Category Archives: Fishing Reports

Fishing Reports

South Platte River – 08/13/2005

Time: 12:00PM – 5:00PM

Location: Cheesman Canyon

South Platte River 08/13/2005 Photo Album

Dan Concentrating

Dan Concentrating

Dan and I headed to the South Platte under overcast skies and rain. Flows on the South Platte were supposed to be in the mid-250’s, but I did not know water clarity when we departed. Of course when we reached the river at the base of Nighthawk hill, it was very murky. But we continued toward Deckers hoping the water would be clearer above Horse Creek. It was not, so we drove farther to the Wigwan parking area, and we hiked into the canyon and then down the path to the water just above the Wigwan Club, and the water remained murky.

Delicate Flower

Delicate Flower

We bumped into David Gaige, who was fishing with a guide and client. He mentioned success with a yellow fly, probably an egg fly. We headed upstream above Icebox pool and ate our lunch and stashed our lunch containers and clothes. I rigged Dan up for nymphing with a pink San Juan worm and copper john. I elected to begin with a pink San Juan worm as well, and I combined it with a beadhead hares ear. We worked upstream through likely slots and runs, but there were quite a few fishermen, and we circled above many using the trail. We stopped occasionally to take photos, but we had no success. We tried orange scuds and beadhead pheasant tails to no avail.

Finally around 3PM we decided to head back to our packs and leave. We hiked back down the trail to where our things were stashed, but as we began, I glanced at the river and noticed a lot of rising fish. I told Dan I needed to take a shot at them. Dan caught a midge on his rod and showed it to me. I had seen a lot of very small BWO’s earlier, so I tied on a CDC comparadun. I waded 7 or 8 feet into the river and cast over some rises, but no takes were forthcoming. I looked more closely at the water and noticed larger mayflies emerging. These had to be PMD’s, so I tied on a PMD comparadun. I noticed the hook bends in my fly box had some rust on them. Fairly quickly I hooked up on a nice brown, and played it in, and Dan photographed it.

Icebox Pool Brown

Icebox Pool Brown

When I resumed fishing, I elicited several rejections, and numerous rising trout ignored my offering. I spotted a very long trout rising consistently around 10-15 feet out from where I was standing. I switched to a different comparadun, and finally I induced the large brown to rise to my fly. I set the hook, and the trout shook its head from side to side, and then swam to the left and upstream a bit. I put pressure on the fish, and my fly released from the jaw. I was very disappointed, but I continued to fish and eventually enticed another trout to rise to my comparadun. I set the hook, and again I felt a momentary hook up, but once again I lost the fish. Finally I ran out of patience and decided to leave as the frequency of rises was decreasing. When I reeled up my fly to remove it, I noticed the hook point was broken at the bend. Needless to say, the PMD comparaduns with rust on them will be introduced to the trash can, and I will tie a fresh batch.

Fish Landed: 1

Lizard

Lizard

Arkansas River – 08/07/2005

Time: 8:30AM – 1:00PM

Location: Fremont – Chafee County Line

Arkansas River – 08/07/2005 Photo Album

We got up early and had breakfast at the Country Bounty. We first stopped near where we ended the previous evening, but farther upstream in some pocket water. I tried various attractors; a yellow Madam X, a lime green trude, a parahopper with a copper john dropper; but I experienced limited success. I landed two small trout. We tired of this lack of action and decided to head back to the Texas Creek area.

We fished the same stretch below the Texas Creek bridge that we covered the previous day. I caught a nice brown where I began on a beadhead hares ear, and then another on a yellow Letort hopper. After this short lived success, however, I began absorbing refusals. I tried a gray Madam X and green trude, but none of these options delivered. Next I tied on an elk hair caddis, and I began connecting with fish. By the time I reached the top of the island, I landed another 12 fish; all browns on the elk hair caddis.

View Upstream from Texas Creek

View Upstream from Texas Creek

I worked my way up the river along the right bank toward the bridge. I picked up a small brown in a deep eddy along the side, and then I approached Dave Gaboury, who was working the bank in the pool downstream from the Texas Creek bridge. He had on a Royal Wulff with a flashback pheasant tail. I watched as he cast a foot away from the bank. On three successive casts a brown rose and inhaled the royal wulff. I was 10 feet out from the bank, so I switched to a Letort hopper trailing a copper john. I landed a nice rainbow that took the copper john along the current seam and then a smaller brown near the shadow of the bridge.

Fish Landed: 17

 

Arkansas River – 08/06/2005

Time: 6:30PM – 8:00PM

Location: Fremont – Chafee County Line

We headed back to the river after dinner and parked at the county line, and then we walked down the bank. I decided to try dry flies, and I knotted on a lime green trude. I caught two trout on the trude. At dusk we began noticing trout launching out of the river. I deployed a seldom used LED headlamp and rigged up with a strike indicator and caddis pupa, but this tactic did not generate any success.

Fish Landed: 2

Arkansas River – 08/06/2005

Time: 11:00AM – 4:30PM

Location: Texas Creek

Arkansas River 08/06/2005 Photo Album

Dave Gaboury, my friend from Kansas City, flew in on Friday night and I picked him up at the airport. We attended the Karssiens going away party in Stapleton, and then we checked into bed. We arose at around 7:30AM and drove to the Arkansas River. By the time we arrived there and began fishing, it was 11AM. We parked at the parking area at Texas Creek and hiked down the north side of the river to the point of a long island and then fished back upstream. The Arkansas was flowing strong at around 630CFS.

Nice Size

Nice Size

I crossed the near channel and fished up the far side of the island. I started out with a yellow Letort hopper and copper john, and immediately I hooked up with a decent brown. I caught another smaller brown, also on a copper john, but then I began getting refusals on the hopper, so I switched to a gray parahopper and began catching fish again. By the time we quit for lunch, I caught 12 browns and 1 small rainbow by working up along the south side of the island. Two or three of the trout took the parahopper, and the rest chomped the copper john.

Parahopper Worked on 8-6-05

Parahopper Worked on 8-6-05

We drove upriver to the Valle Bridge lease area after stopping for lunch at the trading post recreation area. Dave immediately hooked a nice brown in the lease area, as I crossed over and again went up the far side of an island, where I landed a decent brown on the copper john. We were not finding a lot of fishable water, so we packed it in and drove to the area by the Wellsville bridge. I walked downstream a bit and landed a nice brown on the copper john, but after releasing it I was approached by a nice gentlemen who notified me I was on private property.

Afternoon Brown

Afternoon Brown

We hopped in the van and moved around the bend to Lunch Rock and began fishing upstream. I caught one more trout in this stretch. Dave found a nice run at the top of a long pool and hauled in quite a few. We quit fishing around 4:30 and drove to the Super 8 in Salida, where we checked in and then ate at the Country Bounty.

Fish Landed: 16

Eagle River – 07/23/2005

Time: 9:00AM – 4:00PM

Location: Edwards Rest Stop

Eagle River 07/23/2005 Photo Album

The river was running a bit high, but clear and looked to be in great shape for fishing. I prepared my equipment, and then I hiked across the bridge by the rest stop and waded downstream. Shortly I encountered another fisherman, so I decided to give him space and turned around and began fishing back upstream toward the bridge. I tied on a yellow Maddam X and then a Copper John dropper. I caught five nice browns, as I worked my way back up to the rest area. All the trout were caught along the left side in pockets or along the rocks on the bank. One rose to the Madam X, but most took the Copper John.

Eagle River Brown

Eagle River Brown

Lunch Spot

Lunch Spot

I took off my gear and went back to the car for my lunch, and then I returned and ate by the river. It was getting very warm. High temperatures in Denver surpassed 100 for the sixth day in a row. After lunch I began fishing upstream from where I ended. I tied on a yellow Letort Hopper to get more flotation and a beadhead hares ear. Eventually I added a beadhead pheasant tail, when I saw what appeared to be pale morning duns emerging, but the hatch was not heavy enough to bring on surface feeding. I was unaware that some Hispanic guys were sitting on a large boulder next to the river, and as they watched, I hooked my largest brown of the day. One of the guys moved down the bank to watch me play the fish and land it, and I snapped a quick photo for memory’s sake.

Brown No. 3

Brown No. 3

I moved upriver and covered more water in the afternoon. I got very warm. I caught a couple brown trout in the pocket water above the nice pool, when I was forced to circle around, as a guide was directing two female clients. I did not catch anything from the pedestrian bridge all the way around the next bend, but I did manage one last brown in the small braid around the next bend. Most of the afternoon fish took the beadhead hares ear nymph.

Frying Pan River – 07/16/2005

Time: 10:00AM – 4:00PM

Location: Below Reudi Reservoir

Frying Pan River – 07/16/2005 Photo Album

We camped at Little Maude after arriving late Friday night and snagging one of the last camp sites available. Jane dropped me off at the downstream border of the upper public water around 10AM. I began fishing a yellow Letort hopper with a beadhead hares ear. There was a nice long run feeding into a beautiful pool in the private water. I saw several fish flash to the hopper, but none made the mistake of eating my imitation. Toward the top of the run, I hooked and landed a beautiful rainbow (see photo) on a beadhead pheasant tail, that replaced the original hares ear.

Frying Pan Rainbow

Frying Pan Rainbow

I continued working upstream and caught three small browns. When I approached the area with the log forming a dam, where Jeff and Martin and I began previously, four fishermen appeared above me. I worked the slack water next to the large rock along the bank below the log and picked up a nice brown (Frying Pan Brown photo).

Frying Pan Brown

Frying Pan Brown

I broke for lunch, and Jane picked me up and took me back to the camp site. After lunch she dropped me off at the spring in the next stretch of public water downstream. I walked down the road a bit and began fishing pocket water. The Pan was clear and flowing at nice levels. I tied on a Madam X with grey body and then attached a beadhead hares ear. There were some nice pockets, and I had some looks, but no hook ups. I spotted some large mayflies emerging and a couple rises, so I put on three types of green drakes, but no success ensued. Then I thought perhaps PMD’s were emerging, so I tried one of them. Again no success. I fished from 1-3 with no luck, but I knew there were fish, so I switched over to nymphing with a beadhead pheasant tail and a beadhead hares ear combination. It was magical, and I caught five trout in the next hour, mostly on the BHHE.

I exited the stream and walked back to the spring to meet Jane, but when I arrived at the pick up point early, Jane was not present, so I crossed the road and found a nice deep run near the road. I cast the nymphs and quickly picked up two browns. At 4PM I stopped and waited for Jane.

Fish Landed: 12

Roaring Fork River – 07/16/2005

Time: 5:00PM – 6:30PM

Location: Downstream from Basalt

Roaring Fork River – 07/16/2005 Photo Album

Jane and I drove to Basalt to meet Dan, who was driving from Denver on Saturday. We stopped in the supermarket and then the fly shop, where I bought new laces for my wading boots. Dan called and said he would not arrive until later than expected, so I took the van and drove to the Roaring Fork River, where it flowed along the road before intersecting with CO 82. The river was running high but clear, and it was difficult to find slack water. Since I had success on the Frying Pan with nymphing, I elected to stay with the same setup and fly combination. I worked my way upstream and caught three trout. The last one behind the Basalt wildlife park was a spunky rainbow (Roaring Fork Bow photo). Two of the fish took a beadhead hares ear, and one took a copper john.

Fish Landed: 3

Roaring Fork Bow

Roaring Fork Bow

Roaring River – 07/10/2005

Time: 11:00AM – 2:00PM

Location: Above Ypsilon Lake trail fork.

Roaring River 07/10/2005 Photo Album

Colorful Greenback

Colorful Greenback

John Broadbent and I traveled to the Lawn Lake trailhead and packed our fishing gear up the Lawn Lake Trail to fish the Roaring River. It was John’s first attempt at fly fishing, and I planned to guide him. John fished from 11-12:30, as I coached and guided him on casting. He caught two greenback cutthroats, one on a yellow Madam X and one on a beadhead pheasant tail.

From the Back

From the Back

We returned to where we stashed our gear and ate lunch. After lunch we headed back to where we ended, and we both fished. John worked the right side, and I worked the left, as we moved in parallel upstream. I used an orange Madam X and tied on a beadhead green caddis pupa as the dropper. I caught around 8 greenbacks, one quite nice for this stream at around 10 inches. John meanwhile caught one on his own using a beadhead emerald caddis pupa.

Fish Landed: 8

Barrett Creek – 07/03/2005

Time: 5:00PM – 6:00PM

Location: Beaver ponds east of Ryan Park Campground

Barrett Creek 07/03/2005 Photo Album

Colorful Brook Trout

Colorful Brook Trout

After returning to the campground, Jane and Dan decided to gather some firewood while I fished the beaver pond area of Barrett Creek. The creek was high, but I concluded that fishing was possible. I adopted the same Madam X/dropper setup I used on North Fork of Little Laramie River, but I substituted a beadhead hares ear. Within an hour I caught and landed 12 brook trout, but I did not count the very small ones. Dan joined me and made a few casts and caught three or four brookies as well.

Fish Landed: 12

 

North Fork of the Little Laramie River – 07/03/2005

Location: Bridge before the North Fork Campground

Time: 12:00PM – 2:00PM

I dropped Dan and Jane off at the west trailhead, since they planned to hike to the summit of Medicine Bow Peak. They left their bikes chained to a bike stand at the parking lot, as they expected to bike the “mostly” downhill 10 miles back to the campground after their hike.

I continued east on route 130 to the turnoff for North Fork Campground, and then I went north 1.5 miles to the pullout by the first bridge. Somehow I did not have the elastic band attached to my sunglasses around my neck, and I dropped them in the stream. Being nearly blind at this point, I stumbled back to the car to get my regular glasses and then returned and searched the stream bottom methodically. Eventually I saw them wrapped around a rock, but it was quite a scare.

I worked my way upstream fishing a yellow body Madam X with a beadhead pheasant tail. The stream was loaded with brook trout, and I picked up brookies in nearly every good spot that contained depth and was sheltered from heavy current. 75% of the brook trout took the nymph and 25% rose to the Madam X. After two hours I caught around twenty trout and reached the campground road, so I headed back down the road to the car.

On the way back, I stopped at the Medicine Bow Peak trailhead, and both mountain bikes were still chained up, so Jane and Dan had not yet returned from their hike. I waited twenty minutes, at which point they arrived. They desired to bike back to the campground, so I played hopscotch with them on the return drive.

Fish Landed: 20