Time: 10:30AM – 4:30PM

Location: Below Reudi Reservoir

Frying Pan River 09/23/2025 Photo Album

After a spectacular day on the Frying Pan River on August 19, 2025, I was anxious for a return engagement. Tuesday, September 23 would be that date. It rained steadily on Monday evening into Tuesday morning, so I felt fortunate to be visiting a tailwater. The DWR chart reflected steady flows of 170 CFS, Tuesday’s high in Basalt was forecast to reach only 60 degrees with cloud cover and light precipitation in the picture.

When I arrived at my chosen pullout at 10:00AM, the dashboard thermometer registered 48 degrees. I was not acclimated to these colder temperatures, so I wore my Under Armour long sleeve undershirt, my fishing shirt, my fleece hoodie, and my light down North Face. In addition, I dug out my billed hat with earflaps. I wore this entire ensemble all day, and I was comfortable.

Perfection

To begin I configured my line with the flies that served me well on August 19. The surface fly was a tan size 8 pool toy hopper, and below the hopper I tied a 20 incher and salvation nymph. I was aware that I was thirty days removed from the day in August, but the flies were not particularly tied to a specific hatch.

Typical Frying Pan River

From 10:30AM until 11:45AM I progressed up the river, and I managed to guide three small brown trout into my net. I cycled through the salvation nymph, a hares ear nymph, a supernova PMD, and a RS2 in an effort to generate action. The hares ear delivered two and the 20 incher one. I spotted some very tiny mayflies, and this prompted my test of the RS2, but it was totally ignored.

Nice Grip

I ate lunch in the car, and then I migrated up the river a couple miles. I encountered quite a few anglers at one of my favorite locales, but I parked among three other cars and cut through the trees to a spot just below a split in the river around a small island. I persisted with the dry/dropper, and I built the fish count to ten, before I reached the spot, where the river merged and ran next to the road. At this point I decided to reverse my direction to fish the smaller left braid.

Magnified Tail

Ribbon Along Bank Held a Big Fish

A long smooth pool is situated near the bottom of the left channel, and that is where I resumed fishing. Before casting, I observed four or five trout dimpling the surface. I decided to abandon the hopper and nymphs in the low and slow moving pool to avoid splashy casts and the risk of spooking the fish. I knotted a peacock hippie stomper to my line and then added a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis on a one foot extension. I was surprised when a ten inch brown trout smacked the caddis, but after the initial success both flies were either refused or ignored.

A very nice rainbow trout was feeding regularly fifteen feet above me and to the left, and I could easily observe its reaction to my flies. The trout ignored them. I exchanged the caddis for a size 22 CDC blue wing olive, and the observable trout paid no attention, although it feasted on small naturals. I gave up on the CDC olive and replaced it with a size 18 black parachute ant, and a small brown trout momentarily shed its selectivity, and it ate the ant. I tried the ant on several other recent risers, but its effectiveness ended, and I switched back to a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis. I moved to the top of the left braid, and I netted another small brown on the caddis, before I climbed the bank and returned to the right fork when looking upstream.

Cube Pool Again

I decided to fish the same water that I covered previously, however, on the second cycle I went to a double dry. I opted for a size 14 parachute green drake and a light gray size 16 deer hair caddis. Suddenly the caddis became a hot fly, and I built the fish count to sixteen. When I arrived at the cube pool, quite a few fish were rising, and I could feel the energy of the hatch. I flicked a fifteen foot cast to the tail of the pool, and a fine thirteen inch brown instantly grabbed the caddis. Perhaps I stumbled on to the answer with my caddis fly selection?

Chunk of Butter

Bottom of Cube Pool

I began spraying casts to the places that displayed recent rises, and the caddis was ignored, but several decent browns sucked in the parachute green drake. As this was transpiring, I spotted some naturals, and they were size 16 pale morning dens. I removed the caddis and replaced it with a size 16 light gray comparadun, and suddenly the trout exhibited interest once again in my second fly. I stuck with the green drake and comparadun and boosted the fish count to twenty-two, before I stripped in the flies and hooked them to my rod guide.

One of the Better Ones

By 4:30PM some light rain descended, and I reached a turning point. I either had to wade to the bank and dig out my raincoat or quit for the day. Given the time and my fish count of twenty-two, I chose the latter and hiked back to the car.

Right of Rock Was Home

Tuesday evolved into a rather successful day on the Frying Pan River. I landed twenty-two fish, and at least ten were respectable browns in the twelve to fourteen inch range. I was ready to write off the day as a disappointment at 2:00PM, but late hatches and a dry fly approach created a major turnaround. I never totally dialed in the hatch, but I experimented enough to create decent action and a successful day. I suspect that the sudden chill sent the trout into lethargy, and that explained the late afternoon hatching activity. This may have been my last visit to the Frying Pan River in 2025, and if so, I can appreciate two very fine days in the tailwater.

Fish Landed: 22

Time: 9:45AM – 3:20PM

Location: Tailwater below Reudi Reservoir

Frying Pan River 08/19/2025 Photo Album

Tuesday was likely my best day ever on the Frying Pan River. In fact, Tuesday may have been my best outing so far in 2025.

Pocket Water Deluxe

After a rough day on Monday amid ninety degree temperatures, I opted to visit the Frying Pan River tailwater below Reudi Reservoir. I suspected that the cold bottom releases were the perfect antidote to another day of heat. As an added bonus, green drakes and pale morning duns were probably menu items.

Coiled Muscle

I arrived early at my chosen pullout, and I assembled my Sage R8 four weight. I am in love with my newest fly rod, and I was confident that it carried enough backbone to handle the Frying Pan’s best. I hiked down the road along the river to my planned starting point, and as I neared my entry spot, I noticed a DPW stocking truck. Two employees were carrying buckets of trout to the river, so I paused to question their activity. One of the gentlemen informed me that they were stocking three inch rainbow fingerlings, as the brown trout were taking over the river by out populating the rainbows. He suggested that I cross to fish the opposite bank, so I adopted his advice.

Very Nice Brown Trout

I began the morning with a parachute green drake, but after fifteen minutes with no sign of trout, I changed my approach. I tested the green drake first in case the trout were aware of their presence similar to my experience on South Boulder Creek. For my next act, I configured my line with a size 8 pool toy hopper, a prince nymph and a salvation nymph. This lineup also failed to interest the fish, so I replaced the prince with a weighted 20 incher. Finally I generated a response, and the fish count mounted to four. Two of the four attacked the hopper, and the other two chomped the 20 incher. I moved to the weighted 20 incher in order to create deeper drifts, and also with the hope that it imitated a green drake nymph.

No Exit on Left

I persisted with the three fly dry/dropper for the remainder of the morning, and by the time I broke for lunch at 11:50AM, the count mounted to ten. The 20 incher was on fire. On several occasions trout grabbed the weighted nymph as soon as it hit the water at the head of a pool or pocket.

Lovely Cheek

I was ready for lunch, but the shoreline failed to offer any sort of rocks to perch on, so I squeezed through a narrow opening in the bushes and returned to my car. I was about to sit on the tailgate area, but then I decided to cross the road to some large flat rocks along the river. I observed the air above the river closely, but signs of a hatch were absent.

Moderate Flows Over Rocky Bottom Equals Trout Paradise

With this knowledge I stuck with the dry/dropper approach until 1:30PM. I returned to my exit point, and I continued up the river through very attractive sections with deep and slower moving bands along the bank. Suddenly the hopper became the object of desire, and I advanced the fish count to twenty-two, before I approached the section across from the car and my lunch spot. The twelve trout landed in the early afternoon were quality fish and included a sixteen inch rainbow that tested the mettle of my four weight. Some spunky brown trout in the thirteen to fourteen inch range were also part of the mix.

Lots of Possibilities

By 1:30PM I was positioned across from my car, and I spotted a couple natural green drakes. With the fish count resting on twenty-two, I was pleased with my day, so I decided to change tactics in response to the green drake sightings. I removed the three fly system, and I switched to a solo parachute green drake. Suddenly my day morphed from excellent to spectacular. The trout of the Frying Pan River slammed my green drake, and they took it with confidence. I tossed it to all the likely fish holding pockets, riffles and pools; and a high percentage of the time I was rewarded with a hard fighting trout.

Take Two on Wide Body

Zoomed Closer on the Brown Trout

These trout were mostly browns in the twelve to fifteen inch range, and they  battled extremely hard. If I could position myself out of sight, an across and downstream drift was effective, but upstream casts also worked their magic. All the browns sported deep olive bodies with dark black spots and orange dots along the sides. Quite a few displayed orange bellies indicating healthy diets.

A Brown Emerged from the Nook of the Eddy

I finally called it quits at 3:00PM in order to allow time to back track to a safe crossing point, and by that time the fish tally was forty-eight! Yes, I suspect it was a new Frying Pan record for myself, and the last twenty-six trout mauled a parachute green drake. I lost one and cut off another, so that I would not injure a fish that took it deeply. Three parachute green drakes were responsible for more than half of my landed trout.

Big Mouth

Tuesday could not have been more different than Monday. Cold bottom releases and insect activity made a huge difference.

Fish Landed: 48

Time: 10:00AM – 3:30PM

Location: National Forest

Frying Pan River 07/31/2025 Photo Album

After a fun day on Wednesday, I decided to visit the Frying Pan River on Thursday. I assumed that the Pan would be less crowded on Thursday versus Friday, when all the long weekend anglers arrived.

I opted for my Sage R8 four weight for the somewhat larger Frying Pan, and when I stationed myself next to the river, I began with a peacock hippie stomper trailing a size 14 light gray deer hair caddis. The fish awarded me a resounding thumbs down, so I swapped the deer hair caddis for a beadhead hares ear nymph. The hares ear generated a small brown, but the combination was otherwise lacking, so I converted to a heavier dry/dropper that featured a yellow size 8 fat Albert, a beadhead hares ear, and a salvation nymph. The salvation fooled a couple decent trout in the ten to eleven inch range, but I was covering some very attractive water with meager results.

Started Here

I felt like the large hopper was scaring the fish, so I downsized to a peacock hippie stomper and kept the salvation nymph in place as a dropper. This two fly combination worked to some degree, and I boosted the fish count to five, before I broke for lunch at 11:45AM. Five fish in two hours was fairly average and not what I expected.

Browns Were in the Minority

Fine Looking Section on the Left

After lunch the slow action continued, and I began to think that a double digit day was a reach goal. The hippie stomper duped a pair  of fish to reach seven by 1:00PM, but the takes were more than matched by refusals. I concluded the fish were mainly looking to the surface, so I returned to the double dry approach.

Bronze Body

The stomper was matched with a size 14 purple haze, and the new addition added two trout to arrive at nine on the day. When I cast upstream, the stomper was the first fly visible to the fish, and in nearly every case, it was refused. When I cast across and allowed the flies to drift downstream with the purple haze in the lead position, quite often a take resulted. I received the message from the trout, and I placed the purple haze in the forward position and trailed a small size 16 light olive stimulator behind.

More Rainbow Action

This combination clicked, and I boosted the fish count to twenty-five over the remainder of the afternoon. The stimulator and purple haze were favored in roughly equal proportions. During the last hour, after the dry fly action subsided, I reverted to the dry/dropper featuring a mini chubby with a tan body, a psycho prince, and a salvation nymph. The last three fish succumbed to the salvation including a fine fourteen inch rainbow that represented the best fish of the day. It was number twenty-five, and then I carefully slid along a steep bank, until I found a place where I could cautiously negotiate the significant tilt.

Tight to Cover Was Home

Thursday was once again a blast. It took a long time for the fish to become active. Once I discovered the right double dry combination; however, the tide turned in my favor. Was it the flies, the time of day, or the hard to access section? I will never know for sure, but I suspect all three played a role.

Best of the Day

The quality of the fish was decent. The ratio of species was approximately 25% browns and75% rainbows. The browns were typically smaller with a pair of nice twelve inchers in the mix. The rainbows were predominantly chunky twelve and thirteen inch torpedoes. I was quite pleased with their size and fighting capability. Friday will be a new challenge.

Fish Landed: 25

Time: 10:45AM – 4:30PM

Location: Within the first four miles below the dam

Frying Pan River 09/27/2024 Photo Album

It had been awhile since I experienced a solid day on the Frying Pan River tailwater. Today my love for the Pan was renewed.

I stayed at daughter Amy’s condo on Thursday night, and this positioned me for a day on the Frying Pan River. The temperature in Carbondale in the early morning was 48 degrees, so I took my time getting to the river. In fact, I treated Amy to breakfast at Dos Gringos, one of our favorite spots in Carbondale.

Eventually I arrived at a pullout along the Frying Pan in the upper four miles below Reudi Dam. I quickly geared up, and this included stringing my Sage One five weight. One never knows about the size of the fish in the Pan. Over the last several years I have been mostly disappointed with the size of my catches, but I remained optimistic. The dashboard temperature registered 61 degrees, so I pulled on my raincoat for added warmth.

First Landed Trout

I hiked along the road a ways, after I was sufficiently prepared, and then I scrambled down a steep bank to the river. I began my fishing adventure with a size 8 pool toy hopper, a  20 incher, and a salvation nymph. Within the first thirty minutes I landed a very nice twelve inch brown trout, and conversely four trout escaped my hook, before my net could contain them. I was sorely disappointed by this turn of events.

Even more frustrating was the hot fish that streaked across the river to some heavy current, and then it buried my flies in a subsurface root wad or branch. I attempted to wade to a position to rescue the flies, but common sense superseded my frugal nature. A swift, deep run forced me to apply direct pressure, and I snapped off all three flies.

I paused to reconfigure my line with the same lineup of flies, and I worked my way up the middle of the river while probing the braids on both sides of a long and narrow island. My fortunes shifted in a favorable direction, and I built the fish count to eight, although none of the fish matched or exceeded the first brown trout landed. An angler below me circled above to a gorgeous long pool that I looked forward to prospecting, but by the time I arrived, he withdrew and crossed the river to the road and departed.

Long and Wide Pool

Wide Girth on This Brown Trout

I concluded that enough time elapsed to rest the area, and I worked my way up along the right bank, until I reached a fast water chute. During this early afternoon foray, I landed a gorgeous fifteen inch brown that gulped the 20 incher, as well as a few smaller browns to boost the fish count to twelve. I was feeling rather positive about my early results, as I retraced my steps. As I photographed the fifteen inch brown, I realized my sun glove on the left hand was missing. Fortunately I recovered it from a rock, where I snapped a photo of the first fish of the day.

Cube Rock Pool

I used the glove recovery as an excuse to return to the car to eat my lunch. I removed my raincoat and returned it to my backpack, and I replaced the flies I lost during the early going. After lunch next to the stream I ambled up the road a bit and then cut to the river at the bottom tip of another narrow island. I fished up the right braid, and I enjoyed some steady action in the pockets, before I reached the very attractive cube rock pool. Here, I landed some additional prime trout, as some dark gray clouds moved in from the southwest. Prior to the storm trout began to rise, but I persisted with the dry/dropper and added some nice fish that attacked the recently hot fly; the salvation nymph. Eventually I spotted size 16 pale morning duns slowly fluttering up from the surface, but by then I was absorbed with the task of pulling on my raincoat.

A Trout from Cube Rock Pool

I succeeded just in time and tucked under a bush, as sheets of rain descended. Fish continued to rise during the rain. I waited for twenty minutes and then resumed, as the rain dwindled to a drizzle. The entire rainstorm took place between 2:15PM and 2:45PM. After the rain ended, the air temperature remained quite cool, but I advanced to the attractive deep pocket water above the pool and the tip of the island.

Productive Pocket Water

Submarine Submerged

The pockets yielded some nice trout, but when I crossed to the bank next to the road, I was quite chilled, so I used my position as an excuse to return to the car. I added my light down parka as a layer beneath my raincoat and added my hat with earflaps, and I returned to the river. In this instance I chose the narrower and calmer left braid that paralleled the right branch that I just vacated. As I waded into the river at the tail of a thirty yard long, slow moving pool, quite a few fish began to dimple the surface.

Long, Slow Moving Pool

Dry Fly Sipper

I decided to make the big switch, and I clipped off all the dry/dropper flies and converted to a double dry approach that initially featured the peacock hippie stomper and a tiny size 24 soft hackle emerger. After quite a bit of casting and a few refusals, the soft hackle emerger that was being fished like a dry fly, generated a very fine fifteen inch brown trout. I fished dries from 3:15PM until I quit at 4:30PM, and I augmented the fish count from twenty-five to thirty-three. I cycled through a CDC BWO size 22, another size soft hackle emerger, and a size 16 light gray comparadun. The comparadun was utilized late, after I spotted a pair of larger light-colored mayflies drifting skyward. All these flies accounted for a fish or two, but I was unable to identify a consistent producer. Even so, I had a blast casting dries, presenting them softly and attempting to time the drift to the next rise.

Chunky Fish Near the End

What a day! I experienced days like this a few times previously on the Frying Pan, but it has been a few years. Although there was hatching, I never witnessed the type of dense emergence that typically yields high fish counts. Pale morning duns were present in sparse numbers, and I spotted one green drake during my day on the water. I believe the pale morning dun hatch would have been stronger had it not coincided with the rainstorm. Is there another trip to the Frying Pan in my 2024 future?

Fish Landed: 33

Time: 10:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Below Reudi Reservoir

Frying Pan River 08/09/2024 Photo Album

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

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

256 CFS

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

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

Evicted by the Swimmers

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

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

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

First Decent Fish

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

Nice Deep Run Along the Bank

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

Love the Dark Ink Spots

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

Slick in the MIddle of the River

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

Finish Line

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

Fish Landed: 23

Time: 1:00PM – 2:30PM

Location: Below Reudi Reservoir

Frying Pan River 08/02/2023 Photo Album

It took me thirty minutes to return from the upper Frying Pan River to the tailwater section, and I paused to eat my lunch upon my arrival at a wide pullout across from the river. After lunch I reconfigured my setup with a tan pool toy hopper, an iron sally and a salvation nymph. I lengthened the dropper section below the hopper and did the same to the connecting leader between the iron sally and salvation nymph. Based on my review of the flows, before I left in the morning, I assumed I was fishing at 151 CFS. Upon my arrival back home on Wednesday evening, I realized that the water managers increased the outflows to 210 CFS, while I was fishing! Trout generally take some time to adjust to significant changes in water conditions, and I judge plus 60 CFS to be significant.

Angling to the Far Bank

Another Glimpse

I carefully angled across the river and began fishing upstream along the south (right) bank. During my early afternoon foray on the tailwater I managed to land six brown trout. One stretched the tape to thirteen inches, but most fell within the ten to twelve inch range. Once again the fly fishing was not a torrid affair, and I covered quite a bit of real estate and made an abundant quantity of casts to achieve the six fish count. Many very attractive runs and pools failed to deliver; whereas, some marginal spots produced. The common denominator of the productive spots seemed to be depth and especially depth along the bank. A few refusals to the hopper accompanied the action, but the hopper also produced takes often enough to justify its presence in my lineup.

Yielded One Brown Trout

Not Bad

Near the End

By 2:30PM I realized that I was not going to encounter a safe crossing place, so I laboriously and carefully retreated along the edge of the river to my original crossing point. I maintained a low stance, secured my footing with each step, and made sure each placement of my wading staff was solid; and these precautions enabled me to cross the river without incident. Six fish in 1.5 hours was certainly a respectable haul, but once again I felt like I worked exceptionally hard for the results. Wading was nearly as difficult in the tailwater, as it was on the upper Frying Pan. Insects were largely absent from the landscape during the afternoon session, and I was very surprised by this circumstance. I saw one or two pale morning duns and a handful of caddis. The much anticipated green drakes were totally absent from the scene. Hopefully I will get to visit Amy later in the season, when all the hatches are active.

Fish Landed: 6

Time: 10:15AM – 12:00PM

Location: Upstream from Reudi Reservoir

Upper Frying Pan River 08/02/2023 Photo Album

My original plan incorporated fishing another high mountain creek on Wednesday, but severe thunderstorms and heavy downpours forced me to scuttle those plans. I stayed with my daughter, Amy, on Tuesday evening, and I decided the safest bet was to fish the Frying Pan River. I decided to inspect the upper Frying Pan first, and if it was clear with manageable flows, that would be my destination. If my scouting mission revealed unfavorable conditions, I could fall back on the tailwater below Reudi Reservoir.

I departed Amy’s apartment at 8:30AM, and this enabled me to arrive at a pullout along the upper Frying Pan River by 9:45AM. The upper river was clear and definitely running higher than what I was used to, but I decided to give it a go. The flows on the DWR web site registered 120 CFS, and that was higher than my typical experience based on visits later in the year. I assembled my Sage R8 four weight and ambled down the road for .4 miles, until I found a suitable spot to access the river.

Deceptively Fast and Deep

I adorned my line with a tan pool toy hopper, prince nymph and salvation nymph; and I began my quest for Frying Pan trout. Between 10:15AM and noon I advanced along the north side of the river and prospected all the likely deep runs and pockets, and I managed to land six trout. A thirteen inch rainbow was the largest, and a surprise cutthroat was the prettiest, and one brown trout brought me within one species of a grand slam. Most of the fish were in the nine to eleven inch range, and I also experienced quite a few temporary hookups and refusals to the pool toy hopper. Of the six fish that found my net, three connected with the hopper, one mashed the prince and two nipped the salvation nymph.

Chunky

Deep Runs

Six fish in 1.75 hour seems fairly productive, but I worked quite hard for these results. The high flows pushed the strong current against the bank, and the tight vegetation made it impossible to circle around difficult wading situations. I moved slowly and secured my foot plants with each move. For the last thirty minutes I cast to very attractive pockets and deep runs with no action whatsoever, so I decided to execute my fallback, and I drove back to the Frying Pan tailwater.

Fish Landed: 6

Time: 10:30AM – 2:00PM

Location: East of Basalt

Frying Pan River 08/19/2022 Photo Album

After a series of storms, the stream and river levels in the Roaring Fork Valley elevated significantly, but by Friday I was ready to visit the Frying Pan River. The upper river dropped from 130 cfs to 79 cfs over a two day period, and that convinced me to make the drive from my daughter’s condo in Carbondale, CO. The dashboard displayed a temperature of 60 degrees, when I arrived at my chosen pullout, and as the day progressed, the air warmed into the upper 60’s. Dark clouds and rain, however, dominated the sky in the early afternoon, and this forced the temperature to drop back to the low 60’s  At lunch I pulled out my raincoat, and I wore it until I ended my fishing adventure at 2PM. The raincoat protected me from the rain and kept me warm in the early afternoon.

Nice Pockets

As I began my fly fishing venture, I crossed to the north side of the river and configured my line with a tan size 8 pool toy hopper, a beadhead hares ear nymph, and a beadhead salvation nymph, while casting my new Sage R8 four weight. I chose the Sage R8 because the river level was higher than normal.

Salvation Nymph Fancier

By the time I broke for lunch at noon, eleven fish visited my net. Nearly all were rainbow trout, and a third of my catch smacked the hopper, another third nabbed the hares ear, and the remainder grabbed the salvation. The rainbows were predominantly spunky trout in the ten to eleven inch range. I managed to lift five silver-sided bows from one particularly productive deep run along the south bank.

Deep Slots Produced

After lunch I continued with the same approach until just before 2PM, and I built the fish count to twenty-four. The early afternoon results were very similar to the morning with a few brown trout sprinkled in including a gorgeous thirteen incher. The success rate on the hares ear faded a bit, and the salvation compensated. The only negative was an increase in the number of temporary hook ups on the pool toy.

Great Fish for These Waters

Friday was a fun day after a week away from fly fishing. Twenty-four trout in three hours of fishing was appreciated. A thirteen inch rainbow and brown trout topped the tally with most of the landed trout in the nine to eleven inch range. Another trip to the Frying Pan would be a welcome addition to the 2022 season.

Fish Landed: 24

Time: 11;15AM – 3:30PM

Location: MM3 and MM11

Frying Pan River 05/31/2022 Photo Album

After a rewarding day on Sunday, I had two more nights reserved at the Comfort Inn in Carbondale, and I planned to leverage the accommodations into two more days on the Frying Pan River tailwater. The freestones in the area were out of play due to high and turbid run off conditions. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating with my plans; as rain, snow and cold temperatures rolled into the Roaring Fork Valley on Sunday evening. I reviewed my Weather Underground forecast for Basalt, CO, and I noted that the rain was expected to clear on Monday morning, so I decided to hang out in my room and read, until the pavement dried. I researched pickleball in Carbondale and determined that drop-in play was available from 7AM until noon. Prior to the weather deterioration, I gave thought to playing pickleball in the morning before migrating to the Frying Pan for the afternoon. With the change in weather I decided to dress in my pickleball attire and check out the courts and play for an hour or two and then proceed directly to the Frying Pan for some afternoon fishing.

The first part of this plan evolved nicely. I arrived at the courts, and two players sat on the bench waiting for more to arrive. They welcomed me, and within ten minutes a fourth joined us. For the next three and one-half hours I enjoyed myself immensely playing against new and skilled opposition in Carbondale, CO. As the games progressed, the weather worsened, and the wind was an ever-present hindrance to controlling the light pickleball. A heavy layer of clouds shrouded the peak of Mt. Sopris, which was constantly within my view from the courts, and I decided to forego fly fishing for the active game of pickleball on Memorial Day.

Tuesday was my getaway day, and after bypassing fly fishing on Memorial Day I was anxious to pay another visit to the Pan, before embarking on my return drive to Denver. Once again cold temperatures were forecast for the morning, so I enjoyed the warmth of my room, before I checked out at 10:15. The short drive south on CO 82 and then through Basalt delivered me to a roadside pullout along the lower Frying Pan by 10:45AM, and I was perched along the river fly fishing by 11:15. I chose my Sage four weight and rigged it with an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, salvation nymph and sparkle wing RS2. These were the flies that produced solid results on Sunday, so why not default to them again on Tuesday?

Looks Prime

Happy with This Landed Trout

I worked my way upstream over the next two hours and landed four trout. An eleven inch brown chowed down on the salvation in the early going, and then after a long dry spell I landed two browns barely over six inches plus the fish of the day, a deeply colored cutbow that smacked the amber ice dub body chubby Chernobyl. My results on the lower river were better than what I achieved on Sunday in the early going; however, I was disappointed, and I decided to once again move to the upper section. I packed my car with my gear and made the drive to the river area between MM10 and 11.

Prime Pockets

I spent the remainder of the day probing the pockets and deep runs upstream from where I ended my day on Sunday. Throughout this time I maintained the chubby Chernobyl and salvation nymph, but the third fly cycled among an ultra zug bug, hares ear nymph, a classic RS2 and the sparkle wing RS2. The fish counter elevated from four to twelve, and the salvation was responsible for all these trout except for one aggressive brown that chomped the chubby Chernobyl. The eight later afternoon fish included one nice rainbow plus seven brown trout. Several of the browns were in the twelve inch range, but most of the netted fish fit in the eight to eleven inch slot.

Olive Brown

I lost six flies during my Tuesday wanderings, and all were due to human error. I actually dropped five of the flies in the river, when I failed to realize that the leader broke, while I rescued them from streamside shrubs. I was quite disturbed about this turn of events. The final demonstration of human blunder occurred at 3:30PM, and this provided a convenient excuse to end my day.

Tuesday was a mediocre day in my opinion. The weather was pleasant, but the fishing was relatively slow, and the average size of my catch was below my expectations for the Frying Pan River. However, with most options blown out across the state, I felt fortunate for the opportunity to cast in moving water on May 31, 2022. With my daughter, Amy, now living in the Roaring Fork Valley, I foresee more visits during the 2022 fishing season.

Fish Landed: 12

Time: 10:00AM – 4:00PM

Location: MM1 and Upper River

Frying Pan River 05/29/2022 Photo Album

Jane and I made the drive in separate cars from Denver to Carbondale on Thursday evening after returning Theo to Louisville, CO. Since Phil’s mother was visiting for the Memorial Day weekend, Jane and I reserved a room at the Comfort Inn and Suites from Thursday through Monday nights. We planned to spend Friday and Saturday hiking and gardening, and Amy was scheduled to return to work on Sunday, so Jane planned to return to Denver on Sunday for the remainder of the Memorial Day weekend.

Since I drove separately, and I had accommodations available to me, I took advantage to plan three days of fly fishing on the Frying Pan River. With most of the freestone rivers in Colorado flowing high and murky, I anxiously anticipated some quality fishing on a low and clear tailwater.

On my way to the river on Sunday morning I stopped at the Taylor Creek Fly Shop and bought floatant and used my visit to query the salesman regarding current insect activity. He informed me that the area below the dam featured an all day midge hatch and a two hour blue winged olive hatch. Small caddis were present throughout the canyon. I told the salesman that I preferred to fish the lower canyon to escape crowds, and upon learning this he suggested that I could get away with larger beadhead flies.

At the Start

Because Sunday was on Memorial Day weekend, and freestones were blown out with run off., I assumed that the upper tailwater was slammed with anglers. I drove to a wide pullout near mile marker one, and a United Rentals vehicle occupied a space ahead of me. I was unsure whether this was a fisherman or not, so I prepared to fish, and just as I was about to depart, the United Rentals angler appeared. He told me he had just fished the stretch I planned to target, but I concluded that the water had been rested long enough and proceeded with my original plan. In retrospect, this may have been a strategic error.

Deep Pools

At 10;00AM the flows were low and clear at 113 CFS, and the weather was quite nice with blue skies and air temperatures in the low to mid fifties. I rigged my Sage four weight and fitted my line with a yellow size 8 fat Albert, a 20 incher, and a salvation nymph and began prospecting all the promising deeper runs and moderate riffles. In the early going two small brown trout elevated to inspect the fat Albert, but those two instances of activity proved to be the only bright spots during my two hours of morning fly fishing. I also experimented with a sparkle wing RS2, hares ear nymph, emerald caddis pupa and iron sally. Nothing unlocked the jaws of the trout, and I decided to move on at 11:45AM.

The flows seemed greater than 113 CFS, and I speculated that a tributary was contributing run off above me, so I decided to move upstream. In hindsight I think the narrow deep canyon was funneling the river through a narrow streambed, and this minimized the number of slow velocity holding spots for trout.

Bankside Pockets

I drove slowly eastward and eventually stopped to fish within the last four miles below the dam. I quickly devoured the lunch that I collected from the Comfort Inn breakfast room, and before departing for the river, I noticed large gray clouds forming in the western sky. I used this observation as an opportunity to pull on my raincoat and my billed hat with earflaps. I walked along a short path to the river and stepped over some slippery branches and resumed casting the fat Albert. In two pockets along the bank a brown trout rose and snubbed the fat Albert. This sudden dose of action raised my optimism, but then a lengthy period of inactivity brought me back to earth. I converted the fat Albert to a peacock hippie stomper and substituted some different nymphs, but the changes failed to alter my skunking status.

The River Ahead

I progressed upstream quite a distance, as the sky darkened, while black clouds moved in from the west. The low light fueled a sparse hatch, and three trout began to rise in an eight foot wide slick behind a large exposed boulder. I removed the nymphs and added a CDC BWO behind the peacock stomper, but the leader was too long, and I was unable to track the size 22 baetis imitation. I was frustrated by my inability to convert during the dry fly opportunity, so I snipped off the flies and deployed a simple dry; the CDC BWO. Finally a small brown barely over the six inch minimum grabbed my offering, and I was barely on the scoreboard.

Chubby Chernobyl Getting It Done

I moved upstream along the left bank, and I spotted a decent brown in a small pocket in front of a large rock, but it was not rising. Once again I initiated a change, as I added a hippie stomper with a silver body and retained the CDC olive on a twelve inch dropper. The visible trout rose to engulf my fly on the fifth drift, but it immediately tucked under the rock and broke off both flies. At this point I was facing the need to replace the lost flies, and this was a natural decision point to reevaluate. I shifted my tactical gears and knotted an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl to my line and then added a salvation nymph followed by a sparkle wing RS2.

This combination proved to be a winner, and I moved the fish counter from one to twenty over the remaining 2.5 hours of fly fishing. Initially several fish refused the chubby, but eventually the surface fly proved to be a desirable food source in addition to serving as an effective indicator.

Love the Speckles

In a nice deep V between two merging currents, I netted three very fine trout. The species were cutbow, rainbow, and brown; and each fly produced a fish. The trout were in the thirteen to fourteen inch range, and this sequence was the highlight of my day. The remainder of the afternoon involved a steady progression with relatively constant action. The next sixteen fish were mainly browns in the nine to twelve inch range with a rainbow or two in the mix. Four trout succumbed to the chubby, and three nabbed the sparkle wing. The overwhelming favorite was the salvation, as it accounted for the remainder. Moderate riffles and long narrow slots with some depth were prime trout producing locations.

Melon Color

After fears of skunking and dread of two more days on the Frying Pan River with no viable alternatives, my day on Sunday developed into a very productive outing in terms of both quantity and quality. If only I could train myself to pause for two seconds before setting, when I spy a fish approaching the chubby Chernobyl. This gives me something to practice on Monday and Tuesday.

Fish Landed: 20

Fine Brown Trout