Time: 9:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: Routt National Forest

Elk River 08/20/2020 Photo Album

Note: In order to protect small high country streams, I have chosen to change the name for a few. This particular creek happens to be one of them. Excessive exposure could lead to crowding and lower fish densities.

Thursday was nearly perfect for this avid fly fisherman. Yes, the fish could have been larger, but the remote setting and the outstanding beauty of the high country jewels that found my net were unsurpassed. I fished the Elk River on 08/04/2020, and I was quite pleased with the results; however, the ongoing heat wave, drought and the expectation of a decrease in flows caused me to lower my expectations for another day on the small high country stream.

Interested Observer

I woke up early, and I pulled on my down coat to ward off the cold air temperatures prior to the sun’s ascent to a position above the hill to the east. I ate my breakfast and packed up my camping gear, and I was prepared to fish by 8:30AM. I intended to wet wade once again, so I decided to tarry at the trailhead, while the sun warmed the air to more comfortable temperatures before stepping into the icy morning flows. I killed thirty minutes while reading my Nevada Barr novel on the Kindle app on my iPad. By 9AM I was ready to begin my fly fishing adventure, so I pulled on my wading socks and wading boots and assembled my Orvis Access four weight and launched a relatively short hike to the bank of the river.

Depth and Cover Equals Cutthroat Habitat

The flows were indeed down quite a bit from my outing on 08/04/2020, but the canyon section I was about to explore retained deep plunge pools and highly oxygenated flumes and cascades, so I was confident that I could find a few fish. On the plus side, the lower volume of water made wading along the rocky shoreline much more manageable, and I was thankful for this small advantage. The silver bodied hippie stomper and gray stimulator performed admirably on Wednesday, so I initiated my quest for trout with the same pairing on Thursday.

Stunning

The Spots and Light Olive Knock Me Over

In the 2.5 hours before lunch I cycled through a series of fly combinations. The silver hippie stomper and gray stimulator notched one trout each, but the subsequent string of refusals to the hippie stomper prompted me to swap it for a size 16 olive-brown caddis, and I moved the stimulator to the forward position. These two flies elevated the action, and I began to connect with trout at an accelerating rate. I was particularly pleased to break through with some nice cutthroat trout in addition to the small browns and brookies that graced my net early on. In one attractive pool I spotted a very nice cutty, as it rose and inspected the flies repeatedly, but it was unwilling to commit, so I exchanged the caddis for a size 18 parachute black ant. Historically the small black ant has rescued me from frustration, when casting to ultra fussy fish, but on Thursday it was not the answer.

Stairstep Plunge Pools

Browns Were Smaller Than Cutthroats on This Stream

Unwilling to endure the difficult visibility of the small ant given its lack of effectiveness, I swapped it for a user friendly green drake. On August 4 a green drake fooled several fish, and I surmised that perhaps the Elk River trout possessed long memories for the large western mayflies. This hunch was also off base, but fortunately, while this game of fly exchange transpired, the leading gray size 12 stimulator continued to produce. I was advancing farther from my starting point and deeper into the canyon, and the number of cutthroat trout that attacked the stimulator increased concurrently. I suspect this had everything to do with angler pressure and ease of access.

Take Two

Better Focus

By lunch the fish count rested on twelve, and I was quite pleased with the results, although the gray stimulator continued to generate its share of refusals, and it seemed that the cutthroat eats were somewhat tentative. I decided to downsize to a size 14 olive bodied stimulator, and this fly remained in the forward position for the remainder of the afternoon. For awhile I fished it solo, and the trout responded, but in the early afternoon I spotted a couple pale morning duns, and this induced me to extend a section of tippet from the bend of the stimulator. I knotted a size 16 light gray comparadun to the the end, and the combination performed admirably, until the comparadun snapped off in the mouth of a fish.

Fireweed Colony

Prime Holding Spot

A parachute Adams is revered by the worldwide fly fishing community, so I climbed on board and attached a size 16 to my line in place of the light gray comparadun. I anxiously looked forward to the additional visibility of the white wing post of the Adams. The olive stimulator collaborated with the comparadun and Adams to increase the fish count from twelve at lunch to twenty-two by 3PM, when I hooked my flies to the guide and sought the path that returned me to the trailhead parking lot. I was quite pleased with my day on the Elk River, and I practically skipped with joy along the dusty trail on my return hike.

Must Be a Female

Of the twenty-two fish landed on August 20, eleven were cutthroats, seven were small brown trout and four displayed the orange belly of a brook trout. The cutties were the prize I was seeking, and they did not disappoint. Early in the game I realized that the cutthroat were the dominant fish in each pool. They favored long deep holes and seemed to position themselves at the bottom of the center seam or tail, as they ambushed food including my flies. My awareness of this circumstance caused me to approach the tail cautiously. The cushion in front of a submerged boulder was very popular, and quite a few nice cutthroats waited, until my fly began to accelerate around the boulder, before they moved laterally to intercept it. Once I recognized this ploy, I allowed my flies to drift deeper than normal.

Stand Out Colors, Adams in Mouth

The color scheme of the backcountry cutthroat trout was spectacular. The belly area was typically cream in color, and the background color transformed into a light olive. A dense array of speckles adorned the tail and dwindled to a few dots on the upper body behind the head. The crimson cheek was a signature characteristic along with the orange-red slashes under the jaw. Several of the wild jewels displayed bright red undersides, and a couple of the later fish sported very light pink splotches along the sides, where a rainbow trout normally exhibits a stripe. Ironically my rarest catch in Colorado is the cutthroat trout, even though it is the only trout native to the Rocky Mountains. I cherished each one and handled them with utmost care.

Fish Landed: 22

Center Cut

Time: 9:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: Confluence upstream

Middle Fork of the Elk River 08/19/2020 Photo Album

Wednesday presented another hot day with temperatures in the mid-eighties by the afternoon. I decided to explore the Middle Fork of the Elk River, since it was very close to the campground, and it represented a stream that I never touched previously. I love exploring new water, and the prospect of experiencing a new high country creek had me excited. As I began strolling along the road through the campground, I realized that I forgot my standard supply of chap stick and eye drops, so I quickly reversed direction and returned to the car to secure those two items. I was now prepared for an enjoyable day of fly fishing on the Middle Fork, and I hustled to the end loop and found the path that led to the confluence of the Middle Fork and North Fork. As I passed one of the last campsites in the loop, a young man, trying to be helpful, shouted out that there was a path to where the two forks met (I already knew this, but I let him think he was assisting me). He also offered, that I was likely to catch a bunch of brookies. I was hoping for cutthroats, but since I never fished the creek before, I could not dispute his projection. I arrived at the sought after confluence and began to select flies for my start, and at this point I realized that I left my MFC fly box, that contained my core supply of dry flies, in the bib pocket of my waders. I pondered the idea of continuing without my dries, but I quickly rejected this foolhardy concept. I climbed the hill on the faint trail and repeated the entire circuit back to the campsite to retrieve my essential fly box. I had the presence of mind to shed my wading staff, fly rod, front pack and backpack; and at least lightened my burden for the repeat hike.

Partial Shadows at the Start

The Middle Fork is smaller than the North Fork, but nevertheless a decent sized creek at a relatively high elevation. I began my day with a tan pool toy hopper plus a beadhead hares ear and salvation nymph. The dry/dropper threesome failed to produce in the early going, until a trout in a deep slot rose and crunched the hopper. Apparently I tied a faulty knot, because all three flies disappeared along with the fish. I failed to land my first fish and lost three flies in the process, and this was not an auspicious beginning.

Depth Next to Rocks Tantalizing

The fish encounter elevated my optimism and confidence in the dry/dropper approach, so I replaced the full set of flies with no changes. My confidence was misplaced, and I suffered an extended lull, until I abandoned the nymphs and pool toy and resorted to a peacock hippie stomper. The stomper delivered positive results, and I notched three small brown trout and a brook trout by 11AM. Although catching fish was better than fruitless casting, I sensed that I was passing through trout holding locations with no action, so I repeated my newly applied summer of 2020 strategy and adopted a double dry fly configuration. I added a size 14 olive stimulator on an eight inch leader, and instantly my fortunes improved. By the time I grabbed lunch on a small gravel beach, the fish count rose to eight.The morning was not characterized by intense action, but the catch rate exceeded two per hour.

Deep Olive-Black-Blue Background Color on This Wild Specimen

Lovely Yellow Spots

The two hours after lunch developed into the best fly fishing of the day. For most of the time I tossed the peacock hippie stomper and olive stimulator, and the heavily hackled impostor did the heavy lifting. At one point a high errant backcast hooked an out of reach limb, and this resulted in a two fly break off. The peacock stomper was merely serving the role of indicator, so I deviated from tradition and replaced it with a silver bodied version, but I maintained the olive stimmy as the end fly. The silver bodied hippie stomper contributed a few fish to earn future consideration in the role of surface fly.

Stimulator Was Effective

Classic Cutthroat

The fish count rested on twenty-one when I reached the area behind the group campground. The nature of the creek altered at this point and transformed from a canyon with deep runs and pockets to a more gentle waterway with alternating pools and riffles. The changed stream structure was easier to wade, but paled in comparison to the canyon area from a fish productivity perspective. In the final hour I continued from the group camping access to the South Fork Bridge and only incremented the fish counter by two to twenty-three.

Big by Brook Trout Standards

Faint Pink Displayed

The last fish, however, was notable; as a gorgeous twelve inch cutthroat elevated to confidently inhale the stimulator. This bit of positive interaction took place in a spectacular bend pool. A short time after landing the cutthroat, I slung a long cast to a deeper run along a large bank side rock. The two flies bobbed along, when a splashy rise appeared next to the rock. I executed a swift hook set and felt weight, and an orange-bellied brook trout flipped over and tossed aside the fly. My fleeting contact with potential fish number twenty-four was the last action of the day.

Subtle Beauty

I exited at the South Fork Road Bridge and clocked my return hike on my Garmin. The smart watch revealed that I covered 1.2 stream miles on Wednesday, August 19. Twenty-three fish represented a fine day in mid-August in spite of above average temperatures. Seventeen landed fish were brook trout, three were small brown trout, and three were highly prized cutthroats. Wednesday reinforced the need to get away from easily accessed locations. My most productive time occurred, when I was in the middle of the canyon away from the campgrounds and trails. Climbing over fallen trees and large slippery rocks paid dividends.

Fish Landed: 23

Swirly Pool

Time: 2:15PM – 4:15PM

Location: Routt National Forest

Elk River 08/18/2020 Photo Album

Note: In order to protect small high country streams, I have chosen to change the name for a few. This particular creek happens to be one of them. Excessive exposure could lead to crowding and lower fish densities.

With four major fires raging in Colorado I was concerned about finding a high mountain creek that placed me a reasonable distance away from the danger zones. The area north of Steamboat Springs in Routt National Forest seemed like a viable location for a three day and two night fishing trip. Uncertainty about air quality and smoke prompted me to reach out to a person that I follow on Intagram, and she suggested that the direction of the wind was a major factor, but she expected the air to be reasonably free of smoke during the days that I planned to visit. This cinched my decision, and I packed the car with my camping supplies and fishing gear and headed off to central Colorado on Tuesday morning.

My Home for Two Nights

I arrived at my chosen campground by 12:30PM, and I quickly claimed one of the first come, first serve campsites. After I visited the pay station and wrote a check for $12 for two nights, I returned to my campsite and ate my lunch and set up the tent. My national parks senior pass qualified me for a 50% discount, and no better deal can be found. It was now 1:45, and I concluded that plenty of time remained to log a few hours of fishing. The campground was situated near a river, and I decided to sample the nearby Elk River.

Lots of Exposed Rocks

When I reached the place where I decided to begin, I noted that the flows were down from my previous visit on August 4, 2020, and the water was very clear. I estimated the flows to be in the 20 – 25 CFS range. The air temperature was quite warm, and I celebrated my choice to wet wade, as I slowly introduced my feet and legs to the cold mountain river. The afternoon was mostly bright and sunny, and a few large clouds blocked the sun periodically, but not enough to prevent the highs from spiking in the mid-eighties.

A Mauled Hippie Stomper

I began my two hours of fly fishing with a peacock hippie stomper and immediately landed a small brown, and then I connected with a more substantial fish that escaped the hook after a brief fight. I was rather optimistic after the hot start, but my hopes were misplaced. Within the first hour I landed another small brown trout on the hippie stomper, and then refusals became the prevailing state. Since the fish seemed to be attuned to the surface, I added an eight inch tippet to the bend of the stomper and knotted a size 14 olive stimulator  to the section. The move paid off in a short amount of time, when a decent rainbow locked on the stimulator. Shortly after this jolt of good fortune, a third small brown trout smacked the hippie stomper.

On the Board with a Small Brown Trout

The fish count rested on four for a considerable lull, until I dropped the double dries in a slow moving pool in front of a large log, and a surprise jewel of a cutthroat slurped the stimulator. I persisted upstream for another hour and covered a significant amount of stream real estate, but additional trout were either resting or not interested in my offerings. I witnessed a few refusals and temporarily hooked some very small trout, but the time between 3:15PM and 4:15PM was primarily futile.

A Cool Porthole in A Rock Next to the River

I tried a beadhead hares ear dropper and then also experimented with a solo parachute green drake, a Jake’s gulp beetle, an olive mugly caddis, and a size 10 Chernobyl ant. I am not sure whether to attribute the doldrums to the late afternoon heat or fishing in areas much closer to the road and the campground. I vowed to do some hiking on Wednesday and Thursday.

Fattening Up

Five fish in two hours is respectable, and the one rainbow probably measured in the twelve inch range. I was pleased to encounter a native cutthroat, and hopefully that was a harbinger of more to come on Wednesday and Thurday. All in all it was an acceptable introduction to my stay in the Elk River Valley.

Fish Landed: 5

Time: 11:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: Upper Elk River

Elk River 08/04/2020 Photo Album

Note: In order to protect small high country streams, I have chosen to change the name for a few. This particular creek happens to be one of them. Excessive exposure could lead to crowding and lower fish densities.

During thirty-seven years of fly fishing I experienced numerous days, where I remained in a state of euphoria for days afterward. As I grow older, however, these occasions are less frequent. Tuesday afternoon, August 4, evolved into one of the increasingly rare times of extreme exhilaration. Normally the circumstances that create such a state of jubilation are a dense hatch, large fish or an abnormally large quantity of fish; but Tuesday’s experience resulted from a different source.

Let the Fun Begin

After a disappointing 1.5 AM hours on the lower Elk River I decided to cut my losses and shifted my attention to a different section. I informed Jane that the this new stretch was my backup plan should the lower Elk fail to deliver on its promise, and at 11:15 I found myself parked at the trailhead parking lot. I hiked national forest trail for a considerable distance and then angled to the right at a Y, and a fisherman path delivered me to the river. I suppose the Elk is referred to as a river, although it approximates a large creek in size. The Elk River in this locale was in spectacular shape with cold, clear flows over large boulders and an abundant quantity of deep plunge pools and pockets. The whole scene caused my heart rate to elevate several beats per minute; not a good thing for someone recovering from heart valve surgery.

Subtle Beauty

Handsome Brook Trout

I continued with the double dry fly approach that I initiated on the lower Elk River, and it included a peacock hippie stomper and olive size 14 stimulator, and I immediately began landing small trout. The fish count surged from one to seven in the thirty minutes before lunch; and my net felt the weight of brook trout, cutbows, and a rainbow trout. I assumed that the Elk River was predominantly a brook trout fishery, so I was pleased with the diversity of species. My optimism soared, as I munched my ham sandwich and observed a tantalizing pool.

Tail of the Pool

Front Half Spotless

After lunch I progressed upstream for .5 miles and boosted the fish count from seven to twenty-four. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, as I prospected the dry flies through every likely fish holding location. Of the twenty-three fish landed from the Elk River, five were brook trout, three were small brown trout, and the remainder were cutthroats and cutbows plus one or two rainbow trout. I was surprised to realize that I recorded a Colorado trout grand slam. I estimate that sixty percent of the netted trout preferred the olive stimulator, and the remainder favored the hippie stomper.

Maybe My Favorite Color Scheme

Ooh!

As I migrated farther from my starting point, I began to catch an increasing number of gorgeous cutthroat trout. Quite a few of these prizes were in the twelve to thirteen inch range, and they confidently slashed one of the double dries. I could not have imagined a more perfect scenario than the remote setting, confident rises to large flies, and spectacular native cutthroat trout. I marveled at the coloration of the cutthroats, as they displayed a light olive body with a sparse spot pattern. Bright red cheeks punctuated the subtle beauty, and of course the signature slashes were evident under the jaw.

Nature’s Perfection

Hefty Cutthroat

Trout Haven

Tuesday afternoon was everything I hoped it would be. I was situated in a remote backcountry stream catching five species of trout. The largest and most impressive fish were the cutthroats, as they displayed their bright yet understated colors. The euphoria that I referred to at the outset stemmed from the rare opportunity to catch native cutthroats. A return visit to the Elk River is a certainty in my mind.

Fish Landed: 23

Exiting the Canyon

Time: 9:30AM – 11:00AM

Location: North of Steamboat Springs

Elk River 08/04/2020 Photo Album

Jane and I enjoyed a camping trip to Steamboat Lake State Park in June, and during that visit we completed the Diamond Park Trail hike with a return on the Wyoming Trail. The total loop was around eight miles, but this outdoor adventure provided an opportunity to scout some new stream miles for future fishing trips. The advance reconnaissance paid off, as Jane and I returned to the area on Monday, August 3, and I scheduled a day of fly fishing in the Elk River drainage.

Jane Celebrates Our New Canopy

As expected, the river was considerably lower than during our stay in June. and I debated which section of the Elk River to fish, but the lower flows pointed me toward the higher volume of the main river. Jane planned to once again hike the Diamond Park – Wyoming Trail loop, and I departed from the campground and arrived at a pull through parking area next to the Elk River by 9:15. I quickly assembled my Sage four weight, jumped into my waders and strolled on a path through sagebrush to the edge of the river.

Hopes Were High at This Point

The air temperature was around sixty degrees, as I began, and it was obvious that I was not the first person to fish this segment of the Elk River, as I was greeted by worn spaces along the bank. I rigged my line with a pool toy hopper, beadhead hares ear, and salvation nymph. These are among my mainstay flies, whenever I approach never before fished water. I probed likely runs and pockets for thirty minutes without an ounce of action; no looks, temporary hook ups, or refusals. I began to challenge my decision to fish the main stem and considered moving to one of the forks, but then I decided to test a double dry fly approach, as I moved upstream and away from the presumably highly pressured area at the end of the trail. I tied a peacock hippie stomper and light olive stimulator to my line, and I finally connected with a decent fish on an across river cast to a nice shelf pool. Luck was not in my corner, as the fish made a quick attempted getaway and succeeded, and I uttered a few choice words, as my limp line dangled in front of me.

Rocky Bottom and Depth

I continued mostly along the left bank, and at 10:45AM I hooked and landed an eight inch cutbow. Although it was a relatively small fish, I rejoiced at avoiding a skunking and admired the small wild jewel in my net. With one fish landed in 1.5 hours of fly fishing I decided to cut my losses and switched to plan B and migrated up the river.

Fish Landed: 1

Time: 10:00AM – 3:00PM

Location: Fraser Experimental Forest

St. Louis Creek 07/31/2020 Photo Album

I continued my pursuit of high elevation trout on Friday with a visit to St. Louis Creek. My last visit to this small headwater stream was on 08/04/2017, when I yearned for some action on my return from a difficult outing on the Colorado River. I was aware that the fish population was comprised mostly of small brook trout, but I was in the mood for a day of exploring and prospecting for small colorful jewels.

Shade and Sun

I arrived at a wide shoulder along a dirt road by 9:30AM, and I quickly rigged my Orvis Access four weight in anticipation of tight quarters and small trout. The air temperature hovered around sixty degrees, and I considered wet wading but eventually settled on wearing my waders in the high elevation shaded stream. The decision proved satisfactory, as I was comfortable for my entire five hours on the creek. The air temperature may have spiked to seventy degrees during full sun periods in the afternoon. The stream level seemed a bit low, but sufficient numbers of deep pockets and pools remained and offered hours of entertainment. Longer than usual casts and cautious approaches were a necessity in the clear conditions.

Even the Shadow Cannot Hide This Promising Little Pool

Lunker for Tiny Stream

When I reviewed my report on this blog from my previous time on St. Louis Creek, I noted that a Jake’s gulp beetle trailing a beadhead pheasant tail created a fair amount of success, and I was tempted to replicate those same offerings on Friday. However, when I began fishing at 10AM, the creek was mostly covered in shade interspersed with intermittent sunlight, and I was concerned about my ability to track the beetle in the variable light conditions. My uncertainty over the lighting prompted me to tie a tan pool toy hopper to my line as the surface fly, and beneath it I added a beadhead pheasant tail nymph. These two flies maintained their position on my line between 10AM and noon, and they generated twelve landed trout. All the morning fish in my net were brook trout except for one outlier, a twelve inch brown trout that elevated and smashed the pool toy in a deep slot next to a large exposed boulder.

Those Spots Though

The brook trout measured in the six to nine inch range, but their vivid colors made them extra special in my opinion. I probably endured one temporary hook up or refusal for every fish landed, but many of the escapees were probably undersized char.

After lunch I decided to shift tactics, and I migrated to a size 12 peacock hippie stomper fished solo. The move proved successful, as I boosted the fish counter from twelve to eighteen, and I moved at a fairly swift pace while flinging the stomper to every possible nook and cranny that might contain a trout. Once I attained eighteen netted fish, I approached a very attractive deep pool, and after the hippie stomper failed to generate interest, I decided to once again add a nymph on a dropper. In this instance I chose a beadhead hares ear. as I was seeking something a bit larger and heavier to probe the depths of honey holes. The tactic delivered results, and the hares ear produced four trout, while the hippie stomper contributed a few additional fish.

Lighter Color on This One

During the last hour of the day the trout interest subsided noticeably, and my catch rate shrank in a commensurate fashion. I cycled through some changes in the nymph component of my system and tested a bright green caddis pupa, ultra zug bug, and a parachute green drake. The ultra zug bug accounted for one trout, and the parachute green drake delivered the final fish of the day. I spotted one western green drake, as it slowly fluttered toward the sky from the stream, and that sighting caused me to adopt the double dry with a green drake imitation.

A Couple Spots to Explore

By three o’clock the catch rate slowed noticeably, and I reached a bridge, which forced me to climb a bank to the road. The fish count rested on twenty-seven, and I was quite weary from climbing over slippery rocks to cast to small wild brook trout, so I called it quits and hiked .6 mile back to the car. Friday was a fun day on St. Louis Creek. Sure, the fish were quite small, but they were not that easy, and the low, clear water conditions forced me to approach with stealth and long casts. I witnessed numerous spooked trout, as they darted from beneath a bank or rock upon my careless approach. The brook trout compensated for their lack of length with splendid colors and glistening spots. I had the entire stream section to myself, and I lost myself in the pursuit of trout and enjoyment of solitude. Something can be said for that.

Fish Landed: 27