Time: 3:30PM – 5:30PM

Location: Between Buford and Trappers Lake

North Fork of the White River 10/06/2024 Photo Album

Jane, Amy, Chara and I booked three nights at the Ute Lodge from October 5 through October 8. This has become an annual event, and we celebrate Amy’s birthday early during this couple of days. Unlike my earlier trip in September, this visit to the Flattops was devoted mainly to hiking. On Sunday morning we completed a 6.0 mile hike along Marvine Creek and then followed a spur to Muskrat Lake and back. The scenery was stunning, and the weather was perfect, but I felt a strong urge to cast some flies on Marvine Creek. My fly rod remained in the car that was parked at the trailhead, and this restrained my addiction. When we arrived at Muskrat Lake, Chara, Amy’s St. Bernard,  found a mud hole and rolled in it, until she was coated with black mud. Dogs do what dogs do.

Chara Coated in Mud

By the time we returned to our cabin, it was 3:00PM, and the temperature hovered around seventy degrees. I decided to pay a visit to the North Fork of the White River. Upon my arrival I grabbed my Sage One five weight, and I followed a worn path to the river. I fished a size 8 amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl trailing a 20 incher and a salvation nymph.

First and Best

Source of First and Best

Over the next two hours I fly fished the North Fork, and I landed three very nice rainbow trout along with a massive whitefish. The first rainbow was the best, and it grabbed the 20 incher. I was surprised to see a fat fifteen inch trout putting a severe sag in my net. Rainbow number two rose and slurped the chubby in a narrow band of slow moving water between the bank and the fast current. The third rainbow snatched the salvation in a nice run with moderate depth and current.

A Second Nice Rainbow

The whitefish nabbed the 20 incher in a deep trough next to a deadfall tree. At first I thought I hooked a massive rainbow, but it moved downstream and then resisted with short bursts, as I dragged it back against the current. The salvation snapped off in the heat of the battle, and I replaced it with a pale morning dun supernova.

Heavy Whitefish

After landing the whitefish, I continued up the river for a short distance, but I then glanced at my watch and decided to call it a day. This section of the North Fork featured a significant amount of wide, shallow riffles and braids lacking fish holding locations. I waded quite a distance, as I concentrated on spots that displayed the proper depth and current velocity for trout. Three fish in two hours represented a below average catch rate, however, the results surpassed my expectations for a bonus window of fishing in the Flattops. When I returned to the cabin, Chara was relaxing in a vastly improved state of cleanliness.

Fish Landed: 3

Time: 9:30AM – 2:15PM

Location: Between Buford and Trappers Lake

North Fork of the White River 069/12/2024 Photo Album

Thursday was my last day in the Flattops and my get away day. I gathered all my belongings from the Aspen cabin at the Ute Lodge, and I was on my way for one last day of fly fishing. I planned to get an early start and leave early in order to allow for a reasonable arrival time at my my home in Denver, CO. Little did I know that two significant traffic snarls awaited me, adding thirty minutes to my already lengthy drive. One was on the west side of Vail Pass, and the other was the approach to the Eisenhower Tunnel.

Early Gem

Getting Bigger

In previous years I experienced great success on a section of the North Fork, and I reserved it for Thursday. The temperature, when I arrived, was 54 degrees, so I bypassed added layers, but I did pull on my raincoat. I planned to wear it for the first hour or so, but it remained in place during my entire time on the river. The reason for this was the fly angler’s four letter word, wind. The wind gusted for significant amounts of time, and I was forced to halt my casting, turn my back and hold my hat in place numerous times. Fortunately I was on a small stream with fast water that enabled me to approach relatively close, thus, facilitating short casts.

Brighter Colors Too

Brook Trout Joins the Parade

Perfect Holding Spot on High Gradient Stream

I chose this stretch of the North Fork, since it produced abundant quantities of fish in prior years, and I was concerned that I would not have as much time on the water due to my planned early departure. As it turned out, my plan was on the mark, although I still logged 4.5 hours of fly fishing. During this time I landed forty-six trout. Yes, aside from the constant battle with the wind, it was a magnificent day.

Another Respite from the Churn

Pumpkin or Fish?

After I intersected with the stream, I continued to hike without fishing for a decent distance. I wanted to make sure I reached my planned exit point by early afternoon, and the early section was characterized by high gradient and limited fish holding locations. When I finally began casting, I armed my Loomis two piece five weight with a size 14 olive ice dub hippie stomper and a salvation nymph. These same patterns remained on my line throughout my tenure on the North Fork. During the first hour I landed eight, after two hours the fish count rested on seventeen. In the morning session one-third of the landed trout crushed the hippie stomper, but this ratio shifted dramatically in the afternoon.

Long One

Look at This Flipper of a Tail

After my noontime snack, I continued, and the pace of catching fish accelerated from an already impressive morning rate. The fish counter moved from seventeen to forty-six, before I called it quits at 2:15PM in order to prepare for an early start. During this time period the salvation was king. I could rely on every prime spot to produce one if not two trout, as they aggressively grabbed the shiny nymph, as it tumbled by. My dropper was only 2.5 feet long, so the trout were elevated in the water column and looking for any sort of food to eat.

Home to a Big One

What sort of trout was I catching? Twenty-five percent of the finned creatures that occupied my net were brook trout, and the remainder were rainbow trout and cutbows. A couple of the brook trout approached a foot long, but the real prizes were the cutbows and rainbows. I landed many dazzling, chunky thirteen and twelve inch battlers with a couple fine fish pushing the fourteen inch line. All were healthy and hefty for their length, and they delivered heroic fights in their effort to get free.

Vivid Black Spots on This Cutbow

What type of water did they inhabit? The two main requirements were depth and slow current velocity. I skipped many high gradient stretches with minimal marginal pockets in order to efficiently utilize my limited time, and the strategy was successful.

Narrow and Fast Was Typical

Thursday was an amazing day and perhaps the best of 2024. The angling adventure was a success from both a quality and quantity standpoint. I moved quickly, popped casts, landed fish and snapped photos of the most memorable. The wind was indeed, a nuisance, but it just added to the gratification, when I achieved a high level of success. It was a splendid way to top off a fun week in the Flattops with stunning scenery, mostly beautiful weather, and productive fishing.

Fish Landed: 46

Time: 11:30AM – 4:30PM

Location: Upstream from the South Fork Campground

South Fork of the White River 09/11/2024 Photo Album

Wednesday was an interesting day. I was concerned about PM thunderstorms, so I wore my fleece and billed hat with flaps. The temperature in the parking lot was 54 degrees, and it never peaked above the upper 60’s. Part way into my hike, I began to perspire, so I removed the fleece and tied it around my waist. This was obviously not a solution for when I began fishing. I arrived at my chosen destination at 11:15AM, and I immediately made an adjustment, as I tied my fleece around my waist inside my wader bib. It was tight, but it worked.

I Skipped Many Wide Shallow Sections Such as This

Pockets Along the Left Bank Were My Targets

I was armed with my Sage One five weight, and I started my quest for South Fork trout with a tan Amy’s ant, a 20 incher, and a Pat’s rubber leg. The flows seemed a bit higher than normal for this time of year, so I used two weighted flies to get down. After a reasonable trial period, I declared my deep drift strategy a bust, and I replaced the Pat’s rubber legs with a salvation nymph.

Early Success

A Nice Handful

Sweet Spot. Depth and Slower Current

I paused at noon for lunch, and when I resumed, my frustration reached new levels. In the period after lunch I landed one rainbow, and I endured five long distance releases. One can imagine the level of frustration present on the South Fork. I was trapped at one fish and convinced that is where I would remain. I decided to mix things up, so I replaced the 20 incher with an ultra zug bug. A sloppy release of a fish snapped off the salvation, so I replaced it with another. I was hoping for a sharper hook. These moves resulted in a couple decent rainbows to boost the fish count to three, and I remained at this level for a long interval.

Action Improving

Deeper Colors

I was covering a huge amount of water, skipping wide shallow riffles and marginal spots and casting my arm off. The Amy’s ant was not a factor, so I replaced it with my old reliable olive ice dub hippie stomper. Between 2PM and 2:30PM I managed to climb the count to seven, but the action remained lackluster, although quite a few feisty twelve and thirteen inch rainbows were among the landed fish.

Productive Spot

By 2:30 some large dark clouds rolled in, and I managed to pull on my fleece and raincoat and dropped my earflaps, before the precipitation descended. I waited out the ten minute downpour, before I resumed casting. Needless to say, I was pleased with my foresight which provided the extra warmth to withstand the temperature drop and rain. I continued to stress, however, about how to carry the fleece on my return hike.

A Fine Trout

Once the storm passed, the fishing conditions shifted dramatically. I surmised that the long distance releases and lack of consistent action stemmed from the salvation not being a close enough imitation of the pale morning dun nymph. I swapped it for a hare nation, which is essentially a salvation with hares ear legs rather than rubber legs. The results were immediate. Between 3:00PM and 4:30PM, I doubled the fish count from seven to fourteen, and number twelve was the fish of the trip. The wide slab of a rainbow nipped the hair nation and fought me up and down the run, before I was able to slip it into my net. It was the fish of the trip so far, as it extended the length of my net opening. The girth was the more impressive characteristic. In addition to slab sides, numbers nine and eleven were also in the same length range, however, they failed to carry the extreme poundage of number twelve. They were not lean trout, just not as thick as the prize of the day.

Another Trout Condo

At 4:30PM I approached a long wide and shallow riffle section, so I stripped in my line and hooked the end fly to the rod guide. I solved my concern over carrying layers back to the parking lot by stuffing my raincoat in the backpack, and I tied the arms of the fleece around my neck.

Best of the Day

Most of the day was slow and frustrating, but the last 1.5 hours turned my fortunes around. The South Fork is a tough river, and I question whether a return is in my future. Yet, the image of those three fifteen inch rainbows may draw me back in a future year.

Fish Landed: 14

Time: 10:00AM – 3:30PM

Location: Between Buford and Trappers Lake

North Fork of the White River 09/10/2024 Photo Album

On day two in the Flattops I confirmed that a lot of beautiful fish reside in the relatively remote high mountain region. I spent another day on the North Fork of the White River, however, I chose a different section.

Pollinating

My Home for Three Nights

The air temperature at my cabin, when I departed, was 44 degrees, but it increased to 51 degrees by the time I arrived at my chosen pullout. In an effort to remain comfortable, until the  sun warmed the atmosphere, I pulled on my rain shell. For my casting tool I chose my Loomis two piece five weight. I expected to cast a lot of dry/droppers.

Copper and Scarlet

Brook Trout Resting

Watermelon Colors

In the two hours before I paused for lunch, I used a tan pool toy hopper size 8 and a size 14 prince nymph to elevate the fish count to ten. The hopper accounted for three trout and numerous refusals, while the dependable prince delivered the remainder to my waiting net. The morning session transpired in some high gradient terrain, and I skipped around quite a few narrow sections with minimal trout holding possibilities.

Nature’s Palette

Mostly Rainbow Here

What a Spot

After lunch I reconfigured my offerings with a size 14 peacock hippie stomper and a salvation nymph. I read my blog posts on the North Fork from recent years, and they cited these flies as effective. The action was not immediately improved over the morning, but after twenty minutes, the fish demonstrated their appetite for my two flies. The key was finding deep water with length. Short, deep pockets did not produce, nor did long riffles, if the current velocity was too strong.

Turned Around

Trout and Leaf

Between 12:30PM and 3:30PM I landed another forty-eight trout to boost the daily total to fifty-eight! Whew! What a day! I covered a significant amount of river length, as I searched for stream characteristics that consistently yielded trout.

Perhaps the Best Pool

What type of trout was I catching? Unlike previous years, the cutbows and rainbows far outnumbered brook trout. I estimate that ten of the total catch were brook trout. Two of the brookies approached twelve inches, which is impressive for that species in Colorado streams. The cutbows were amazing. Thirteen inches was likely the maximum, but the patterns and colors of these trout were magnificent. It seemed that the cutbows were in varying stages of hybridization. The body color varied from the light gray displayed by rainbows to the deep copper hue of a cutthroat. Pink stripes and scarlet cheeks blended with an orange slash and dense spot patterns to make the fish absolute jewels.

I will be extremely interested to see what tomorrow offers from the Flattop streams. Tuesday was a rare fly fishing bonanza, and I am thankful to maintain my ability to enjoy another year in this wilderness wonderland.

Fish Landed: 58

Time: 1:00PM – 5:00PM

Location: Between Buford and Trappers Lake

North Fork of the White River 09/09/2024 Photo Album

Monday was the start of my annual fly fishing adventure in the Flattops region of Colorado. I made this four plus hour drive every year for at least the last eight, although I abandoned my camping days for the moderate comfort of the Ute Lodge. My usual accommodations in the Pine cabin were reserved (I actually met the occupant), so I settled for the equally rustic Aspen cabin.

Cattle Roundup near the Gateway to the Flattops

I arrived at my fly fishing destination just after noon on Monday, September 9, 2024, so I immediately broke out my modest lunch. The dashboard thermometer registered 71 degrees, however, this was probably the peak, as high cloud cover blocked the sun for most of the afternoon and held the temperature in check. In fact, steady rain commenced at the end of my day, as I started my car to continue my drive to the Ute Lodge.

I utilized my Sage One five weight, in case I needed the extra backbone to control the hot rainbows of the North Fork. Once I was thoroughly prepared, I hiked along the road, until I found a gradual trail to the river. The wind kicked up during my early tenure on the river, and I was thankful for the larger five weight rod. I began my fly fishing outing with a size 8 yellow fat Albert, a size 12 prince nymph on a four foot dropper, and a salvation nymph on a one foot extension. My set up was rather long by dry/dropper standards.

Narrow Spot Where Tangle Occurred

I began lobbing casts in a narrow braid with tight surrounding trees, and this awkward approach along with wind created a massive snarl. It required two casts, and I ended up removing all the flies and the four foot tippet extension in order to tame the tangle. In reality I did not begin fishing until 1:45PM as a result of the massive monofilament mess.

Pleased with This Early Catch

Foot Long Brook Trout

Love the Slick

Once I returned to action, the day progressed admirably. I landed nineteen trout, before I quit at 5:00PM in time to avoid the impending rain. Two of my landed fish were 11-12 inch brook trout, and the remainder were hard charging rainbows. Even the small ones offered significant resistance, after a hook penetrated their lips. The rainbow catch included a chunky fourteen inch fish along with three feisty thirteen inchers, and a number of foot long fighters. The quality of the fish was exemplary.

Shimmering Coiled Trout

Taking the Plunge

Long Drifts Here

As with previous years, I covered a good amount of stream real estate while skipping long stretches of wide, shallow riffles. I focused on spots with decent depth and long slots and runs. The selective prospecting seemed to work, as I landed multiple fish from quite a few locations. Of course, not all was rosy, as I experienced quite a few temporary connections, and some of these appeared to result from prize fish. I played a massive whitefish for a minute or two, before it broke off my entire fly offering. What a ponderous beast it was! I was not happy, but I avoided profanity. In total I lost five flies due to break offs.

Copper Body Color on This One

Long One

Another Fine Rainbow

Monday was a promising start to four days of fly fishing in the Flattops. I am a weary but satisfied fly angler.

Fish Landed: 19

Time: 11:45AM – 4:00PM

Location: National forest

South Fork of the White River 09/28/2023 Photo Album

When I made plans to visit the Flattops during the last week of September, I was uncertain whether I would attempt my annual hike in to the South Fork. This venture is typically my most arduous day of the week, and after enduring a three week layoff and significant illness, I reasoned that it was a good idea to skip it in 2023. That was before the area was blessed with balmy early fall temperatures that hovered in the sixty to seventy-five degree range. Tuesday and Wednesday were solid from a health standpoint, so I took the plunge and invested one day on the South Fork.

When I arrived at the trailhead, the temperature registered 50 degrees, but I knew that once the sun crept over the mountain ridge to the east, the atmosphere would quickly warm. I elected to deploy my Sage One five weight, as I favored the long and heavier rod, in case I tangled with some energized South Fork rainbows and cutbows.

Number One Grabbed Just Below the Rock

After I established a decent buffer from the trailhead, I cut to the river, and my watch displayed 11:30AM, so I immediately devoured my small snack. As I munched my sandwich, a decent trout darted to the surface to sip a food item trapped in the surface film of a small eddy twenty-five feet above the log I was resting on. I continued to observe, and a second subtle surface grab appeared several feet away from and below the eddy. Given this activity I decided to open with Jake’s gulp beetle. I plopped ten casts in the area, but the targeted sipper never made a move. Maybe the second rise was focused on a caddis? I replaced the beetle with a size 14 light gray deer hair caddis, but it was also ignored.

Nice Length

I decided the random feeder was no longer hungry, so I changed my lineup and waded across the river to the south side. I was now in prospect mode, and I tied a size 8 tan pool toy to my line followed by a 20 incher on a four foot dropper and then added another twelve inch leader with an emerald caddis pupa. I flipped some casts to a slow-moving deep run between an exposed boulder and the swift main current, and on the third cast the hopper disappeared. I suddenly found myself connected to a hard fighting cutbow, and after a five minute battle I dipped the net beneath my prize. My net was occupied with a fat fifteen inch fish that grabbed the 20 incher.

Thick Body

My optimism soared, but I had to endure an hour of fruitless casting, before I enjoyed more action. In this case I lobbed the three fly dry/dropper in a narrow but deep slot between two faster currents. Near the end of the drift the hopper disappeared, and once again an angry fish streaked down and then up the river. I held tight and after a short but spirited fight, I witnessed another fat slab of a cutbow in my net. This adversary was also fifteen inches but definitely very thick and heavy, and it displayed vivid colors particularly the bright orange-red cheeks. Between “red cheeks” and 2PM I endured nothing but fruitless casting and boredom.

Trout Home

I continued to focus on deep areas with slower current velocity, but spots that matched this criteria failed to deliver. Finally at 2PM I changed up with a major new rigging. I went to my stalwart peacock hippie stomper with a beadhead hares ear in the upper nymph position and a salvation nymph at the end of the line. Finally in a small slow side channel, I landed a small rainbow on the hares ear, and then shortly thereafter another ten inch rainbow smacked the hippie stomper. I was beginning to wonder what happened to the small fish that I typically slide in my net on the South Fork.

Pointing Upstream

Productive Spot

I advanced up the river to the point, where the main river was once again one channel. The riverbed was narrower in this stretch, and this created more attractive deep pockets and runs. Since I had success with the small rainbows in slower water near the bank, I began focusing my casts to slow pockets and deep slower runs along the left bank. For the next hour I was on fire. I landed four hard charging rainbows and cutbows, and it felt like I was in a different river. This transpired between 2:30PM and 3:30PM. Casts along the bank that were previously ignored suddenly drew aggressive attacks. The first of this quartet of eaters was a magnificent seventeen inch cutbow that smashed the hippie stomper. I could hardly believe my good fortune, when I guided the behemoth into my net. What a beast of a wild fish!

Hard Fighter

Another Sweet Spot

Two of the others were very respectable thirteen inch chunks, and these wild fish put on noble displays of streaking, rolling and head shaking. As quickly as the river turned on, it ended. I once again made an exorbitant number of futile casts to similar water types, but now the trout had lockjaw. The shadows extended across the river except for a narrow band along the left bank. I continued in spite of glare and difficulty following the white wing of the hippie stomper, and finally a drift through a deep and narrow band of slower water produced another feisty thirteen inch rainbow. I celebrated reaching double digits and initiated the hike back to the car.

Lovely Pink Accents

Thursday was all about quality over numbers. I remain curious over the status of the smaller fish. It was a struggle to achieve double digits, but six quality fish found my net including a seventeen inch beauty and two fifteen inch slabs. The one hour window between 2:30PM and 3:30PM saved my day. Of course the weather and scenery were perfect, and the fall foliage remained near its prime. I have one more day, before my Flattops trip reaches its end.

Fish Landed: 10

The Return Hike

Time: 10:45AM – 5:00PM

Location: National Forest

North Fork of the White River 09/27/2023 Photo Album

After a promising start to my Flattops trip on my arrival day, Tuesday, I was rather excited for a full day outing on Wednesday, September 27. Would I be disappointed? For Wednesday’s adventure I chose a different section of the North Fork. The temperature when I departed from the Pine Cabin was 42 degrees, so I was in no rush to begin my fly fishing day. I was favorably surprised that the temperature was 57 degrees, when I pulled into the parking space next to my chosen trailhead. The sun was warming the atmosphere quickly, and the deep blue sky was devoid of clouds. I pulled on my rain shell for a bit of warmth, but I stuffed it in my backpack after thirty minutes of fly fishing, rock scrambling, and log rolling. My fly rod choice was my Loomis two piece five weight. The Loomis stick is shorter than my Sage options, and it offers a slower action, which I favor for casting large foam flies, dry/droppers and double dries.

Great Beginning

Typical Brawling Section

By the time I was ready and hiked to the creek, it was 10:45AM, and I noted this as my start time. I knotted a size 8 tan pool toy to my 4X tippet and then added a 20 incher on a relatively short dropper. The two fly combination yielded four trout, before I paused for lunch at 11:45AM. Two were ten to eleven inch cutbows, and two were smallish brook trout. Two of the morning catch smashed the hopper and two nabbed the 20 incher. The beginning portion of the section I chose was characterized by high gradient; and, therefore, lacking prime deep pools and long runs, so I was reasonably pleased with my morning.

Vermiculation Impressive

Roy G Biv Example

Home to Trout

After lunch, however, my concern over a lack of action increased. Admittedly the creek continued to rush downward at a rapid pace, so attractive spots continued to be a scarce commodity, but I plateaued at seven after two hours of intense fly fishing. I decided a change was in order, so I elected to try a double dry that featured the trustworthy peacock hippie stomper along with a medium olive body size 14 stimulator. The stimmy attracted a fish almost immediately, but when I moved on to the lower end of a spectacular pool, I witnessed a long look and rejection from what appeared to be a respectable rainbow. Rather than moving on, I did what I rarely do, and I swapped the stimulator for a size 14 light gray deer hair caddis. I launched at least twenty casts to the sighted trout, and it looked a few times, but it refused to eat my offerings. I shifted my attention to the equally attractive top half of the pool, and I managed a very brief connection. After five minutes of frustration, I flicked a downstream cast beneath a branch, so that the dries drifted over my reluctant friend. It worked, and the trout rose and drifted back under the hippie stomper and eventually nipped it. I followed the entire act and set the hook expeditiously, but the rainbow cleared the surface and slipped free.

Copper Tone

Yellow to Orange Belly

A few more pools failed to ignite confidence in the caddis, so at 1:15PM I replaced it with a salvation nymph on a short leader that remained from the double dry set up. I finally stumbled into fast action, and over the remainder of the afternoon I elevated the fish count from ten to forty-two! The hippie stomper and salvation were constants, but I also experimented with several flies in the middle position that included a tan caddis pupa, a yellow PMD emerger, an iron sally, an ultra zug bug, a yellow emergent caddis pupa, and an emerald caddis pupa. This entire group of add on flies probably accounted for three fish, but two were quite nice and deeply colored cutbows. The overwhelming favorites for the fish were the hippie stomper and the salvation nymph, and I estimate they split the catch 50/50.

Rare Pool As Wide as Creek Bed

On Display

What about the quality of the trout? It was outstanding. Approximately twenty netted fish were brook trout, and as expected quite a few were in the six to seven inch range, but I also played my share of ten and eleven inch trophies with hooked jaws and pumpkin colored bellies. The other twenty plus trout were robust wild cutbows, rainbows and cutthroats. In the latter stages of my outing I landed at least three gorgeous cutbows in the form of thick slabs that measured fourteen and fifteen inches. These catches were gratifying prizes. In addition, I probably landed ten rainbows and cutbows in the twelve to thirteen inch range, and these were much appreciated within the confines of the relatively small creek. The cutbows and cutthroats were deeply colored with that light copper background body and large black spots accented by a thin red stripe, red cheeks, and the iconic orange slash.

Zoomed in a Bit

Pointed Toward Home

What a day! My slump on Clear Creek was in the rearview mirror, and hopefully my body can hold up for another full day on Thursday. The weather is forecast to be spectacular once again.

Fish Landed: 42

Time: 1:30PM – 4:30PM

Location: National forest

North Fork of the White River 09/26/2023 Photo Album

After a rough outing on Clear Creek on Friday, September 22, I was anxious to atone. I suffered through a severe illness from Labor Day through September 19, and I was feeling well enough to resurrect the idea of a Flattops trip. I did it. Jane helped me book three nights at the Pine Cabin at the Ute Lodge from Tuesday, September 26 through Thursday, September 28 and departing on Friday, September 29. I was undecided about whether to fish on my departure day, but I decided to allow the quality of the fishing to dictate that decision. Another factor prompting my decision to undertake the Flattops trip later that usual was the weather. I had reconciled myself to the fact that my annual trip was not in the cards, until I examined the Weather Underground forecast. The closest stations were in Yampa, CO and Meeker, CO; and both predicted highs in the low to upper seventies with virtually no threat of precipitation. Surely I needed to take advantage of this window of prime fall weather.

I departed Denver at 8:15AM on Tuesday morning and arrived at my chosen fishing destination by 12:40PM, and I elected to chow down before preparing to fish. As forecast, the temperature was in the mid-sixties, so I chose to wear only my fishing shirt and stuffed my raincoat in my backpack. With the expectation to tangle with some hot fish, I assembled my Sage R8 nine foot four weight. The only negative through my three hours of fishing was a fairly persistent wind.

Great Beginning

I began my quest for rainbows and cutbows with a size 8 tan pool toy hopper and a size 12 beadhead prince. In the first nice deep pocket, a feisty rainbow gobbled the prince, and I was on my way. Next a pair of small rainbows barely over six inches grabbed the prince, but this welcome but underwhelming action was accompanied by quite a few looks and refusals to the hopper. Number four emerged from a prime deep run to smash the hopper, and this reinforced my belief in the pool toy, but another string of refusals caused me to reevaluate.

Slick Behind the Rock

Respectable

Keeping Wet

I elected to swap out the pool toy for a size 8 yellow fat Albert, and then I added a 20 incher and a salvation nymph. This combination clicked, and I boosted the fish count from four to twenty by the time I quit at 4:30PM. Eight of the trout landed on the dry/dropper combination ranged in size from twelve to fifteen inches, and these cutbows and rainbows were hard charging and thick wild fish. The fifteen inch beauty was a certifiable wide slab with gorgeous scarlet coloration. Of course, the remainder of the trout were small juveniles in the seven to ten inch slot, but they were colorful jewels in the backcountry setting. One of the trout in the five to twenty count sequence nailed the fat Albert, and the remainder snatched the salvation or 20 incher. I estimated that the salvation outperformed the 20 incher by 60% to 40%. I covered a lot of water in three hours by skipping marginal spots, as I cherry-picked deep runs and large pools. It seemed that depth was the main factor that attracted trout and particularly the larger fish.

Foam Line Promising

Dense Spots

Of course , a day would not be perfect without a bit of adversity, and I endured my dose of hardship. I was paused on six trout, when I approached a gorgeous narrow pool and deep run. I landed two very fine rainbows, and then I tossed a cast to a promising spot where two currents merged to form a deep V slot. The hopper paused, and I quickly set the hook and connected with what felt like a decent fish. Before I could gain control, however, the obstinate fighter turned its head, and the fly slid free. The pent up energy caused the flies to slingshot around a dead branch high above me. I was not ready to surrender these flies, so I started breaking off the lower branches. I made progress, but the dead branch that captured my flies was out of reach. I found a large rock that boosted my reach, so that I could grab the target branch just beyond the junction with the main trunk, but in spite of being dead wood, it remained strong enough to resist breaking. I inched my hands outward on the branch, but I lost my grip and fell backward into the edge of the river. Fortunately I landed on my backpack, so there was no bodily injury, but in spite of my quick response in righting myself, my shirt and undershirt were soaked, and spillover ice cold water slowly trickled down my long underwear and saturated my socks. On a positive note I limited the overflow enough, so that my feet were not sloshing in their neoprene booties.

Red Cheek and Matching Red Spot on the Tail

Under the Evergreen

As a footnote, after my spill I grabbed one of the dead branches that I broke off early on, and it had a notch, which I was able to hook over the dead branch that held my flies. I applied minimal pressure, and the end of the branch tumbled into the edge of the river, where I quickly grabbed it and untangled and recovered my flies. Why didn’t I try this sooner? I was roughly half way to my exit point, so I had no recourse except to grimace and move. When I was in the sun, I remained fairly comfortable, but the shade and wind put me between chilled and shivering. My shirt dried somewhat, and the wet suit effect caused the wet socks and long underwear to warm a bit, but the remainder of the afternoon was a bit of a struggle. Fortunately the post-fall period coincided with steady action and upstream movement, and this distracted me to some degree from my wet sponge state.

Another Fine Rainbow

Tuesday was a fun day on the North Fork of the White River. I gained confidence after my tough outing on Clear Creek, and I landed twenty fish including ten robust fighters in the twelve to fifteen inch range. I solved the puzzle and eventually found fly combinations that met the criteria of the local trout. I look forward to tomorrow and another Flattops adventure.

Fish Landed: 20

Time: 4:00PM – 5:30PM

Location: Public water upstream from the Ute Lodge

North Fork of the White River 10/08/2022 Photo Album

Jane, Amy, Chara and I completed a 6.5 mile hike to Big Fish Lake between 11:00AM and 2:30PM. The fall foliage remained spectacular, and the trail conditions improved measurably since our arrival on Wednesday. The temperature hovered between 58 degrees and 64 degrees under mostly sunny skies with periodic wind.

Upon our return to the Ute Lodge, I decided to spend some time on the North Fork of the White River. I pulled on my waders at the cabin and then drove to a new section, that I hoped to try as a brief scouting expedition for future September fly fishing trips. I parked next to a two track lane that led to a cattle gate and rigged my new Sage R8 with an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl. I passed through the gate and closed it behind me and marched along the two-track to a crude bridge. The bridge was decorated with no trespassing signs as was the area to the right, so I inspected the upstream prospects for public fishing. A tight barbed wire fence blocked me from approaching the north side of the river, so I embarked on an unproductive hike along the fence, as I headed upstream. After .3 mile of frustration, I concluded that the White in this area was off limits, even though all the maps depicted the area as public land. I retraced my steps, passed through the gate, and threw my gear in the car and drove a mile upriver.

After a mile I encountered a crude circular turn around that was clearly used by other fishermen, so I quickly climbed back into my gear and circled around some trees and bushes and entered the river. I consumed a bit of time adding a size 12 20 incher 3.5 feet below the chubby Chernobyl, and I began prospecting the most attractive spots, of which there were very few. Between 4:00PM and 5:30PM I covered .5 mile of river, and I landed two trout.

Very Pleased With This Catch

The first netted fish was a sixteen inch cutbow, and it was a beauty with a light olive body and understated speckles on the top and along the side. The chunky river resident snatched the 20 incher in a narrow band of deep, slow moving water along the north bank. I was thrilled to coax a wild finned fighter into my net.

A Slow Release

The second trout was a rainbow in the fourteen inch range, and this fish also grabbed the 20 incher and put up a respectable fight. Another fish refused the chubby near the spot where fish number one was landed, and a decent trout elevated to inspect the chubby in the vicinity of trout number two. These two locales were easily the best that I encountered in .5 miles of wading. I bypassed many sections characterized by wide shallow and fast-moving riffles. I did pause at a number of more marginal spots, but I only registered futile casting exercise.

Next to the Barely Visible Rock on the Right Produced

The two robust trout made my 1.5 hour fly fishing outing a clear success. The North Fork in this area is fast moving with limited deep pools and runs, but decent trout can be had by covering a lot of territory.

Fish Landed; 2