two more fish, and I felt a couple additional bumps.

Brown Trout Like Black Ghosts Too

The last thirty minutes were fruitless, and I feel the lack of decent holding water was the culprit. I encountered a few relatively nice slower moving sections below large bankside rocks, but the problem was the thick willows along the bank. I was forced to wade along the edge, and I suspect that I scared the fish in the lower portions of the targeted areas. My early success came from the lower sections of the shelf pools, when I dangled and stripped the fly back along the stream edge. If I try this approach again, I will fish downstream, and thus avoid the spooking situation.

Remembering Max’s advice saved my day, and I managed to land three trout, but it was definitely a learning experience, and I look forward to more experimentation with streamers in the early run off season.

Fish Landed: 3

Time: 1:00PM – 4:00PM

Location: West of Golden, CO

Clear Creek 03/10/2024 Photo Album

My last fly fishing outing was on March 1, 2024, and I had a strong desire to revisit a local stream on March 10. The weather since March 1 was either too cold for my preference, or nice weather coincided with days, when I had other commitments. A high in the mid-60’s in Denver on March 10 convinced me to make the short drive to Clear Creek.

The canyon was packed with outdoor enthusiasts including dog walkers, runners, hikers, fishermen and rock climbers. The first two parking lots west of Golden along the Peak to Plains Trail were filled to capacity with Sunday visitors. I earmarked a section, where I experienced previous success, but when I arrived, the entire roadside pullout was filled with rock climber vehicles. I continued onward, until I finally found a wide pullout on the left side of the highway. One car preceded me, and of course the owner was fly fishing twenty yards downstream from my parking space. I decided to either hike a distance above him or to hike downstream and fish back upstream. I exited my new Telluride (nice wheels, by the way), and shouted to the angler as loud as I could and asked how far down he began. Surprisingly he heard me and answered, “around 100 yards”. I decided to hike downstream for .5 mile to get below where he disturbed the stream.

By this time it was 12:15, so I grabbed my lunch bag and carefully consumed my lunch and avoided dropping food in my new ride. Afterward I pulled on my fleece hoodie and strung my Loomis five weight two piece. As planned, I hiked along the narrow shoulder, as a steady stream of cars passed by, and I cut down to the creek after .5 mile. I paused at the edge of the creek and rigged with a yellow size 8 fat Albert, an olive mini leech, and a 20 incher. Ice shelves extended for three to four feet along the bank in many places,  but there was enough open water to allow casting to promising holes and runs.

I focused on the deep and slower moving spots for forty-five minutes, but I saw no signs of trout. Given my lack of action, I removed the leech, moved the 20 incher to the upper position and added a beadhead hares ear nymph to my lineup. Finally my luck reversed, and I landed a small brown trout on the hares ear and then a ten inch rainbow on the 20 incher. Both fish came from a long trough and current seam, and I was on the board with two landed fish within a fifteen minute window.

I continued on in a westward direction, and I managed to net one more rainbow on the hares ear along with a temporary hook up that resulted in an escapee. This time period involved a lot of casting and unproductive drifts. By 3:15 I reached the area bordering my car, so I exited and drove east on US 6 to the spot, where I originally envisioned spending my afternoon. Parking was available, so I grabbed my gear and hiked downstream fifty yards along the opposite bank. I fished back upstream, until I was next to the Telluride, and I was rewarded with two additional rainbow trout that snatched the hares ear nymph.

My watch registered 4:00PM, when I was across from the car, and my exit option was down to one steep climb up a rocky bank, so I took advantage and ended my day of fly fishing. Five trout in three hours was a below average catch rate, but I was pleased given the cold water temperatures and the lack of insect activity. Where are all the brown trout? Normally Clear Creek yields 80% browns and 20% rainbows, but in my two 2024 outings, I have landed nine rainbows and two browns. It is a perplexing question. Hopefully, as we move closer to the official start of spring, I will be able to unleash the new Telluride for a few more productive trips to area rivers and streams. Stay tuned.

Fish Landed: 5

Time: 11:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: West of Golden, CO

Clear Creek 02/20/2024 Photo Album

A predicted high temperature of 64 degrees in Denver, CO on February 20 was a clear invitation for this devoted fly angler to visit a stream. The one drawback to this plan was the forecast of wind gusting to fifteen miles per hour, but I decided to risk the short drive to Clear Creek in spite of this projected adversity.

Near the Start

The dashboard temperature upon my arrival was 51 degrees, so I suited up with my Under Armour long sleeved thermal shirt and North Face light down coat along with my billed cap with earflaps. I pulled my rain shell over my light down to act as a windbreaker, and I assembled my Loomis two piece five weight. By 11:30AM I was perched along the stream and anxiously anticipated my first casts of the new year. The creek was mostly clear in the area that I chose to fish with small residual ice shelves along the banks; however, I was never forced to venture on to unstable undercut ice.

First Fish of 2024

I rigged my five weight with a size 8 yellow fat Albert, and beneath it I attached a black mini leech and size 18 crystal stone nymph. Between 11:30AM and 12:15PM, I prospected upstream and cherry-picked locations with slower current and depth. I managed to experience two temporary connections, before I paused for lunch in a sunny spot along the north bank. One of the trout that showed interest in my flies sipped the fat Albert, and I was shocked by this action, which may have contributed to my loss of the fish. At some point in the morning I swapped the crystal stone for a beadhead hares ear nymph.

Twenty Incher

After lunch I once again reconfigured my lineup, as I exchanged the mini leech for an emerald caddis pupa, and I moved the hares ear to the upper position on my dropper lines. This combination failed to interest the fish, so I paused once more, and in this instance I replaced the hares ear with a 20 incher in the top position. In a short amount of time I realized that I found a winning combination, as I landed four rainbow trout in a matter of thirty minutes. Three nabbed the 20 incher and one consumed the emerald caddis pupa. I deployed the 20 incher as a means to generate deeper drifts, and surprisingly it became the food of choice for some Clear Creek rainbow trout. The rainbows were likely holdover stockers, but I was quite pleased to land them and in so doing register my first fish on the 2024 fish counter. The largest was probably twelve inches, with the others in the ten to eleven inch range.

Largest on the Day

This sudden dose of success spurred me on, and my eagerness for more action allowed me to block out the numbness of my hands and the increasing loss of feeling in my feet. For the remainder of my time on the creek I covered quite a bit of territory, and I landed a small brown trout and a seven inch rainbow. The brown trout was a greedy little guy, as he ate the fat Albert, and the fly fell out of the rainbow’s mouth, so I was unable to determine the object of its hunger. During this time period I endured another pair of temporary connections.

A Brown Trout Joins the Catch List

By 3:00PM I approached a bridge, and this offered an easy exit, so I grabbed the opportunity to transform my feet from frozen stumps into feeling digits. Tuesday, February 20 was a respectable start to my 2024 fly fishing season. I landed six trout and interacted with four more in three hours of fishing. The wind gusted periodically, but I paused during the worst of it. The most productive water was the seams, where fast deep runs sliced through deep pools to create a shelf pool. The trout apparently rested in the relatively low velocity depths and picked off food items, as morsels tumbled by. Landing fish in February was a noteworthy event for this fair weather angler, and weather will dictate my next fly fishing outing.

Fish Landed: 6

Source of a Trout

Time: 11:15AM – 3:00PM

Location: West of Idaho Springs

Clear Creek 09/22/2023 Photo Album

Friday was a success simply because I returned to fly fishing after a long hiatus due to injury and illness. The fly fishing itself was beneath my expectations, but being on a stream instead of tethered to my home was an improvement in my book. My last outing was on Maroon Creek on 08/30/2023, so I endured a 23 day layoff. I will not go into details here, but my woes began on the pickleball court, when I extended to return a shot by the net, stumbled and crushed my mouth in the metal net post. The pratfall necessitated three stitches, but the worst of it was the prescription for antibiotics to prevent infection. The pills caused an adverse reaction in my gastrointestinal tract, and I suffered for two weeks before I felt like a functioning human being again.

Lunch View

For my return outing, I did not want to travel too far, in case I suffered fatigue or a relapse, so I elected to test the waters of Clear Creek. In retrospect I should have paid more attention to the weather, because it was not very pleasant. When I arrived at the pullout, the dashboard thermometer registered 51 degrees in spite of an inviting 64 degrees, as I passed through Golden, CO. Adding to the discomfort was a cold wind that blasted along the top of the ridge overlooking the creek. I pulled on my fleece hoodie and topped it with my rain shell, but I decided against my hat with earflaps. That proved to be a poor decision, as I was chilled nearly my entire time on the narrow and largely shaded creek. Adding to my discomfort were my feet which turned into frozen stumps after an hour of wading.

Small But Pretty

The results of my upstream quest for trout certainly did not justify this taste of early winter-like fly fishing. I landed three small cutthroat trout during 3.5 hours of relatively intense fishing. In addition I hooked two temporarily that managed to quickly slip free, and I netted three tiny juveniles that did not meet my six inch threshold to count. Unlike an earlier trip to this area, I hardly saw any fish beyond those that I just mentioned. Normally steady action is accompanied by numerous looks and refusals, and fish that scatter upon my approach, but on Friday, this was not the case. I am baffled by this circumstance and can only hope that the creek is not the victim of an overzealous summer catch and kill crowd.

A Productive Spot

For flies I cycled through a peacock hippie stomper, size 16 gray deer hair caddis, beadhead salvation nymph, beadhead hares ear nymph, tan pool toy hopper and size 10 parachute hopper. I was really convinced that the realistic looking parahopper combined with the salvation nymph would unlock the code, but other than a pair of nymph eaters, it was not the ticket to success.

Coiled for Release

By 3:00PM my club feet condition forced me to exit and climb up the long bank and return to the Santa Fe. Adding to my resumption of fly fishing woes was a two hour and forty-five minute return drive due to road repairs on Interstate 70 just west of Wadsworth Blvd. Normally this trip takes one hour and fifteen minutes. Hopefully I can bounce back with more decent outings in what remains of September and October, before cold temperatures once again sideline this avid angler.

Fish Landed: 3