Time: 11:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Private water between Wolcott and Eagle

Eagle River 10/24/2025 Photo Album

My friend, Dave G., who lives in Eagle Ranch near Eagle, CO belongs to a fishing club with access to private water on the Eagle River. Dave G. invited me to join him on Friday, October 24, 2025; and I accepted the invitation pending favorable weather. When I checked the weather forecast for Friday, I noted that the high near Eagle, CO was in the mid fifties, so that clinched it, and I made the drive on Friday morning.

Held Aloft

I arrived at a wide pullout at 10:45AM, and Dave G. arrived within a few minutes. We car pooled a short distance to a dirt parking area across from the private section of the Eagle River. The dashboard temperature was 46 degrees, so I pulled on my fleece hoodie and rain jacket along with my billed hat with earflaps. I was prepared for the worst. I chose my Sage One five weight in anticipation of tangling with some muscular trout of above average size. The river was quite turbid, and the color resembled a creamy split pea soup. Dave G. said it rained within the last twenty-four hours, but not that heavily, so he was perplexed with the lack of clarity. We walked to the edge of the river to inspect more closely, and we concluded that it would fish decently with two feet of visibility along the edge.

The Waterway Ahead

I waded across the murky river at the wide tail of a shallow pool, and I progressed along the far bank (south bank?). To begin I chose an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, olive perdigon, and salvation nymph. In short order Dave G. landed a couple fish on a zebra midge, and I was shut out, so I followed suit with a black zebra midge with a fine copper rib. Finally after an opening drought, I connected with a fish and hauled a nice, fat thirteen inch rainbow trout into my net. The zebra midge was in its lip, and I was amazed that a fish saw the tiny midge larva imitation in compromised river clarity.

Lots of Foam

I continued onward, and before I broke for lunch I landed two small brown trout. One was around eleven inches and the other was smaller. The first and smaller brown nabbed the zebra midge, but after another dry spell, I swapped the zebra for a psycho prince and then an apricot egg. The second larger brown grabbed the olive perdigon.

Decent Brown Trout

After lunch and another slow phase, I exchanged the egg fly for a return to the salvation. Between two and three o’clock the temperature peaked, and I removed my raincoat and folded up the earflaps on my hat. The pace of action improved, and I managed to land a chunky fourteen inch rainbow and a small rainbow barely greater than six inches. Both fish snatched the olive perdigon. In addition, I hooked and failed to land three decent trout during this time, and I sensed that they favored the olive perdigon. Was the increase in action attributable to the warming water temperature, improved water clarity, or my fly choice? I suspect all three, although the improved effectiveness of the olive perdigon along with less olive tinged water suggested clarity as a prime reason.

Love the Riffle Sections

By 3:30PM I reached the end of the private section of the river, so I reversed direction to another wide shallow crossing spot. Dave G. indicated that he was fished out, so we called it a day and returned to our vehicles. Friday was a slow day on private water, although had I landed all the fish I connected with, I may have reached double digits. I was appreciative of Dave G.’s willingness to invite me to share the private water. Was this my last outing of 2025? The answer depends on the weather with a turn to colder temperatures predicted for Tuesday. Stay tuned.

Fish Landed: 5

Time: 11:00AM – 3:30PM

Location: Between Avon and Wolcott

Eagle River 10/13/2025 Photo Album

Monday, October 13, 2025 was Indigenous Peoples Day, and I decided to make it a day of fly fishing. What, you say? Why Indigenous Peoples Day and not Columbus Day? Indigenous Peoples Day is the official name of the holiday in Colorado, and I am a Coloradan. In addition, I believe that the culture and beliefs of Native Americans more closely align with my personal ideology. Native Americans were and remain stewards of the land and environment. They lived sustainably, before we even knew the meaning of the word. The Native Americans realized that the land, air, water and wildlife were what enabled them to carve out a living in the New World.

Upstream Beauty

Typical Productive Spot

When I surveyed the prospects for Monday, weather was a significant concern. I set my sights on the Arkansas River, the South Platte River and the Eagle River. Weather forecasts for all three included high temperatures in the fifties and rainfall. The highs for the Arkansas River near Salida and the South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon were in the low fifties; whereas, the highs near Avon and Edwards were mid-fifties. The probabilities for rain were also higher in Salida and Lake George, so I decided to gamble on the Eagle River.

Getting Larger

An uneventful drive allowed me to arrive at my chosen spot by 10:00AM, but the temperature was 48 degrees, the wind was blasting from the east, and rain was coating my windshield with moisture. I questioned my judgement for choosing to fish under such adverse conditions. I sat in the car with the engine and heat running, while I listened to sports talk and completed my favorite New York Times games. After fifteen minutes I forced myself to utilize the Port-a-let next the parking lot, and then I decided to face the elements and begin my day of fishing. I could always quit and return home.

Look at Those Colors

Along the Rocks on the Bank

By the time I layered up with my Brooks long sleeve shirt, fishing shirt, North Face light down parka, fleece hoodie, and raincoat along with my billed hat with earflaps, the rain stopped. I rigged my Sage R8 four weight and ambled along the road a short distance to the river. I followed a bike path downstream and then cut to the river near my exit point on my last Eagle River fishing outing.

Loving the Submersion

I began my quest for trout with an amber ice dub body chubby Chernobyl, an olive perdigon, and a salvation nymph. This lineup has become my go to combination in recent fall fishing trips. Between eleven o’clock and 12:15PM I netted seven decent fish, and I was quite pleased with the action. Three of the seven were rainbows and four were browns. The salvation nymph was the favorite fly in the early session, with a few nabbing the olive perdigon. As was the case in recent visits to the Eagle River, I sought areas where the riverbed narrowed thus creating deeper runs, seams, pockets and riffles. Most of these locations also contained large exposed boulders which provided cover and protection for the cold water fish.

More Opportunity

After lunch I continued with the dry/dropper; and, in fact, this approach was utilized for the remainder of my time on the river. Within fifteen minutes after lunch, a trout grabbed one of the nymphs and instantly ran beneath a branch that was wedged in front of an exposed rock. I waded upstream a bit to get above the snag, but the current was very fast and deep. I managed to position myself above the boulder, and I could leverage the branch up a bit with my wading staff, but the fast current pushing against the branch was stronger than my feeble efforts to counter it. I was in a precarious position, and not wishing to lose my footing, I applied direct pressure and broke off the valuable perdigon and the salvation.

Fat One

This was my third lost salvation, so I replaced it with a PMD supernova. Later in the afternoon I also lost the supernova and replaced it with an ultra zug bug. By 12:30PM the sky cleared, and the weather improved immeasurably. and my good fortune continued. I boosted the fish count from seven at lunch to sixteen by the time I quit at 3:30PM. The quality of the fish throughout the day was outstanding. All but two fish were twelve inches or greater. Nine rainbows arrived in my net compared to seven brown trout. This ratio was different from my earlier experience on the Eagle, so I concluded that some portion of the brown trout population was in spawning mode.

Wild Mint

The fish of the day was a seventeen inch brown trout that gobbled the olive perdigon. I cast to the middle of a featureless wide section, and the brown tugged the chubby under, and I was attached to a large fish. The brown relied mostly on a diving and rolling routine in its efforts to escape, but I was able to counter its best moves and coaxed it into my net. What an unexpected thrill! Why wasn’t this beast procreating?

Big Head Todd

Look at the Length and Girth

Just before the brown trout confrontation, I connected with a fifteen inch pink striped rainbow. As is the custom with wild rainbows, it incorporated hot streaks in its escape effort, but once again my four weight possessed enough backbone to bring it to the net. Besides these highlights, most of the fish were in the thirteen to fourteen inch slot, and they were all wild and fresh in the cold autumn flows of the Eagle River.

Back to Chubby Rainbows

My most effective techniques were swings at the end of drifts on across and down casts and lifts at the end of a drift before the river spilled over or around a rock. Dead drifting was also a winning approach, and one nice rainbow smacked the chubby Chernobyl on a directly upstream cast and drift.

Lavender Stripe

On Monday, October 13 persistence paid off. I outlasted the rain and wind and cold, and I was rewarded with a very satisfying day of fly fishing. Sixteen trout in the middle of October is outstanding, and the quality of the fish was exceptional. I was warm throughout the day, and I was even too warm toward the end of my time on the river. The Eagle River has been a top producer in 2025, and I may try to visit the freestone river again in 2025.

Fish Landed: 16

Time: 11:15AM – 3:30PM

Location: Between Avon and Wolcott

Eagle River 09/24/2025 Photo Album

Wednesday was my day to return to Denver, so I decided to pay a visit to the Eagle River. On September 17, 2025 I spent a day on the freestone river near Vail and Avon, and I did pretty well, although it took me a while to solve fishing in relatively low flows. On Wednesday I was very anxious to apply my learnings.

Heck of a Start

After storms passed through on Tuesday night, the temperature dropped, and the weather forecast called for highs in the upper sixties. More relevant was the hourly forecast, which suggested that the temperature would be in the upper forties between 10:00AM and 11:00AM. I took my time. I arrived at a favorite pullout by 10:30AM, and by the time I pulled on my gear and assembled my Sage R8 four weight and hiked to the river, it was 11:15AM. The temperature was indeed 48 degrees, so I wore my Under Armour long sleeve shirt, my fishing shirt, my hooded fleece, and my raincoat. I swapped my usual broad brimmed hat for a billed cap with earflaps, and I showed respect for the chill by pulling up my fleece hood, I was cozy, but I never removed a layer throughout the day. The dashboard temperature, as I began my return drive to Denver was 65 degrees. Fall is imminent in the Rocky Mountains.

Top of Long Pool

I began my day at the forty yard long super pool that I love. After reading my blog post from 09/17/2025, I decided to copy the same lineup. I tied on a size 8 amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, an olive perdigon and a salvation nymph. Well, not exactly. I had a PMD supernova in my fleece with a leader attached, so I substituted it for the salvation, as they are quite similar in size and color scheme.

Another Eagle River Beast

Deep Trough

I began at the middle section of the long pool, and I lobbed long casts toward the center, where the river created a nice bubble line and seam. I planned to continue fanning casts across the river in this manner, until I reached the entering currents at the head of the pool, I followed this plan between 11:15AM and 11:45, and I was rewarded with two amazing trout. The first grabbed the perdigon near the midsection, and after a tough battle I netted a muscular fifteen inch brown trout. What a beginning!

Defined Stripe

Another Deep Pocket

I moved halfway up toward the faster run, and I slung a long cast across the river to a seam within eight feet of the far bank. As the flies began to swing away from the bank at the end of the drift, something grabbed the PMD supernova, and I immediately sensed a brute. The fish did not react instantly, but as soon as it realized that an annoying fake nymph was in its mouth, it went into escape mode. The brown thrashed and dove and streaked and rolled on the line, but my fly did its job, and I netted an eighteen inch brute. I was astonished. The fly was wedged in the lip of the big brown, and I was struggling to remove it with my fingers. I finally conceded that my fingers were not up to the task, and I pulled out my hemostat for more leverage. I succeeded in removing the fly, albeit in a bent state, but in the struggle, my prize brown finned away and robbed me of a photo. Despite the unfortunate failure to photograph the giant brown, my mind retains a vivid image.

Yikes. Fat Browns Continue Coming

On my September 17 outing I discovered that the most productive water existed, where the riverbed narrowed and thus created deeper runs, slots and pockets for the fish. I planned to apply this insight to my day on Wednesday, and this meant that I skipped around wide shallow sections and slow moving segments. After lunch I waded to the midsection of the large pool and made some up and across casts, where the river fanned out a bit from the faster and deeper top half. On one of the swings the chubby darted, and I set the hook, and I was once again attached to a freight train of a brown. Unfortunately it was foul hooked, but it was another example of the healthy fat brown trout in the Eagle River.

Foliage Changing

For the remainder of the afternoon I progressed east along the river. I  used the bike path as a highway and skipped the long wide riffle section above the long pool, and eventually clambered down a short steep bank to the river. I used the shoreline to continue to a stretch, where the river narrowed, and I found the type of structure that I was seeking. Huge exposed boulders were scattered about, and the faster current carved deep runs, pockets and slots among the rock garden.

Big Flapper

Trough Between the Two Exposed Rocks

I spent the remainder of my day casting to this type of water, and the results were outstanding. I landed twenty-two trout, and only six of the total catch were beneath twelve inches. All the others were twelve inches or greater, and the size was skewed toward the fourteen to fifteen inch range. Only four of the day’s catch were rainbows, but one made up for scarcity of species by measuring around sixteen inches. It was a gorgeous fish.

Lavender-Pink

A host of brown trout rounded out the numbers, and these were fish to be admired. All were well fed and apparently were putting on weight for the fall spawning season. The most effective technique was to cast across and allow the flies to swing at the end of the downstream drift. Quite a few respectable brown trout could not resist the escaping salvation nymph, which I substituted for the bent PMD supernova after lunch. The perdigon accounted for a few as well, but the real workhorse fly in the afternoon was the salvation.

Just Wow.

As I write this report I remain filled with euphoria. It was extremely gratifying to recognize the type of water that produced trout on September 17 and then adhere to a strategy that conformed to my September 17 observation. This was easily a top ten day for 2025 and perhaps top five. I am still marveling at the size and quality of the trout that visited my net. Hopefully I will have an opportunity to revisit the Eagle River again in 2025, before the weather gets too adverse.

Fish Landed: 22

Time: 11:15AM – 3:30PM

Location: Between Avon and Edwards

Eagle River 09/17/2025 Photo Album

Yes, I was spoiled by my four day stay in the Flattops. I was concerned about how I might adjust to tougher trout and reduced fish counts. I spent September 12 – 14 at a condominium at Bachelor Gulch celebrating Jane’s 70th birthday, but on Sunday morning, before we all went our separate ways, my entire family completed a hike. Guess where we hiked? We walked along the concrete pathway that borders the Eagle River in Avon. With a five year old and 20 month old we did not progress very far, but it was enough for me to get a good look at the Eagle River.

By Wednesday, September 17 my cold symptoms subsided enough for me to entertain the idea of a day of fishing, and after checking the flows of several options, I decided to make the drive to the Eagle River. First hand knowledge of conditions is always information to be taken seriously.

Large Pool

I left Denver by 8:15AM and unusually heavy traffic on Interstate 70 prompted me to utilize the express toll lane. I made it through the Floyd Hill and Idaho Springs construction zones without any stoppages, and I arrived at a favorite pullout above the Eagle River by 10:30AM. The temperature on the dashboard was 51 degrees, so I pulled on my fleece hoodie and rain shell, before I removed my Sage One five weight rod from its narrow tube.

Decent Catch

A brief hike placed me next to one of my favorite spots, but a young man was flicking sticks to the middle of the long pool and urging his German shepherd to retrieve them. I decided that I could fish the entering run, while this dog play took place, since the man and canine were a decent distance below me. Numerous recent reports have mentioned outstanding streamer fishing, so I knotted an articulated brown and olive conehead monstrosity to my line and spent fifteen minutes stripping it across the entering run and downstream riffles. I exercised my arm, but other than that, my streamer efforts were not rewarded.

Another Nice Netted Rainbow

I concluded that Wednesday was not a streamer day, or I was using the wrong lure, so I re-rigged with an amber ice dub body hopper and trailed a 20 incher and salvation nymph. I moved upstream to a series of pockets in an area where the river was rather wide, and I prospected through this section, until I paused for lunch at 11:45AM. During this brief morning session I managed a temporary hook up with a fish, and then I connected with what appeared to be a decent fish, but in a short amount of time it escaped. When I stripped in the line, I discovered that the trout somehow broke off the 20 incher and salvation. I suspect a bad knot was the cause.

Nice Pose

I returned to the large pool for lunch and carefully observed the area. I saw some very sporadic rises, and after lunch I rigged anew with an amber ice dub body size 8 chubby chernobyl, a salvation nymph and an RS2. I gambled that the sporadic rises were generated by some early hatching blue wing olives, and this theory prompted the RS2. I covered the upper one-third of the pool, where faster water entered, with the dry/dropper, but I never provoked a look or refusal.

Nice Riffle

I was beginning to regret my choice of fishing destination, and I began to plan a relocation, but I decided to commit another 1.5 hour to the area, before I abandoned the Eagle River. I exited the large pool and hiked upstream on the bike path, until I reached the place, where I exited for lunch. I returned to the river, but I was once again in a stretch that featured a wide streambed and relatively shallow slicks and riffles. I worked my way through the area quickly, but I probably should have skipped it entirely. The salvation and RS2 were not generating an ounce of interest, so I swapped the RS2 for a beadhead hares ear to provide more weight and hence deeper drifts.

Respectable

Finally I landed a pair of rainbows that measured around ten and eleven inches, and I was on the scoreboard. I paused to consider my lackluster results, and I decided to seek out faster and deeper sections of the river, since the trout needed cover for protection, thus, depth; and faster water translated to more oxygen. My idea suggested that previous heat waves placed a premium on oxygenated water.

Prime Water

Sure enough, the strategy paid off. I advanced to a section where the streambed narrowed, and this in turn resulted in a preponderance of deep runs, pockets and riffles. Trout began to snatch my nymphs, and the fish count blossomed to five. All three fish were respectable trout in the thirteen inch range, and one was a chunky rainbow, while the other two were brown trout. I also foul hooked a couple decent trout, and a couple of long distance releases added to the action.

Another Hungry Brown Trout

I was getting into a nice rhythm by 1:30PM, when I encountered a long, slow moving pool. I was about to skip to the head of the pool and the faster entering current, when I began to see some fairly consistent surface feeding. At least ten fish were showing themselves between the midsection and the tail. I was reluctant to remove my dry/dropper set up, but I relented and snipped off the three flies. I began my dry fly quest with a CDC blue wing olive, although I had not seen a natural. The size 12 CDC olive generated one splashy refusal, but it was otherwise ignored in favor of some other tiny natural morsels.

Productive

I paused and gazed at the river, and within a few minutes I spotted a tiny blue wing olive, as it attempted to become airborne. Surely this was the cause of the surface action in the pool. For the next hour I cycled through the CDC BWO, a soft hackle emerger fished as a dry, and a Klinkhammer emerger. I was disappointed to get shutout by the snooty trout of the Eagle River.

I finally surrendered and reverted to the dry/dropper, however, in this case I used the salvation combined with another RS2. I advanced to the fast entering run with the thought that perhaps the trout could not see the surface flies as easily and, therefore, focused on the nymphs. This theory was quickly debunked, and I replaced the RS2 with a beadhead hares ear nymph and eventually an olive perdigon.

All was not lost. For the remainder of the day I prospected some very nice pocket water and deep troughs and slots, and the salvation and perdigon combination clicked to yield four more trout. Two were small and barely above the count threshold, but two brown trout in the thirteen inch range caused me to smile in appreciation.

I persisted on the Eagle River on Wednesday and managed to register nine trout. Once I determined the type of river structure that produced fish, I gained modest success. Hopefully I can apply this knowledge gained to a future effort on the Eagle. I learned that the blue wings are already active, but I was unsuccessful in finding the key to unlocking that puzzle. Had I not broken off a couple fish and landed a higher percentage of my connections, I would have easily exceeded double digits. Wednesday was quite a retreat from the halcyon days of the Flatttops, but it was a success in my book.

Fish Landed: 9

Time: 10:00AM – 1:00PM, 1:30PM – 3:30PM

Location: Between Avon and Edwards and then Minturn area

Eagle River 07/15/225 Photo Album

After an excellent outing on the Eagle River on  7/7/2025, I was anxious to return. I checked the flows on the DWR website, and they were in the 250 – 300 CFS range. Fly shop reports indicated that decent fishing continued with ongoing hatches of PMD’s, yellow sallies, and caddis. I took the plunge and made the two hour drive.

The high temperature for Avon was forecast to reach 80 degrees, and that projection proved accurate. I selected my Sage R8 four weight, and I was positioned along the river ready to cast by 10:00AM.  To start my search for trout I tied a peacock hippie stomper to my line along with a light gray size 16 deer hair caddis, but these flies went unmolested in the first thirty minutes, so I made another change.

I decided to probe the depths since no insect activity was obvious, and I converted to a yellow size 8 fat Albert along with an iron sally and salvation nymph. None of these flies appealed to the trout other than a single refusal to the fat Albert. After a prolonged period of casting the dry/dropper with no positive results, I made another change.

Dark Olive Colors

I reverted to the double dry, and this time it featured a size 14 yellow stimulator and a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis. For this final session of the morning I crossed the river at a wide riffle section in order to work up along the left bank. I played the hunch that the left bank was unpressured, since flows only recently enabled a crossing. The hunch worked somewhat, as I landed two brown trout. The smaller fish grabbed the caddis, and the twelve incher snatched the stimulator.

Promising Area

At 12:20PM I began a retreat, but to do so, I was forced to wade downstream, until I found a section where crossing was possible. I managed to ford the river, but there were some scary moments. I hiked back to a spot with some large boulders, and I paused to eat my lunch. As I observed the river from my lunch perch, a dozen swallows dove and flitted across the river, but I was unable to determine what they were eating.

Handful

After lunch I swapped the caddis for a size 16 light gray comparadun, and I executed downstream casts along a seam in the pool next to my lunch spot, but the effort was futile. I elected to relocate.

For my afternoon session on the Eagle River I moved upstream to the Minturn area above the Gore Creek confluence. I operated under the assumption that the water temperature was cooler farther upstream.

Lots of Pockets

I arrived at a pullout and pulled on my gear and dropped down a short bank. I made five casts to a deep slot with the double dry that remained on my line, and as I prepared to move, I looked ahead and spotted another angler! What were the chances? I immediately returned to the car and drove another .5 mile, before I returned to the river.

Caddis Fancier

As it turned out, the move was fortuitous. Between 1:30PM and 3:30PM I landed eighteen trout. The first three sipped the comparadun, but then the stimulator began interfering with the allure of the caddis, as refusals predominated. I finally relented to the wishes of the trout, and I converted to a peacock hippie stomper and a size 14 light gray deer hair caddis. A few of the eighteen landed trout preferred the hippie stomper, but the remainder savored the caddis. Quite often the fish grabbed the trailing caddis at the lip of a long pocket, just as I initiated a lift to recast.

Nice Slots and Seams

What was the quality of the afternoon trout? All but three were brown trout. Two rainbow trout were chunky and in the twelve inch range, and three browns stretched to a similar length. Of course I landed a few smaller fish, but I was overall pleased with the size of the fish given the smaller size of the stream.

Lovely Spots

I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon of prospecting with dry flies, and the fish were far more accommodating than their cousins in the bigger river, where I began my day. I would like to explore the Eagle River further on a future trip.

Fish Landed: 20

Time: 10:00AM – 3:45PM

Location: Between Avon and Edwards

Eagle River 07/07/2025 Photo Album

My last outing on the Arkansas River was mildly disappointing, so I shifted my fly fishing horizons to other options for Monday, July 07. Jane and I played pickleball on Friday and Saturday, so I was interested in returning to a Colorado River or lake to start the week. I considered some small streams, but after I checked the DWR web site for the Eagle River and noticed that the flows remained at a robust 400 CFS, I decided to pay the river near Avon another visit.

I got off to a nice early start, and the traffic was surprisingly light in Denver, thus allowing me to pull into my chosen parking space by 9:30AM. The air temperature was in the seventies, and as mentioned earlier, the flows were in the 350 – 400 CFS range and very clear. Once I was prepared to fish with my Sage R8 four weight, I marched directly to the river, and I rigged with a yellow fat Albert, iron sally and salvation nymph. From 10AM until 11:45AM I worked my way up the river prospecting with the dry/dropper arrangement, and I netted six fish. Several thirteen inch brown trout graced my net along with a chunky and slightly longer rainbow. Half the morning count fell for the iron sally and the other three nipped either the salvation nymph or a PMD supernova that replaced the salvation nymph, when the salvation was lost in the process of playing a fish.

Not Bad for Early

When I reached six fish landed, I encountered a gorgeous long run and pool. Two young anglers were in the process of taking positions at the tail of the pool. I asked if I could move on to the top, where the main center current created a nice shelf pool, and they agreed. By now it was 11:50AM, so I found a large flat rock and ate my lunch, while I observed the river. As I gazed at the splendid pool, yellow sallies popped off the river in heavy numbers, but I never witnessed a single surface take. In addition to the sallies I noted caddis and one or two pale morning duns. I also noticed that one of the pair of young anglers was driving long casts across the river to the opposite side, and during one of these casts, he hooked a dead tree limb. It was obvious that rescuing the fly was not an option, and sure enough he popped off his fly and returned to shore to reconfigure. I was baffled by the long casts, but who am I to critique?

Deep Slot

Once my lunch was completed, I began casting the dry/dropper from the midsection to the entering run, and I foul hooked a splendid rainbow trout in the process. I suspect it rose to the fat Albert, and I set the hook and dragged the trailing nymph into it. Once I covered the top third of the run and pool, I decided to revamp my offerings. Even though I did not see rises to the yellow sallies, could the fish be opportunistic if confronted with a yellow sally imitation? I decided to give it a try, I knotted a size 14 deer hair yellow sally to my line and then added a light gray size 14 deer hair caddis on an eighteen inch extension.

A Rainbow Joins the Catch

I prospected the same section of the run and pool that I covered with the dry/dropper with the double dry flies, but I achieved the same result; zero fish. Before I entered the pocketwater zone, I once again changed my approach. I replaced the deer hair yellow sally with a yellow size 14 stimulator, and I trailed the same gray deer hair caddis. I prospected this duo through the fifty yard pocketwater section, and I doubled the fish count from six to twelve. Quite a few of these fish were exceptional wild trout that put up very valiant battles. Two of the landed fish were rainbows, and the remainder were brown trout. Four of the six fish were healthy twelve and thirteen inch fish. The caddis accounted for all but one, and the outlier smashed the stimulator. I also endured a few long distance releases.

Pocket Water Bonanza

By 2:15 I reached the point, where I typically end my day, but given the early afternoon time, I decided to drive upstream to another favorite spot. By the time I hiked back to the car and drove a couple miles and hiked back down to the river, it was 2:45PM. Once again I chose a section that was mostly comprised of pocketwater, and the higher than normal flows restricted me to the right bank. I was actually skeptical that I would have success in the late afternoon.

Thick

However, some large clouds slid across the sky to provide intermittent shade, and PMD’s and caddis remained in play. I observed more pale morning duns, than I spotted at the earlier location, so I swapped out the caddis for a light gray size 16 comparadun. Between 2:45PM and 3:45PM I moved up the river along the right bank and probed all the likely riffles, seams and pockets with the two fly combination. Was my lack of confidence reinforced by the late afternoon results? No. I upped the fish count from twelve to twenty-one, and these were all very nice fish. The catch included several brown trout that extended the tape to fourteen inches along with several feisty rainbow trout in the twelve to thirteen inch range. I had a blast.

Promising

The comparadun worked for a couple fish, but then I suffered through a lull, as I moved through some very attractive water, so I replaced the comparadun with a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis. The caddis seemed to meet the needs of the hungry trout. The takes were actually difficult to see, as the trout barely disturbed the surface to snatch the food morsels. Glare was also a problem, and I shifted my position several times to place myself in more advantageous lighting.

Showing Off Color

My day ended with a disappointment. I cast the double/dry up and across the stream and then allowed the flies to sweep along some overhanging branches. Sure enough, after a five foot drift, a large nose surfaced, and I set the hook. Immediately I could see the side of a substantial brown trout perhaps in the fifteen inch range. It dove to the left, and I stripped in line, but then it headed directly across the current toward a cluster of overhanging dead branches. I knew that the game was over, if the robust fighter attained the shelter of the sticks, so I maintained steady pressure toward the left. This ploy lasted for a second or two, before the line popped free. I stripped in my line only to discover that it was devoid of flies, and this offered the perfect excuse to call it a day.

Beauty

I landed twenty-one healthy wild trout on the day, and this easily surpassed my expectations. The dry/dropper fishing was passable, but the highlight of the day was the double dry fly action. In spite of the warm air temperatures, the high flows kept the river residents in fine fighting condition, and they took advantage of the abundant aquatic insect supply. I matched their appetites and enjoyed superb dry fly fishing. I hope to return to the Eagle River again within the next couple weeks before the dog days of August arrive.

Fish Landed: 21

Time: 10:00AM – 4:30PM

Location: Eagle to Gypsum

Eagle River 06/30/2025 Photo Album

Every year during the last four or five I selected a few dates to join my friend, Dave G., on a guided float trip. Dave G. schedules ten or so of these ventures per year with Cutthroat Anglers. We typically use the same guide, Reed Ryan, and if any readers are interested in a guided float trip, I highly recommend Reed.

Monday, June 30 was my first scheduled float trip of the 2025 year. I drove to Eagle, CO on Sunday night and stayed with my friend Dave G. and his wife Beth, and this positioned us for an easy meet up with Reed on Monday morning. Monday’s weather was forecast to peak in the low eighties with mostly clear skies and sunshine, and the weather for the day did in fact evolve in this manner. Reed recommended that we float the Eagle River, so we met him at the parking lot at the Eagle Fairgrounds boat launch at 9AM. The flows on the Eagle on June 30 were in the 650 CFS range, and clarity was excellent. All the factors seemed aligned for a superb day of fly fishing.

Headed Downstream

By the time Reed prepared the raft and launched and configured two rods for each of us, the clock registered 10:00AM. Reed’s dog, Edna, was a very unobtrusive guest in the raft for our entire trip. I assembled my Scott six weight, and Reed supplied a five weight, since my Sage One remained in a state of being repaired. To begin the day the six weight was rigged with a chubby Chernobyl with an ice dub peacock body. Beneath the chubby, Reed added a flashback pheasant tail nymph and a dark olive Pat’s rubber leg size twelve. The depth from the chubby to the rubberlegs was around four feet.

Top Fly, Chubby Chernobyl

Since we chose the shorter float of eight miles (compared to the alternative 18 miler), we were able to explore the sweet spots more thoroughly. A PMD hatch commenced around noon, so we delayed our lunch break until 2:00PM. We did not want to be wasting valuable top water feeding time while eating lunch. We had our priorities straight.

Pat’s Rubber Legs

During the morning I manned the rear of the raft, and Dave G. commanded the front. In the early going I landed five gorgeous trout, and all nabbed the Pat’s rubberlegs, also known as the pickle fly. One of the five was a small barely countable brown trout, but the others were very substantial fish including a fine cutbow and a long brown trout in the seventeen inch range. The brown take was my favorite of the day, as I cast near the right bank and allowed the flies to drift very close to an overhanging cluster of dead branches. Just as the flies approached the branches I noticed movement a foot below the surface, so I set and connected with the prize brown. These are the fly fishing moments I live for.

On Fire

We swapped our dry/dropper rods for dry fly rods at 11:30, when we observed sporadic rises and a few emerging PMD’s, but we seemed to be a bit early with our top water offerings. We paused for snacks and water and rested for a bit, and then we resumed. By noon the hatch was developing, and our casts were rewarded frequently with hungry Eagle River trout. For dry flies I was deploying a yellow sally imitation as the front fly and a film critic PMD on the point. Between noon and 2:00PM we cast our double dries and enjoyed the magic of the hatch.

Anglers Behind Us

In addition to pale morning duns, the air was also occupied by yellow sallies, golden stoneflies and caddis; but the PMD’s seemed to be the main entrée. Reed worked diligently to place us in the best possible positions for success. Since we were not in a rush to cover the eight miles, he initiated “nose up” positioning quite often. This maneuver involves positioning the raft downstream from an attractive wide riffle and run section and then allowing the person in the nose to cast upstream. The ploy encourages thorough coverage of prime river real estate. In some cases Reed turned the raft around 180 degrees and gave the rear occupant shots at attractive water. It was a blast.

Film Critic PMD

I moved my fish count from five to thirteen during this dry fly searching time frame. Admittedly the average size shrank a bit, but a few very respectable trout were sprinkled among the smaller cousins.

Afternoon Brown Trout Beast

By 2:00PM we had covered what Reed considered the most exceptional water, and the hatch waned, so we pulled to the river bank for lunch. The sun was high in the sky, and it sent down intense rays on the river and those of us taking advantage of its offerings. Edna took advantage for a swim, and by 2:30 we were once again adrift on the rolling currents of the river.

Look at the Shoulders

Between 2:30PM and our takeout at 4:30PM, we covered quite a distance, and we once again cast our dry/droppers. I managed to boost the fish count from thirteen to sixteen, and although that represented fairly slow action, the three additions to my count log were quite nice, and included another brown in the seventeen to eighteen inch range with a significant girth.

We pulled ashore in Gypsum at 4:30PM, and Edna eagerly leaped into the water for a much deserved cooling off. Black fur must absorb the sun’s intense rays. Monday was another very enjoyable day on the Eagle River. I landed sixteen wild trout including some substantial fish in excess of fifteen inches. The weather was very cooperative, and I reveled in an extended pale morning dun hatch. The comradery among my friend Dave G., my guide Reed and myself was refreshing. I have one more guided float trip scheduled in 2025. I cannot wait.

Fish Landed: 16

Time: 10:00AM – 3:00PM

Location: Between Edwards and Eagle, CO

Eagle River 06/26/2025 Photo Album

Wednesday on the Yampa River was one of my best days of 2025 so far. I faced commitments for Friday through Monday that prevented me from fishing, and I had my eye on the receding flows of the Eagle River, so I decided to pay the freestone river near Avon and Eagle a visit. Flows at the Milk Creek station were in the 800 – 750 CFS range, and air temperatures were expected to peak in the low eighties. From past experience I knew that the flows recorded on the DWR site were advantageous for edge fishing the Eagle River.

I began my journey to the Eagle River early on Thursday morning to avoid construction delays in the Floyd Hill area, and that ploy was successful. I arrived along the Eagle River by 9:30AM, and after I assembled my Scott six weight, I hiked to the river and began my day. The temperature was already in the low seventies at 10AM. I chose my six weight in response to the high flows and the chance of tangling with muscular early season trout.

Starting Point

Once I was situated along the river, I began with an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, iron sally and salvation nymph. For the first hour I was not blessed with the presence of any trout in my net, although I did experience a pair of momentary hook ups. The lack of action provoked quite a few fly changes, and I cycled through an emerald caddis pupa, an olive-black Pat’s rubberlegs, and a 20 incher. By the time I paused for lunch, I managed to increment the fish count to two, including a small brown trout and a hot thirteen inch rainbow that flopped off my fly, just as I began to lift it over the rim of my net. My 1.75 hours of morning fishing were quite challenging and not what I expected.

While eating lunch I observed quite a few yellow sallies mixed with a few golden stoneflies. A hares ear nymph supposedly imitates a  yellow sally nymph, so I reverted to the iron sally with a hares ear on the tip. Finally the results began to improve, and I landed six additional trout to move the fish count to eight. Yes, from a numbers perspective it was quite slow, but there were a few highlights. Of the eight trout landed two were hot thirteen inch rainbows, and two were substantial fish with the remaining being less than twelve inches.

Barely Visible Pink

After lunch I approached a spot below a narrow island, and I began casting to a fairly long pocket in the main channel of the river. On the fifth drift the chubby Chernnobyl disappeared, and I was attached to a substantial fish. I battled the strong fighter and actually followed it downstream to some slack water along the bank, and when I slid the net beneath the wide body, I realized that I landed a gorgeous cutbow in the fifteen inch range. The colors were marvelous with a deep copper body, vivid spots, red cheeks and a bright orange slash.

By one o’clock I began to notice an abundant quantity of small pale morning duns, as they danced across the surface of the river in their tenacious attempt to become airborne. This observation prompted me to swap the hares ear for a size 18 beadhead pheasant tail nymph. The natural adults had a distinct pink-yellow hue, and they seemed small, thus the choice of a size 18. I stuck with this combination of flies, until 2:30PM, when I decided to give dry flies a test.

Best of the Day

During the early afternoon phase, when I cast the dry/dropper with the pheasant tail, I hooked another beast of a trout. In this case, the river warrior fought with dogged determination by diving, shaking and rolling. It was all I could do to contain the battler to the pool that I was next too, but eventually I scooped an eighteen inch brown trout into my net. I suspect it was the largest trout of 2025 so far for me. The lip of the brown was adorned with the size 18 pheasant tail.

Long Slick Produced

My switch to the double dry set up with a hippie stomper and cinnamon comparadun for the last thirty minutes yielded two twelve inch browns. One gulped the stomper and the other sipped the comparadun.

By 3:00PM I reached the point, where I normally quit, and the sun was high in the sky and beating down with direct rays. I was reluctant to continue up the river to fight the strong flows, so I hooked my fly to the rod guide and beat a path back to the car.

From a numbers perspective my day on Friday was not comparable to what I have come to expect from the Eagle River while edge fishing. I suspect that the hatches of pale morning duns, caddis, golden stoneflies and yellow sallies are in their early stages, and as the river drops to more manageable flows, the hatches will intensify, and the fishing will improve greatly. The cutbow and large brown trout made my day.  Hopefully I can swing another trip or two to the Eagle River in the next week or two.

Fish Landed: 8

Time: 10:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: Between Wolcott and Avon, CO

Eagle River 04/22/2025 Photo Album

My niece and friend from Philadelphia visited Jane and I last Monday through Wednesday, so I avoided fly fishing to devote my attention to help provide them with a Colorado experience. Of course, on Thursday we babysat our grandsons, and then adverse weather settled in Colorado thus preventing any fly fishing on Friday or the weekend. Needless to say, I was quite anxious to log some fishing trips, and the weather forecast was favorable for the week beginning on Monday, April 21. I researched stream flows and weather in several favored locations, but I settled on the Eagle River for my first outing of the week on Tuesday, April 22. I ruled out Monday mainly due to high wind speeds across the state.

Soft Grip

The weather at my destination was expected to be a high of 61 degrees with wind in the 10-12 MPH range and significant cloud cover for most of the afternoon. These were all reasons for optimism, in my mind. My concern was stream flows, as I saw a report of ten inches of snow in Vail on Friday and Saturday. Could the recent snow melt and raise water levels and reduce clarity? I checked the DWR stream flow data for the Eagle River, and it displayed flows in the 260 CFS range. On my previous visit on April 9, the flows were 200 CFS, and I enjoyed a very successful outing. Between April 9 and April 18, the graph depicted rising flows, until they peaked in the 460 CFS range. The arrival of the cold winter storm, however, caused the flows to drop to 260 CFS. I decided to make the drive to hopefully sneak in a solid day with blue wing olives hatching, before the run off commenced in earnest.

Emerged Above the Flat Submerged Rock Just Right of Center

I arrived at my targeted pullout a bit before 10:00AM, and this enabled me to begin fishing by 10:30AM. The dashboard temperature was 55 degrees, so I pulled on my Brooks long-sleeved undershirt and added my fleece hoodie and a rain shell. I pulled my Sage One five weight from its tube, and that became my fly fishing wand for the day.

On Display

A short hike took me to the massive pool that I fished on April 9, but my plan was to work my way upstream from the pool through pocket water. On April 9 I covered fifty yards of this area with decent success, and this prompted me to explore it farther.

Lavender

I began my quest for Eagle River trout with a size 8 gray body chubby Chernobyl, and beneath it I attached a brown size 12 2XL nymph with rubber legs and an olive perdigon. I began at the very top of the large pool in the deep entering runs and troughs, but the flies failed to deliver. I advanced to the first set of pockets, and I paused to adjust my offerings. I replaced the brown nymph with a 20 incher, and I kept the olive perdigon as the end fly. I also extended the leader with the hope of generating deeper drifts.

Looking Ahead

The move paid dividends, as I landed eleven trout between 10:30AM and 12:30PM, when I broke for lunch. My feet morphed into icy stumps, so I walked back along the path to the bench overlooking the gargantuan main pool. While eating my lunch I observed the pool, and I noticed sporadic rises, although the activity was not nearly as intense as the scene I witnessed on April 9. I decided to hit the head of the pool once again with my rig designed for deeper drifts, but the return visit failed to yield results.

I Approve

I exited the pool and ambled back along the paved path to my exit point before lunch, and I continued my journey up the river. In a short amount of time three fish smacked the olive perdigon in a tailout from a long riffle. The fish count ballooned to fourteen, but then I experienced a bit of a lull.

I adjusted my lineup by moving the olive perdigon to the upper position, and I knotted a size 22 beaded classic RS2 to the point. These flies remained in place, as I continued my upstream migration and incremented the fish count to 25. The fish population shifted to mostly brown trout during this phase of my day. I landed several decent browns in the thirteen inch size range, but most were smaller.

Beefy Brown

For most of the day the most productive spots featured tailouts at the end of long runs and riffles with moderate depth. Casting from the side and allowing the flies to lift and swing generated positive results.

Good Depth

As best as I can recall, the 20 incher nailed two trout, the RS2 accounted for two, the chubby Chernobyl attracted one, and a soft hackle emerger fooled a small brown at the end of the day in the large pool. The remaining netted fish were fooled by the olive perdigon. What a fish catching machine! My one regret is that I did not lengthen the leader during the final phase of my day. I wonder if a longer leader might have resulted in larger fish from some of the deeper runs and seams.

Tuesday was a fun day. I explored new water on the Eagle River and achieved positive results. I learned that the fish population in the area, where I fished, is healthy. I prospected with my dry/dropper, and I built the fish  count to the highest total of 2025 so far. Although I did not fish dries to the BWO hatch, I suspect that the nymphs were very active, and this explained my success with the olive perdigon and RS2. I may have threaded the needle with a successful day just before snow melt resumes in a significant way.

Fish Landed: 26

Time: 11:30AM – 5:00PM

Location: Between Avon and Wolcott

Eagle River 03/09/2025 Photo Album

I considered options for fly fishing on Wednesday, March 9, and eventually settled on the Eagle River. The main factor that swayed my decision was a weather forecast of a high of 59 degrees with partial cloudiness most of the afternoon. I was seeking blue wing olive action. Did my decision to fish the Eagle to hit a baetis hatch pan out? Read on.

On Tuesday evening, as Jane and I were returning from dinner with friends in southeast Denver, we hit a curb with the left front tire. The blowout was nearly instantaneous, but the stretch of highway offered no place to pull over for a tire change, so we limped across a bridge and settled in a parking space on a side street. Of course, by now it was dark, and that only added to the challenge ahead of us. I got out of the car and examined the left front tire, and I discovered a four inch gash on the sidewall. The tire was toast.

We opened the hatch and emptied the rear of the car of its contents, which happened to be quite a bit, and then we lifted the floor covering and found the jack. I used my phone to search for how to release the jack, and that met with success; however, we were unable to find the toolkit that included the lug tool. We bought the Tucson three years ago used, and apparently the previous owner kept the tire changing tool kit!

We locked the car and walked back to our house, which was about .5 mile, and we climbed into my Kia Telluride equipped with a screwdriver and flashlights. Fortunately we discovered that the Telluride tool kit was present, and the lug wrench fit the nuts on the Tucson. We quickly installed the temporary spare, and returned to the house.

I planned to leave the house for fishing by 8:00AM on Wednesday morning, but I was not comfortable leaving Jane with a car in need of a new tire and possible alignment, so I delayed my departure. We made the short drive to Les Schwab Tires, and we were near the front of the line. The sales counter person assessed our tire needs, and set everything up for tire replacement and alignment test during the day on Wednesday. I drove Jane home, and I now felt comfortable continuing with my fly fishing plans.

I departed Denver by 8:40AM, and I arrived at my favorite pullout along the Eagle River a bit before 11AM. The sky was very overcast, and the wind was bustling, so I bundled up with my Columbia long sleeved undershirt, my light down coat and my rain shell. I was comfortable for most of the time except after long periods standing in waist deep water. I selected my Sage One five weight to counter the wind, and in case I tangled with tough fish.

Not a Bad Start

Once I was prepared, I hiked a short distance to the river. Another angler occupied the spot that I intended to fish, so I cut downstream a bit to give him space and fished some water that I never sampled previously. I began my day with a size 8 gray-body chubby Chernobyl, a 20 incher and a size 16 olive perdigon. I fished for the next hour through some moderate riffle sections and then the tail of the long pool that was occupied by the other angler. I landed one twelve inch brown trout on the perdigon, and I connected with two additional fish briefly.

Rainbows Became Prevalent

By 12:30PM my feet were crying for relief, and my stomach was growling, so I retreated to the bank and downed my small lunch. After lunch I carefully waded across the tail of the pool, and quite a few rises materialized, so I changed tactics. I swapped the chubby for a peacock hippie stomper, and then I added an eighteen inch dropper and knotted on a CDC BWO. I began casting to rises, and eventually I landed a small brown trout on a downstream drift. I had swapped the CDC BWO for a soft hackle emerger fished on the surface, and it was this fly that duped the small brown. I thought I solved the riddle, but I soon discovered that I was sorely mistaken.

Sweet Spot Yielded Quite a Few Nice Fish

Between 12:30 and 1:30PM I did what Deming warned against. I continued doing the same thing expecting different results. The fish rose in waves, and I repeatedly plopped casts with my CDC BWO or soft hackle emerger above the sighted fish, but my flies were totally ignored. I began to despair that I was going to fish through an intense baetis hatch with only two small fish as my reward.

Jen and Dave Focused

Over the last several years I became acquainted with a friend on Instagram, @jenmenke. She is a fly fishing woman, fly tier, and gardner, and we occasionally exchanged comments. I knew that she and her husband lived in the Eagle, CO area, so I mentioned that I was making the trip on Wednesday, and she replied that she would like to meet up, so I told her where I planned to fish. This all coalesced, when Dave and Jen arrived at my fishing hole by 1:30PM. I quickly waded to shore to greet them, and we chatted for a bit, and then we each waded into the pool. I returned to the tail, while Dave took the midsection, and Jen angled toward the top area.

Stunning

My frustration continued, as I continued to deploy the double dries. The wind gusted and clouds scudded across the sky, and for brief periods fish rose to voraciously feed on what I believed were blue wing olive mayflies. Dave was in shouting distance above me, and he managed to land a trout on a dry that was sort of a classic Adams. I felt a tickle on my ear, and I reached to scratch it, and suddenly I discovered a small size 18 black stonefly in my hand. Could this be what the fish were eating and not blue wing olives? I was skeptical that stoneflies would hatch in dense numbers to create intense feeding, but maybe it was worth a try. I tied on one of my small stonefly imitations, and I gave it a ten minute test. Nothing. I was in a state of frustration, so I waded to shore and decided to circle around Jen and Dave and move into new water above the pool.

Moving Up the River

As I stopped to talk to Jen and Dave, Jen announced that she had several hits on a black RS2, and she landed a couple nice rainbows. This information prompted my to switch back to my dependable dry/dropper method. Once again I tied on a gray chubby Chernobyl, and then I brought back the olive perdigon, and I added a size 20 classic RS2 with a silver bead. I waded in to the very top of the run that entered the vast pool, and I began working the deep runs and pockets in that area. Voila! Even though I spotted many rising fish around me, the fish were also tuned into drifting nymphs. Between 2:30PM and 3:15PM, when Jen and Dave departed, I landed four trout, and they were very nice chunky rainbows in the thirteen to fourteen inch range. I was more than ecstatic with this positive turn of events. I was making ten to fifteen drifts for every successful hit, so it was not easy by any means, but persistence paid off. I also imparted movement in the form of lifts and swings, and several of the trout responded to these tactics.

Decent

I waded to shore and said my goodbyes to the fly fishing couple, and then I resumed my fly fishing progression. As planned, I moved up the river and flicked casts to likely spots where there was moderate depth and holding lies. In each case I spotted rising fish, but with persistence I was able to hook and land quality fish. By the time I reached fourteen trout, I was fifty yards above my starting point, so I exited the river and ambled back along the concrete path.

More Pockets

When I arrived back at the pool, I decided to cut back to the section at the top. When I arrived, fish continued to rise, and I could not ignore the pull of the hatch. I decided to take one last shot at dry flies, as many fish continued to feed on the surface. I tried the CDC BWO and the soft hackle emerger, and I managed to land one trout on each by casting across and allowing a downstream drift to the point were the fish were rising. The sky was dark and the wind continued to gust, but the fish seemed to revel in the adverse conditions for human beings.

Splendid Colors

What a day! The Tucson was ready for pickup by early afternoon. I met two new friends that share common interests, and hopefully there will be many more meetings in the future. And through the experience of Jen, I utilized an RS2, and it led to solid success over the course of Wednesday afternoon. Was I able to cast dry flies and fool fussy trout? No, but with the help of Jen, I resorted to a baetis nymph, and I enjoyed an amazing 2.5 hours late in the afternoon. This was perhaps my best day of 2025 so far, and I look forward to more such days before run off kicks in during May.

Fish Landed: 16

Love the Body Color on This Rainbow