Category Archives: Fishing Reports

Fishing Reports

Arkansas River – 06/20/2025

Time: 10:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Near Salida

Arkansas River 06/20/2025 Photo Album

I was pumped up to edge fish the Arkansas River on Wednesday, but a spike in flows caused me to doubt my plan, and I detoured to the South Platte River. As I considered options for Friday, June 20, I renewed my desire to test the receding flows on the Arkansas River. The DWR graph for Nathrop indicated that the flows leveled out at 1800 CFS, and they were on a downward curve to the 1550 CFS range on Friday morning. This was all I needed for motivation to make the two hour and forty-five minute drive to Salida. My illness waned to a minor irritation, so that was another positive factor for a day of fishing. The high temperature in Denver was forecast to reach one hundred degrees, so that was a concern, although the snow melt and high flows were expected to buffer against the high air temperatures, unlike the South Platte River where no such volume offset was available.

The Descent to the River

High but Clear

I arrived at my chosen destination a bit after 10:00AM, and I was prepared to fish by 10:30AM. Normally I would have fit together my Sage One five weight, but its status was still listed as “repairing” on the Far Banks web site. Hmm, I wonder how active the repairing is? Instead I pulled out my Scott four piece six weight. I bought this rod for my trips to Alaska and Argentina, but I had not used it in a couple years. I am a nonconformist, when it comes to reels, as I am right handed but have my reel set up to be reeled with my right hand. You may ask how this works? If I hook a fish, I normally just strip line to bring it in. If I end up using the reel, I make a quick hand switch and hold the rod with my left and reel with my right. At any rate, I thought I remembered that the reel on the Scott was set up to wind left handed, and this was an impediment to my usage.

Finally on the Board

As I prepared to fish, I pulled out the reel with the six weight line , and I was pleased to learn that it was set up for right handed reeling. With this advantageous discovery, I decided to deploy the Scott six weight on Friday. I was fishing a big river, with high water, and strong gusts of wind and the possibility of larger than average fish. A six weight made a lot of sense.

Salvation Did the Trick

I hiked along the river for .4 mile and then angled down a steep bank. The river was indeed running fast and tight to the banks, but clarity was quite good. I began my day with a yellow Letort hopper fished solo. I read that golden stoneflies were present, and I figured the size 10 Letort hopper was a solid imitation. The hopper gambit was a total bust, so I switched to a yellow fat Albert trailing an iron sally and salvation nymph. In the forty-five minutes before lunch I notched two refusals to the fat Albert. It made me wonder, whether I abandoned the yellow hopper pattern too soon.

Another Representative Trout

After lunch I resumed my progress along the left bank. The lesson I learned was that the speed of the current was the prime factor dictating trout holding locations. In the morning I wasted time fishing very marginal relatively shallow runs and riffles next to the bank, as the current was a bit too swift. The key to finding trout was current breaks such as trees and large boulders. If I found slower moving current with some depth near these structures, I generally found trout.

Tough Wading Here

Between noon and 3:30PM I landed nine trout. This included a splendid pair of fifteen inch brown trout along with a pair of smaller relatives, but the rest were respectable browns in the twelve to thirteen inch slot. All these fish were quite healthy, and they put up spirited fights. They were probably extra combative, since they probably had not experienced a hook in quite some time.

Hot Spot Among Rocks

The size of the fish was more than acceptable, although the catch rate was fairly average. Of course, had I hooked the five refusals and landed the four fish that escaped, my day would have looked considerably more impressive. Two of the larger long distance releases broke off both nymphs in their frenzied efforts to escape. Why are the best fish always the ones that get away?

Long One

By 2:30PM I suffered a lengthy pause in action, and refusals to the fat Albert were prevalent, so I decided to try a double dry. I removed the dry/dropper elements and switched to a size 12 yellow stimulator and trailed a size 14 olive-brown deer hair caddis. These flies yielded two brown trout, with the second and last fish on dries being a very fine fifteen inch brown trout.

Better View

Boulder Field

Nine fish in 4.5 hours of fishing was fairly lackluster; however, I tangled with some very nice trout that required careful fish playing skills. I improved my ability to identify likely fish holding locations. If I do the Arkansas River edge fishing again, I will be more selective with my casting. Rediscovering my Scott six weight was perhaps the highlight of the day, and it will surely see more action during edge fishing season, if my Sage five weight remains out of commission.

Fish Landed: 9

South Platte River – 06/18/2025

Time: 10:30AM – 2:30PM

Location: Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte River 06/18/2025 Photo Album

Baby sitting duties prevented me from fly fishing last Wednesday; however, I salvaged a fun day on a lake on Friday, June 13. Hurdles to the pursuit of chasing trout continued to plague me, as I contracted an illness that took me out of action late on Fathers Day through Tuesday; however, by Wednesday morning my energy was back. One nuisance symptom of my condition remained, but I felt well enough to embark on a fishing trip.

But where should I go? I eagerly tracked the receding flows on the freestones I love to frequent, as run off wanes, and I was surprised to see that the Arkansas River was already within the range of edge fishing. The Yampa River in Steamboat was actually prime for edge fishing, but the long trip made that option unworkable. I was nearly settled on the Arkansas, but when I checked the flows on Tuesday, I noticed a distinct spike in flows at the Salida and Nathrop gages. I was concerned that heavy rain on Tuesday caused the sudden increase, and perhaps this was accompanied by a loss of clarity. It was too late to call a fly shop.

Next to the Large Rock on the Right

When I checked again early on Wednesday morning, the spike leveled out at 1800 CFS at Nathrop, but I was reluctant to risk the long drive, and I wanted to leave before the fly shops opened at 8AM, so I defaulted to the South Platte River at Lake George. The graph of flows there was nearly an unending straight line in the 85 – 90 CFS range. I had decent success on my last visit there on 06/10/2025, and I assumed that conditions would be similar. I made the drive to Eleven Mile Canyon.

Very Respectable

By the time I arrived, geared up and assembled my Sage R8 four weight, it was 10:30AM. I began my day with a peacock hippie stomper trailing a size 16 olive-brown body deer hair caddis on an eighteen inch section of tippet. As I stood on the bank making my first couple casts, a trout rose next to a rock, and it was no more than five feet away from me. I dropped the flies in the current without even casting and allowed them to drift along the rock, and on the second pass, a very respectable thirteen inch brown trout aggressively smacked the caddis. It was quite an auspicious start to me day.

Early Beast

I added a second small brown, as I advanced up the river, but then the fly fishing gods exacted their payback for my early good fortune. First, I set the hook into nothing and launched the flies into a tree limb high above the river. After some persistence and an excessive struggle, I was able to bend the branch tip down to the river, where I was able to unravel and rescue the flies. Next I failed to pause to allow the flies to straighten before making the forward cast, and this error along with some gusting wind, caused the flies to confront me in a massive snarl. It was so bad that I had to cut off both flies and dispose of the tangled leader that connected the stomper to the caddis.

Fine Looking Area

After these two time consuming disruptions to my karma, I made a thirty foot cast across the river to a nice riffle next to some overhanging branches. I really thought it was a futile effort, but much to my amazement a decent fish smacked the hippie stomper. I raised the rod and connected and in the process lifted the nose of a decent-sized rainbow above the surface, but in a flash the fish was gone. I stripped my line in and discovered that both flies broke off, and I suspect I scarred the knot on the hippie stomper in my efforts to unravel the tangle.

Nice Rainbow

What else could go wrong? One more thing. I finally settled into a rhythm and began prospecting likely trout lairs, when another angler appeared and waded into the river no more than twenty yards above me. I was dumbfounded. I fished out a remaining attractive section, and then I climbed the bank and moved upstream. As I passed the angler, I told the invader that I assumed he did not see me, and that explained his presence in my space. He said that was the case, and then uttered “life can be hard”. I was again dumbfounded and simply shook my head. There was no apology or offer to move somewhere else. I hiked along the road a good distance, offering him a courtesy he did not extend to me, and then I cut back to the river.

Pleased

By now at least an hour had elapsed, but I began to fish my double dry in earnest, and the results were outstanding. I spotted very sporadic rises, and small caddis dapped the surface occasionally, and my hippie stomper and deer hair caddis seemed to be of interest to the river inhabitants. I boosted the fish count from two to fifteen, before I paused on an exposed mid-river rock for lunch. Among my catch were a couple twelve inch rainbows and four browns in the twelve to thirteen inch range, and one seventeen inch cutbow. Yes, you read that correctly. The beast rose and crushed the hippie stomper at the very top of a long pocket. I was shocked by this outlier.

Productive Water Ahead

After lunch at 1:00PM the game changed. The fish stopped responding to my double dries. I spotted a light yellow body mayfly slowly ascending toward the sky, so I swapped the caddis for a pale morning dun. Nothing. By 1:30PM I decided to replace the comparadun with a light gray deer hair caddis, and while paused to make the changeover, I pulled out my stream thermometer. I submerged it for more than two minutes in a spot with some depth along fast moving current, and it registered 66 degrees. Before I plunged it into the water, it displayed 77 degrees, so I knew it was functioning properly. 66 degrees represents the threshold of when one should stop fishing in order not to harm trout by playing them in elevated stream temperatures.

Cutbow Monster

It was only 1:30, so I decided to drive up the river toward the dam with the hope that the water temperature would be lower near the bottom release. I parked where I normally stop on early spring outings, and I hiked to the same sections that I was familiar with. I made some casts at the top of a nice long entering run to a medium sized pool, and this provoked a splashy refusal. Next, however, I once again tested the water temperature, and I was surprised to learn that the thermometer continued to register 66 degrees. I used my better judgement and called it quits at 2:30PM. The air temperature on the dashboard display was 80 degrees, as I began my return journey.

Fifteen trout landed in two and a half hours of fishing is very respectable, and quite a few were above average beauties. This was accomplished in spite of a series of time consuming disruptions. I fished only dry flies, and the fish were quite receptive to my offerings. The hot spots were the cushion in front of large exposed boulders, and quite often the trout grabbed the caddis, as I began to lift in front of the boulder to make another cast. Slight twitches and movement seemed to instigate trout predator behavior. The warm water temperatures were a disappointment, and I am concerned with a heat wave in the forecast for the remainder of the week. Could the water managers increase the flows? I am thankful that I carry a stream thermometer.

Fish Landed: 15

Curtain Ponds – 06/13/2025

Time: 1:30PM – 3:30PM

Location: Near Copper Mountain

Curtain Ponds 06/13/2025 Photo Album

On 06/17/2024 I endured a similar experience on Clear Lake, and on that occasion I salvaged a decent day of fly fishing by moving on to the Curtain Ponds. On 06/13/2025 I repeated that same cycle of events. Clear Lake was dead, so I cut my losses and migrated west along Interstate 70 to the Curtain Ponds near Copper Mountain. I drove in my waders, so upon my arrival at the ponds, I was essentially ready to fish.

Small Waves Greeted Me

My Sage four weight was already rigged with the mini chubby, a prince nymph and a hares ear; so I decided to give the three fly configuration a test at the outset. The sun was out most of the time, but intermittent clouds created wind and riffles. I fired casts toward depressions fifty feet from shore, and in the early going I managed to land two small brook trout that grabbed each of the trailing nymphs, as I began to strip the flies back toward me. This success, however, failed to reoccur, and the nymphs continually picked up vegetation from the weed beds, so I modified my approach.

Brilliant

I replaced the mini chubby with a peacock body hippie stomper, and then added a size 16 olive-brown deer hair caddis on an eighteen inch dropper. The double dry performed quite well, and I carried on with the combination for the rest of the afternoon. I snapped off the two flies on a bush at one point, but I replaced them with another set of stomper and caddis.

Getting Closer to the Bank

During my two hours on the pond, I landed twenty-two small brook trout. They were all within the six to eight inch range, but they were perfect gems with iridescent vermiculation along their backs and bodies along with orange bellies and white tipped fins.

A few of the catches molested one of the flies, as they sat motionless, but more frequently they attacked the caddis, as I began to strip. I allowed the flies to sit for ten to twenty seconds, and then I gave them a quick pop to create a wake from the stomper. This was followed by a second pop, and then, if no take resulted, I stripped faster back toward my position. I estimate that seventy percent of the hookups were produced by the caddis, and the remainder resulted from the hippie stomper. Refusals were part of the game, but takes far outnumbered the indecisive snubs.

Scintilating

For the third time this spring, I enjoyed a double. That is, I caught two trout on the same cast. In this case the larger brook trout engulfed the hippie stomper, and while I was playing it to my net, a smaller fish grabbed the trailing caddis. This was the first double on dries for this season.

Third Double of 2025

By switching locations I managed to salvage a decent day. Of course the fish were small, but I still had a blast fooling the small battlers. Not every cast was successful, and the sudden slashing of a hungry brook trout was always a surprise. I suspect that Clear Lake is off my list for 2025.

Fish Landed: 22

 

South Platte River – 06/10/2025

Time: 10:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte River 06/10/2025 Photo Album

With Ireland and jet lag in the rearview mirror, I was anxious to return to Colorado waters. Run off was in full swing, so my choices were limited to tailwaters or lakes. I checked the flows on the South Platte River at Lake George, and I learned they were in the 88 CFS range, and my choice became a no brainer. I love Eleven Mile Canyon, and flows in that range were a bit low but well within my desired range. Air temperatures were projected in the upper seventies, and that reinforced my desire to visit the canyon tailwater.

Prime Water

I arrived at my chosen pullout by 10AM, and as I geared up at the tailgate of my car, another angler ambled by on his way to fish the section that I chose. This irked me a bit, but it was open water, and he got there first. I wore only my fishing shirt and stuffed my raincoat in my backpack. My rod choice was my old Sage four weight. I was in a position to begin casting by 10:30AM, and my line displayed a size 14 peacock body hippie stomper and a beadhead hares ear nymph. In the early going I managed a pair of relatively small brown trout, and the hares ear accounted for both; however, spots that looked very attractive failed to produce. The hippie stomper was attracting attention in the form of looks and refusals, so I concluded that the fish were looking toward the surface for their meals.

Looking Up the Canyon

I removed the long dropper leader and the hares ear, and I replaced them with a one foot tippet with a size 14 olive-brown body deer hair caddis. Cha-ching. This pairing clicked, and I moved the fish count from two to ten before I broke for lunch at noon. Credit goes to Max of Charlies Fly Box who posted an Instagram video that recommended caddis in the riffles for fast action. His advice was accurate.

Olive-Brown Deer Hair Caddis on Its Nose

After lunch I continued my advancement through pocket water and riffles, and I increased the fish count to fourteen by 1:00PM. By now the sun was bright and the air temperature was in the upper seventies, and it seemed that these conditions placed the trout in a state of lethargy. The double dry suddenly failed to attract interest, so after a long dry spell, I returned to the dry/dropper methodology. I spotted one solitary golden stonefly, so I chose a tan body mini-chubby Chernboyl as my top fly. Beneath it I brought back the hares ear, and then I added a second nymph in the form of a salvation nymph. The length of the leader from mini chubby to salvatoin was around four feet.

Pockets to Pick

I cast to all the likely spots, but it was as if the river was a victim of a recent fish kill. I removed the salvation and replaced it with an olive perdigon. After an enormous amount of casting and moving, I managed to land two nice rainbow trout in the final two hours. One bow snagged the hares ear, and the other clamped down on the olive perdigon.

Promising

On the day I landed four rainbow trout with one chunky specimen approximating thirteen inches in length. A brown trout stretched the tape to thirteen as well, and the other rainbows were around twelve inches in length. The remainder of the catch were less than a foot long.

Another Fine Rainbow

While both dry flies were working, the deer hair caddis was preferred over the hippie stomper. I estimate that the ratio of caddis dry fly takes to hippie stomper takes was seven caddis for every three stompers. Moderate depth riffles and medium depth and long pockets were the most productive river structures. The big deep pools were a waste of casting energy.

Run Near the Bank Delivered

A sixteen fish day, while most of the waterways were blown out with high water, was appreciated greatly. The last two hours were tough, but the morning action was fast and very entertaining. Perhaps another visit to the South Platte is in my future.

Fish Landed: 16

 

 

River Nire – 06/03/2025

Time: 10:00AM – 4:00PM

Location: Private water.

River Nire 06/03/2025 Photo Album

With streams raging with run off in Colorado, I booked two days of fly fishing with Clonanav Fly Fishing in Ireland. The trip was not purely for fly fishing; as Jane, Amy, and Amy Jo joined me. Jane is my wife, Amy is my daughter, and Amy Jo is a friend. We launched our self-planned tour of Ireland on May 26 in Dublin, and the ladies dropped me off at the Glasha Farmhouse on Monday, June 2, and then they proceeded to Dungarvan on the southern coast for a couple days of relaxation, before we all returned to the states on Thursday.

Deep Pool

Enough about our trip. The purpose of this blog is to report on my fly fishing adventures, so I will move on to that topic. My guide, Kevin, collected me at 9AM on Tuesday morning in his spiffy Range Rover, and he transported me to the fly shop only a mile or two away. I pulled my provided waders and wading boots on and then slid into my light down coat and a raincoat. It was quite overcast and windy (common in Ireland), as we proceeded to the River Nire. We drove through a pair of gates and over a rough and barely visible two track, and we eventually parked in a pasture next to the stream.

Off and Running

Proud Fisherman

The River Nire was just as I imagined an Irish stream. Long and placid, deep pools were separated by short sections of sluicing faster water, and large deciduous trees arched over the waterway. I opted not to bring my fishing gear, and Kevin had two GuideLine rods rigged and ready to cast. The rods were secured in rod holders over the hood of the Range Rover. The four weight GuideLine was far softer than what I was accustomed to, so it took me a bit to adjust.

Another Irish Brown

Like a Lake

On my first cast I failed to load the rod, and this resulted in a short cast to some slow water twenty feet from my position. I lifted to execute a better cast, and I was shocked to feel the weight of a decent fish. Unfortunately it escaped, but what a start!

Surprised by This One

At the outset I was using a Klinkhammer dry with a pink and white wing post, and beneath this attractor was a size 18 flashback pheasant tail nymph. During the morning I primarily persisted with this arrangement, and it resulted in ten magnificent brown trout in my net. My expectation going into this trip to Ireland was catching five to ten small brown trout per day. Guess again. I landed thirteen in total on the day, and nearly all were in the fifteen to twenty inch range along with a pair of browns twenty inches or more. Wow, did these fish fight. Diving and head shaking were integral to their combative repertoire.

Look at the Bulk

After lunch I added three additional magnificent browns, and I had at least another four temporary connections. Two of the afternoon catch extended beyond twenty inches. It was simply outstanding.

This Section Really Produced

As mentioned earlier, the Klinkhammer and pheasant tail produced early, but the pheasant tail got swapped for a Frenchy perdigon part way through the morning. Two trout crushed the dry with the remainder duped  by one of the nymphs.

And Again

After lunch I fished mostly the dry/dropper, but we experimented with a tiny gray streamer as well. I detected one strong bump with the jigging streamer, but the pursuer failed to grab the fly a second time. My day ended in a stunning pool with a size 16 caddis with a yellow indicator on top for visibility. I fished it solo, and although I only landed three in the PM, two represented the largest of the day.

All In

Fishing in Ireland is more akin to Pennsylvania than Colorado. I made relatively long casts, and in many cases it reminded me of lake fishing. Patience was a necessity in these instances, as the fly chugged along slowly, but often enough a grab occurred after I waited out the drift. Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully Kevin was exaggerating how much today was above the norm to lower my expectations.

Fish Landed: 13

Nice Bend

Splendid

South Platte River – 05/24/2025

Time: 10:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte River 05/24/2025 Photo Album

As I mentioned in my post of 05/20/2025, I was set to visit the South Platte River, when I was distracted by the temporary low flows on the Arkansas River and made that my destination on Monday. Friday was my day to follow through on my initial inclination. I made the trip to the South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon. The high temperature was projected to reach the low seventies in nearby Lake George, CO, and the flows were actually running a bit low at 58 CFS.

Looking Ahead

For this trip to Eleven Mile I decided to experiment with a new stretch of the river. I usually frequent the upper special regulation section below the dam, but I admire the open water area, as I drive by. Sure, the bait fishermen are able to ply the river with their offerings, but I have learned historically on other streams that wily fish remain that are able to avoid the drifting worms and power bait. The key is to probe out of the way and difficult to reach spots, and these types of water exist in abundant quantity in Eleven Mile Canyon.

Number Two

Typical Productive Water

I slowly drove up the canyon while scanning the river for faster sections, until I finally found an area that exhibited the characteristics that I was seeking. The temperature was in the low sixties, so I pulled on my rain jacket for extra warmth, and I rigged my Sage R8 four weight. By 10:30AM I was on the river, and I began my angling day with a size 8 tan-body pool toy hopper, an orange scud and an olive perdigon. Between 10:30AM and 11:45AM I prospected all the likely seams, slots, pockets and riffles; and I notched four trout in my fish count. Two were rainbows and two were brown trout. One aggressive rainbow crushed the pool toy hopper, and the others grabbed  the nymphs. After twenty minutes the orange scud failed to deliver, so I substituted a beadhead hares ear nymph, and it attracted one rainbow, while the other two trout favored the olive perdigon.

Did the Job

Colorful Rainbow

After lunch on a nice flat rock, I continued up the river, and I built the fish count to seven. The three additional trout chose the hares ear, and in the process of landing one of the nicer rainbows, the olive perdigon broke off. I always grieve the loss of a perdigon, and the expensive tungsten bead, and I did not wish to expose more to that risk, and the trout seemed to like the hares ear, so I dipped into my fleece wallet for a PMD supernova to replace the perdigon.

Pocket Water Delight

By one o’clock I encountered a group of elementary age kids splashing and playing on a huge exposed boulder in the middle of the river. The river in the upstream area was wide and shallow and slow moving, so I retreated to the car and advanced up the road for .2 mile. I parked and jumped into another narrow section that contained deep pockets, plunge pools and exposed boulders. This was exactly the type of structure that I was seeking.

Seams Always Good

For the remainder of my afternoon I probed the likely spots, and I increased the fish count from seven to seventeen. Two nice brown trout in the fourteen inch range graced my net during this phase of my day. Both of the large trout emerged from lies in front of large exposed boulders, where the current deflected off the upstream face. Part way through the afternoon time frame, the PMD supernova was separated from my tippet, and I replaced it with a salvation nymph. Of the ten trout landed, as I moved the fish count from seven to seventeen, two consumed the supernova, one mauled the pool toy, one nabbed the salvation nymph and the remainder picked off the hares ear.

One of the Better Fish

Emerged from the Current Seam

My theory held. The section featured fast water with pockets and slots and hidden seams, and I used my dry/dropper to probe each possibility. Most fishermen prefer the deep pools and the entering runs as obvious fish magnets, and I avoided these spots that are normally pressured by the bait dunkers. I would not characterize the fishing as sizzling, but rather steady. Not all promising locations yielded results, but if I moved at a steady pace and persisted, I was able to create adequate action.

Covered in Spots

Nice Brown from in Front of the Large Boulder

Aside from the two fourteen inch browns, I netted quite a few trout in the eleven to twelve inch range, and I recalled at least four decent fish that shed my fly hook after brief fights. On the day I estimate that the ratio of browns to rainbows was roughly 50/50.  Overall it was a fun day. I always enjoy discovering new streams or different sections of rivers that produce favorable results. I will definitely do more exploration of Eleven Mile Canyon.

Fish Landed: 17

End of Day Double

 

 

Pine Valley Ranch Lake – 05/16/2025

Time: 11:00AM – 2:00PM

Location: Shoreline

Pine Valley Ranch Lake 08/16/2025 Photo Album

After experiencing a skunking on Wednesday and enduring a continuing struggle with a cold, I considered my options for a day of fly fishing on Friday, May 16, 2025. My Tuesday outing involved a long drive to the South Platte River, so I filtered my choices to those close to Denver. I examined the DWR flow information, and I quickly discovered that all the Front Range streams were in the process of blowing out with rapid increases in volume. Even South Boulder Creek, a tailwater, was chugging along at 199 CFS.

The one drainage that was conspicuous as an example of favorable flows was the South Platte River tailwaters. Other than the Waterton Canyon stretch, however, they all involved relatively lengthy drives, and I was reluctant to undertake that, having made the trip on Tuesday to Eleven Mile Canyon.

I shifted my attention to lakes, and in a short amount of time, I settled on Pine Valley Ranch Lake. The travel time was reasonable, and I love the Pine Valley Ranch Park, and I enjoyed decent success at the lake in prior seasons. The stocking report indicated that a transfer of trout took place on March 28, and that was quite a while ago, but I gambled that hungry fish remained albeit perhaps a bit wiser and more spread out.

In the meantime, I received a text from the mother of my fly fishing student, Ben, and Ben had Friday off, so I invited him to join me. He jumped on the opportunity, and I picked him up at 9:30AM, and we continued our drive out US 285 from there. We arrived at the lower parking lot by 10:30AM, and six other cars were present. A fisherman was preparing to fish in one of the vehicles, but the others seemed to be hikers and dog walkers.

I wore my down coat and my rain jacket, and I fit together my four piece Sage R8 four weight. Ben assembled his gear and rods, and we hiked around the lake to a spot on the south shoreline. I selected the long way around to familiarize Ben with the surroundings, since it was his first visit.

Ben’s Early Catch

Initially I fished a peacock hippie stomper, salvation nymph and salad spinner midge pupa, and I managed one connection. The rainbow leaped from the water several times and then shed the hook, before I could gain control. Ben, meanwhile, was fishing with a balanced leech streamer that displayed shiny brown fibers and a tungsten bead. His choice proved fortuitous, as he hooked and landed three rainbows of above average size in the time period prior to lunch. In addition, he noted some follows and recorded a few temporary hook ups, so his action was quite impressive.

Ben with Fish Number One

We paused for lunch at noon, and after lunch we resumed our efforts to attract the attention of the lake dwellers. After seeing Ben’s success, I removed my dry/dropper setup, and I knotted a woolly bugger to my line and crimped a split shot right above the eye of the hook. The bugger had a brown marabou tail and a peacock chenille body. The wind was gusting dramatically, and this in turn caused small waves to develop on the surface, and I assumed the fish were unable to see the hippie stomper. The woolly bugger failed to produce, so after fifteen minutes and many casts and strips, I replaced it with the streamer I made, while my grandson, Theo, observed.

Intruder

Theo Thunder

Imagine my excitement, when I felt the bump of a take and hooked and stripped in a slightly above average-sized rainbow trout. I simply threw together a jumble of leftover materials for this fly, so It was very gratifying to achieve success.

Streamer Stripping

The weather went through cycles that consisted of strong wind, waves, and clouds; and then sunny and clear skies. During the sunny periods, the surface would change into smoothness, and then a smaller cloud would block the sun and create an overcast and a bit of riffle, and the lake would bloom with sporadic rises. Between one and two o’clock, when we quit, I settled on the double dry approach with a peacock hippie stomper and a size 22 dry fly. The fly consisted of a light olive quill body and olive wing and dubbing at the thorax. I noticed a few small adult midges buzzing about, and they appeared to display the same light olive coloration.

Not Bad for Dave

Finally I enjoyed some success. I landed three rainbow trout, and two sipped the small olive dry fly, and one crushed the hippie stomper. All these fish hit the surface fly, after I cast and waited for twenty to thirty seconds. Stripping and popping the flies was not an effective technique on this day. Also, the fish responded during those times, when the sky clouded and before the wind became too strong.

Ben’s afternoon was quite slow after a solid morning, and we agreed to depart at 2PM. Four trout in three hours of fishing was not impressive, but I had fun introducing Ben to a new spot, and I was thrilled to observe his streamer success. I look forward to more lake fishing over the next several months.

Fish Landed: 4

South Platte River – 05/13/2025

Time: 11:00AM – 4:00PM

Location: Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte River 05/13/2025 Photo Album

After a fantastic day on a new section of the Arkansas River on Friday, I yearned to return. However, temperatures in the upper eighties over the weekend spurred a heightened amount of snow melt, and when I checked the streamflows at the Nathrop station on Monday, the graph depicted a severe slope upward. I called the local fly shop, and Tony informed me that the fishing on the Arkansas River was probably on hold, until the run off began to subside in June. It was time for plan B.

Zoomed

I quickly shifted gears and examined the flows on tailwaters starting with Eleven Mile Canyon. I knew from previous years that the water managers hold back water to fill the South Platte reservoirs, and that proved to be the case in 2025. The gauge at Lake George was displaying flows in the mid-eighties, and I recognized this as an opportunity to visit Eleven Mile Canyon.

Produced

Behind the Boulder

I arrived at one of my favorite parking lots at 10:30AM, and the temperature registered 61 degrees, and the sky was quite overcast. I opted for my raincoat as my only layer, and I pulled together my Sage R8 four weight. I love this rod on medium sized rivers. To begin my effort to net South Platte River trout, I knotted an amber ice dub size 8 chubby Chernobyl to my line, and then, being in a contrarian mood, I selected a partridge and orange wet fly and a hares ear nymph. I wish I could report that my choice of a seldom used fly paid dividends, but after fifteen minutes of casting in relatively attractive water, I had nothing to show for my experimentation with a classic wet fly and nymph. I moved the hares ear to the upper position and replaced the partridge and orange with an emerald caddis pupa.

Love the Pose

After this change in plan, I began to catch a few trout on the hares ear, and I steadily progressed upstream. When I rounded the bend, I was disappointed to spy another angler, and a second person stood nearby next to a folding chair. This clearly blocked my forward progress, but I advanced, until I was twenty yards below the man’s position. I later discovered that the other person was the angler’s wife or partner. During this period, I increased the fish count to six, with the hares ear doing most of the damage, although after a short trial, I abandoned the caddis pupa and replaced it with the trusty olive perdigon.

Right Side Slick

Upon approaching the couple, I exited right and circled around them through a dense clump of bushes and then followed the road, until I arrived at a spot, where the river ran right next to the dirt lane. Another angler arrived in the meantime, so I moved another twenty yards upstream and continued my upstream progression. I found a nice clear spot along the bank and chowed down on my lunch before resuming.

Just Before Release

For the most of the remainder of the afternoon, I persisted with the chubby Chernobyl, hares ear nymph, and olive perdigon. By 3PM, I spotted some stray blue wing olives, so I replaced the hares ear with a PMD supernova and then a sparkle wing RS2. Each of these flies yielded a pair of fish.

Very Respectable

After lunch I moved through some pocket water and then made some long casts in the smooth pool and glide at the bend. I did connect briefly with what felt like a heavier fish, as it attacked the chubby Chernobyl at the tail of the long slick. Once I passed the run and pool, I debated whether to move to my second favorite location, but I decided to persist. The next section featured a wide area that spilled around exposed rocks, and this created pockets, albeit relatively shallow. The gambit paid off, as I built the fish count to twelve, and this included some surprising twelve inch brown trout from fairly marginal lies.

Spectacular Spots

Once I covered the pockets, I opted to exit, since another slow moving deep pool was in my future. I hiked back to the car, and the couple that I encountered was present at their vehicle next to mine, and the gentleman was using the folding chair to remove his waders. We shared greetings and a brief exchange of our successes, and then I departed and moved .3 mile up the river to my next area to explore.

Shelf Pool

Rare Double

I spent the rest of the afternoon prospecting pockets, slots and deep runs among faster water, and I advanced the fish count from twelve to twenty. Among these catches were a pair of very nice and chunky thirteen inch brown trout. In addition, I experienced a rarity, when I hooked two fish at once and landed them both. A nice thirteen inch brown trout grabbed the chubby, and as I began playing it, a small brown nabbed one of the trailing nymphs. This always makes me wonder, whether I need to strip my flies faster, since the fish nailed the trailing nymph, while the larger fish streaked about attempting to escape.

Source of Double

My big revelation on the day was the effectiveness of the juicy chubby Chernobyl. Six of the twenty netted trout mashed the chubby, and these were some of the larger trout. The hares ear accounted for three, the supernova added two, the sparkle wing tallied two and the remainder grabbed the olive perdigon. The perdigon was a factor, but it was not the heavy lifter that it has been in recent outings.

Covered in Spots

Although Tuesday was a solid day, I would not characterize it as hot fishing. I covered a huge amount of the river and made an abundant quantity of casts. Places that I was certain would produce failed to do so, and other spots that screamed marginal came through. Tuesday’s success required a lot of casting and steady movement and above all continued focus. Hopefully I can squeeze in more stream fly fishing, before I am forced to resort to stillwaters.

Fish Landed: 20

Surprisingly Productive Chubby Chernobyl

Arkansas River – 05/09/2025

Time: 11:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: Buena Vista Area

Arkansas River 05/09/2025 Photo Album

I am not sure if the source of my euphoria on Friday, May 9, 2025 stemmed from the continuing outstanding productivity of the olive perdigon or the discovery of a new section of the Arkansas River. With highs in Denver predicted in the seventies, I checked potential fly fishing destinations and settled on the Buena Vista area of the Arkansas River, where the high was forecast to peak in the low sixties. On the previous week I made the drive to the same area, and I enjoyed a very satisfying day of fly fishing, so a return visit appealed to me.

New Water

Every year at this time that spans mid-April until early May, I chase the famed Arkansas River caddis hatch, and that also played into my planning. The fly shop report indicated that the hatch was centered over Salida after the recent cold snap. I surmised that progression to the Buena Vista area was a possibility.

Impressive Start

Love the Spots

I set my Google maps app to a new spot, and I gambled that there was fishing access. The map that I was using suggested that was the case, but there was a risk that I was wasting time seeking out an unknown fishing spot.

Looking Ahead

I arrived at the designated test location by 11AM, and by the time I pulled on my fleece hoodie and raincoat and assembled my Sage R8 four weight and hiked a short distance to the river, it was 11:30PM. I was flying blind, and I had no idea where to park, how far away the river was and what the fishing conditions were like. Fortunately I quickly found the designated parking lot, the walk to the river was short, and the section of the river in front of me looked amazing.

Sole Rainbow

I began my quest for trout with an amber ice dub body chubby Chernobyl, an iron sally and a bright green caddis pupa. I debated using the olive perdigon, but I wanted to experiment with the caddis pupa first. On the first two casts in a deep slot behind a boulder, I hooked and landed two respectable brown trout in the twelve to thirteen inch range; and, needless to say, I was impressed. Between 11:30 and noon, when I found a nice flat rock for my picnic lunch, I added two more browns to my netted fish tally to boost the total to four. Was this for real? All the late morning trout grabbed the iron sally.

Narrow Run Along the Bank Produced

After lunch, however, I endured a brief dry spell, so I reconsidered my offerings and exchanged the heretofore unproductive caddis for the olive perdigon. It was a master stroke. For the remainder of the day the chubby Chernobyl and perdigon were constants in my lineup, and my only change was to swap the iron sally for a go2 bright green caddis pupa midway through the afternoon.

Wide Moderate Depth Riffle Was Prime

Check Out All the Subsurface Rocks

What an afternoon it was! the fish count ballooned from four to thirty-one. In total the chubby Chernobyl accounted for five, the iron sally registered the first four, one fish fell prey to the caddis pupa and the remaining twenty-one hungered for the olive perdigon. I never spotted a caddis fly, but during two extended periods of heavy cloud cover, I noticed a few blue wing olives, but not enough to generate any surface feeding. Apparently there were active baetis nymphs, and the olive perdigon was a close enough representation. Another testament to my good fortune was my ability to fish for three plus hours without losing a fly, and with tungsten beads going for one dollar each, that was good news.

Big Flapper

The river was in prime condition. The flows in Nathrop downstream were around 400 CFS, and crystal clear was the clarity status. I fished upstream along the left bank, and prospected all the deep slots, troughs, pockets and riffles. All these types of structure produced, but the most dependable locations featured the tail end of deep slower moving slots just before the adjoining currents merged and accelerated. A lift at the end of these drifts seemed to be a deadly technique. I love the feeling of confidence, when I lock on to productive flies and identify the most likely fish holding lies. Before casting I could more or less predict the result, although I covered the water thoroughly and produced the occasional nice fish from fairly marginal spots.

Chubby Again

Once again I failed to greet the caddis hatch, but in exchange I discovered a new favorite section of the river, and I reinforced the effectiveness of the perdigon style of fly. I typically dislike tying flies during fishing season, but I may have to deviate from this position, and tie up some more. Other than the expense of the beads, the perdigons are a straightforward tie with minimal materials. A thirty-one fish day is very appreciated, and although the largest probably stretched the tape to thirteen inches, quite a few were in that twelve to thirteen inch range, and all but one outlier rainbow were marvelous vividly colored wild fish. Could I sneak in another day on the Arkansas before the run off thwarts my success? Stay tuned.

Fish Landed: 31

South Boulder Creek – 05/04/2025

Time: 11:15AM – 3:00PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 05/04/2025 Photo Album

I normally avoid fly fishing on weekends, but on Sunday, May 4, 2025 I made an exception. The weather forecast for Monday through Wednesday of the upcoming week portended adverse fishing conditions, so I made the trip to South Boulder Creek. I kept my eye on the flows below Gross Reservoir, and they remained steady at 45 CFS for more than a week. These flows are a bit low for my preference; however, I have enjoyed success at even lower levels. The high temperature in the canyon was forecast to reach the mid-sixties, so that also played into my decision.

By the time I made the relatively short drive and jumped into my gear and hiked to the creek, my watch displayed 11:15AM. My trip through Flagstaff Mountain Park was slowed by a caravan of cyclists climbing the steep and winding road. Kudos to all the riders who finished the ascent.

Covered in Spots

The parking lot at the Walker Ranch Loop Trailhead was nearly full, but I lucked out and found a recently vacated slot. I wore my fleece hoodie, but I avoided my long sleeve undershirt and stuffed my raincoat in my backpack. The temperature at the parking lot was 61 degrees. I have been using Pinecliffe, CO in Weather Underground as my proxy for weather at South Boulder Creek, but I concluded that the higher elevation mountain village probably understates the air temperatures in South Boulder Creek below Gross Reservoir.

Narrow Ribbon of Fishable Water

To begin my quest for trout I began with a peacock size 14 hippie stomper and then added an olive perdigon on a three foot dropper. Beneath the perdigon I knotted a size 20 salad spinner midge pupa imitation, and I began to probe the likely fish holding lies. In a short amount of time I landed a small brown trout barely longer than my six inch minimum, and it grabbed the perdigon.

Stripe Separate from Cheek

As I began my move to the next attractive spot, I noticed two anglers not more than thirty yards above me. I did not pass another fisherman during my entire inbound hike, yet two competitors showed up within a stones throw of my position! Needless to say I was disappointed, so I stripped in my line and secured it and circled around the invaders of my sacred space.

A Brown Joins the Fun

I hiked .25 mile to give them space, and then I angled back to the creek in a place where I enjoyed decent success in the past. I once again began to probe the pockets, runs and riffles; and I added three rainbows to bring my fish count to four by lunch time a bit before noon. During this time I abandoned the salad spinner and replaced it with a beadhead hares ear nymph and a bright green caddis pupa, but all the action came on the olive perdigon and hippie stomper.  I quickly munched my sandwich and carrots, and then I resumed my prospecting, but guess who I spotted thirty yards above me? It was my nemeses. I saw one of them look back, and they spotted me, so they quickly moved out of sight. I made a mental note of where they were first noticed, and then I fished to that spot and pondered my next move.

Nice Bankside Run

I suspected that they exited and left the next stretch undisturbed, but I could not be sure, so I once again cut over to the trail and worked my way up the path. I found them just downstream of my favorite pool, so I stealthily bypassed them and hoofed quite a distance before re-entering the creek. I estimate that I hiked at least half a mile to allow them space.

As I recall, the fish count was now at six, and during the remaining time on the water, I elevated it to seventeen. The hares ear and caddis pupa failed to generate any action, so I replaced them with a sparkle wing RS2, and I kept the hippie stomper, perdigon, RS2 combination in place for quite a while.

Scene of Rising Fish

At 2PM I approached a gorgeous long pool with a deep run flowing down the center. Just before arriving, I experienced quite a few refusals to the hippie stomper, so I decided to remove the nymphs and transition to a double dry with the hippie stomper and a size 16 olive-brown body deer hair caddis. The caddis fooled one fish, before it created some refusals, and I began to spot a few random rises. My hunch told me that blue wing olives were emerging, so I replaced the caddis with a CDC blue wing olive.

Brilliant

I persisted with the double dry for the next hour, and I added four more trout to bring the total to seventeen. For some reason the stream residents began to smack the hippie stomper, when it was combined with the tiny CDC BWO.

The Workhorse Fly on Sunday

By 3PM I once again bumped up against a trio of anglers, so I decided to call it a day, and I completed the arduous one mile steep ascent from the creek back to the parking lot. The weather was perfect, and I landed seventeen fish, so I cannot complain. Nevertheless, the size of the trout was lacking, with the largest perhaps in the eleven inch range. Oddly the ratio favored rainbows with probably seventy percent of the pink striped variety. The rainbows more than made up for their lack of size; however, with their brilliant colors and spot patterns. I must admit that the competing anglers were a pain, and I missed my normal solitude enjoyed during weekday stream visits.

Fish Landed: 17