Time: 11:15AM – 12:30PM

Location: Clear Lake on Guanella Pass

Clear Lake 06/13/2025 Photo Album

My grandson Benny was ill and unable to attend daycare on Wednesday and Thursday, so us grandparents stepped in to provide care. This eliminated those two days from consideration for fly fishing. On Friday morning I had a doctor’s appointment at 8AM, but I decided that I could visit a relatively local lake, if I prepared ahead of time.

Big Horns

That is, in fact, what transpired, and I set out for Clear Lake on Guanella Pass after my appointment. I had decent success in the small mountain impoundment in previous years in early June, so I decided to give it another test. I arrived by 10:45AM, and after I pulled on my waders and boots and assembled my Sage four weight, I hiked a short distance to my favorite spot. Alas, as I slowly scrambled down the bank to the edge of the lake, I discovered four anglers surrounding my favorite spot.

Target Area Surrounded by Anglers

I surrendered to the crowd, and I established a position north of the other fishermen. The lake was already quite low, and for the most part the surface was smooth under very bright sunshine. These were not prime conditions. I rigged with a peacock hippie stomper and olive-brown deer hair caddis, and I began to fan casts to the mirror-like surface. The next twenty minutes tested my patience, as the flies sat unmolested. I failed to observe a single surface rise during my entire time at Clear Lake. I began to experiment with different retrieves including pops and stops and steady strips, but none of these tactics generated interest from a fish.

Hippie Stomper and Deer Hair Caddis

Slowly the competing anglers began to depart, and I interpreted this as a bad sign. The last of the folks that were present, when I arrived, moved on, but a young man in shorts with a spinning rod descended above me, and he began to launch long casts to the far shoreline. He seemed to have a bobber with a spinner beneath it, and the bobber scooted along the surface creating a wake. Eventually he crossed to the opposite bank and worked his way north and away from the area that I wished to occupy.

Smooth Like a Mirror

While this was going on, I decided to kill time and allow the water to rest, so I pulled out my lunch and relaxed on a large boulder. Once my lunch was completed, I changed my set up to consist of a tan body mini chubby Chernobyl, a prince nymph and a beadhead hares ear nymph. I crossed to the opposite shoreline, and I began lobbing casts in a southward direction, as I covered the deep drop off that produced in previous years. In spite of some nice casts and thorough coverage of the area, I was unable to generate even a look, until finally the top fly bobbed, and I set the hook. I quickly stripped in a six inch brook trout, and I was pleased to avoid a skunking at Clear Lake. I continued working my way along the bank, until I reached shallow water, and then I called it quits and modified my plan for the remainder of the day.

Fish Landed: 1

Time: 9:30AM – 4:30PM

Location: Near Ballymacarbry

River Suir 06/04/2025 Photo Album

Kevin, my guide, suggested that our day on Wednesday might be more challenging than Tuesday. His lowering of my expectations was prescient.

Frenchy

Once again he collected me from the B&B at 9:00AM, and we proceeded to the Clonanav shop. I snugged on my waders and wading boots over my layers of fleece, light down, and a rain shell. I was glad for all the layers, even though we enjoyed long intervals of sunshine. Periods of overcast, wind, and light rain between the sunshine made my choice of attire proper.

Mayfly

The River Suir is a powerful river, and although the Irish guides complained about low water for the time of year, it seemed to be running swiftly from bank to bank. Kevin fixed me up with a Klinkhammer dry and a frenchy dropper, and I was off and running. For Wednesday Kevin brought along a wading staff, and I was pleased to have it; however, it was longer and heavier than I was accustomed to.

Big Fast Moving River

Since the River Suir is a larger waterway, I was forced to make long casts. My line had a shooting head, and it took me quite awhile to adjust to this line configuration. For me, the hard part was lifting the long line to recast after a drift. I was waiting too long, and stripping the front section into the rod, and this then required abundant casting to get the shooting head back outside the guides. Once Kevin demonstrated how to pick up, when the orange section was at the tip, my casting improved significantly, although probably not up to the expertise of those who do it frequently.

Keeping It Wet

The other issue was the glare on the water, and this was especially problematic, when I zinged out a sixty foot cast. I was out casting my vision. Nevertheless, I managed to land four brown trout before lunch including a dink six incher, a thirteen incher, and a fourteen inch fish. The last morning fish was a very fine trout in excess of fifteen inches, but exceedingly fat, and it demonstrated the hardest fight of the trip. This fish craved the bottom of the river, and it dove repeatedly. At one point Kevin readied his net, and this angered the fish and goaded him into another extended fight that included diving and head shaking.

Fat One

After lunch we moved upstream to some very attractive water, where a long seam bordered a strong center run. During the afternoon session, I alternated between chucking a streamer, dry/dropper and a single dry fly. I experienced hits and brief hookups with the streamer and one connection on the caddis dry. In the latter case a sizeable brown moved a foot beneath the water and then crushed the dry fly, but I only nicked its lip, and it dashed downstream to safety. It was the most visual take of the trip.

Silvery

I doubled the fish count from four to eight, and this included a pair of fish in the fifteen to sixteen inch range along with a pair of sub one foot browns. For the last hour we moved to the River Nire, my home on Tuesday, and I covered a riffle section and a long slow-moving pool. Once again I took advantage of the shooting head, and Kevin taught me to aim high, so the line turned over and fluttered down on the extremely smooth water of the large pool. This avoided slapping the line down with the risk of spooking fish. Fish were rising sporadically throughout the pool, but I was unable to tempt a bite despite a fly change to a small olive comparadun. Finally in an act of desperation, Kevin returned me to the dry/dropper technique, and on the first cast after the change, a hard charging brown in the fifteen to sixteen inch range grabbed the frenchy. This was number eight, and as a light rain changed into steady precipitation, we called it quits.

End of Day Pool

Wednesday was an eight fish day that could have easily been double digits, had I improved my conversion rate. I caught five very respectable browns, but most importantly I learned some new techniques and improved their application. Hopefully I can reinforce them during future outings in the western U.S.

Fish Landed: 8

Time: 11:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Near Buena Vista

Arkansas River 05/20/2025 Photo Album

As I waded through my options for fishing on Friday, May 16, 2025; I reviewed the flows on the various Front Range streams. This survey of the DWR flow data taught me that the South Platte River was the one remaining moving water alternative, and I decided Eleven Mile Canyon would be my choice on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. However, after a series of cool weather days, I checked the stream conditions on the Arkansas River at Nathrop, and I was surprised to learn flows dropped from the 800 CFS range to the low 500’s. Could I squeeze in one more day on the Arkansas, before it blew up again, when run off resumed? I called the fly shop in Buena Vista, and Thomas answered and told me that the river was indeed clear and dropping and a viable fishing option.

I succumbed to the allure of the new area of the Arkanasas River, and made the drive to Buena Vista. Along my route I saw digital signs warning of the danger of high wind. Was my decision to fish in severe weather conditions a good one?

Flows Were Up a Bit but Decent

I stopped at the Buena Vista fly shop and introduced myself to Thomas and purchased a spool of 4X tippet and continued on my way to the parking area near my chosen fly fishing location. The temperature, when I exited the Telluride was 56 degrees, but the wind was gusting and made it feel much chillier, so I pulled on my long sleeve thermal undershirt, my fleece hoodie and my North Face light down coat. I forgot to pack my rain shell, which I normally use as a windbreaker. I also decided against wearing my wide brimmed western hat in favor of my billed New Zealand hat with ear flaps. This may sound like overkill for 56 degrees, but I was comfortable for most of the morning and early afternoon. For a fly rod I pulled my Sage One five weight from its tube to combat the wind.

More Clear Pockets

I hiked the .15 mile path to the top of the bank overlooking the river, and then I followed the trail downstream for .2 mile, before I negotiated the bank and positioned myself along the river’s edge. I wanted to explore the downstream area, since I did not start there on my earlier trip. To begin my search for trout, I selected an amber ice dub body size 8 chubby Chernobyl, and then I added an iron Sally and an olive perdigon.

A Winner

The river was a bit higher than my earlier visit, and this forced me to limit my casting to the west bank with minimal coverage of the center of the river. I prospected for thirty minutes until lunch at noon, and I managed to land three brown trout. Much to my amazement one crushed the chubby Chernobyl and the others grabbed the olive perdigon.

In Front of the Boulder Produced

After lunch I resumed my progress, and my success was limited to a couple temporary hookups. It was at this time that I waded to a spot, and when I placed my right foot between two rocks, it slipped causing me to temporarily lose my balance. My rod was in my right hand, and I reached down with that hand to prevent a fall, but I also placed the rod across two exposed rocks. Although I did not fall, I did suddenly lean to the right to rebalance, and this act snapped the Sage One in the butt section. Needless to say I was not happy, but after a bit of berating myself for my stupidity, I regained my composure. I removed the flies, broke down the rod, and returned to the car; which, fortunately was not far away. I returned the broken rod to its case and pulled out my back up five weight Loomis.

Promising

I returned to the river and resumed from the scene of my unfortunate accident. I exchanged the iron sally for a 20 incher and maintained the perdigon. These flies remained in place, until I snagged something in front of a large exposed rock, and the location was too precarious to allow a rescue, so I ended up snapping off all three flies. When I rigged anew, I substituted an olive-black Pat’s rubber leg for the 20 incher.

Chubby Eater

Using these fly combinations I increased the fish count from three to eight, before I called it a day around 3:30PM. The chubby Chernobyl accounted for two fish, the rubber legs logged one, and the remainder nabbed the olive perdigon. My day was rather slow, and I covered a lot of water to generate the eight fish day. The wind was a huge hassle. It gusted frequently from the north and created a frustrating headwind. My most effective casts were up and across with long drifts across from my position and downstream. Most of the landed fish appeared from deep lies in front of or next to large submerged or exposed boulders. I suspect that the lack of insect activity and the cold snow melt caused the fish to hug structure and not move very far for food.

One of the Better Fish

The size of the fish was quite favorable with nearly all being in the twelve to thirteen inch range. In one place I made a cast across a fast current to a wide slow moving pool below a large boulder, and as the flies began to swing, a fish grabbed one of the nymphs. I set the hook and turned the fish temporarily and exposed the side of a fairly long brown trout. I suspect it may have been the largest fish I’ve seen in my newly discovered stretch of the river.

Lovely Spot

I suspect I should have adhered to my original inclination and fished the South Platte, but high winds were in the forecast there as well. Breaking my rod was a bummer, but landing eight nice brown trout under challenging conditions during a lull in run off was actually a decent accomplishment  Nevertheless, tailwaters and lakes are in my future.

Fish Landed: 8

Time: 11:00AM – 11:45AM, 1:00PM – 2:00PM

Location: Near Lyons, CO

This story begins with the Mothers Day hike that Jane and I completed in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday, May 11. During our drive to the park, we traveled along the South Fork of St. Vrain Creek, and it looked fishable even though run off was commencing on many Colorado freestone streams after hot days over the weekend.

With nice weather once again in the forecast for Wednesday, May 14, I considered my options and decided to attempt to sneak in a freestone day on the South Fork, before snow melt became a permanent condition. I arrived at a pullout along CO 7, and the thermometer displayed 61 degrees, so I wore my fishing shirt with no additional layers. I assembled my old Sage four weight, and I followed a path down a gravel bank to the creek and then bashed through some bushes to the end of a nice pool with a center-cut run. I knotted the amber ice dub size 8 chubby Chernobyl to my line that served me well on Tuesday, although it was now devoid of legs on one side. Beneath the chubby I added a weighted 20 incher and then an olive perdigon. The creek was clearly in the early stages of run off, but the water was crystal clear, so I hoped that I could extract some trout with my heavy dry/dropper rig.

Well, that theory failed to materialize. Between 11:00AM and 11:45AM, I worked my way upstream and drifted the offerings through every spot where the current slowed enough to enable fish to hold. No dice. I never saw a refusal or a look or even a darting fish escaping my wading. Either the creek contained no fish, or the early stages of run off forced the stream inhabitants to hug the banks with a case of lockjaw, as they adjusted to new conditions.

I cut my losses and moved on to the North Fork of St. Vrain Creek at Buttonrock Preserve. I found a parking spot at the trailhead and quickly downed my lunch in the car. By now the wind was gusting, although the temperature was around 66 degrees. My gear was already at the ready from my previous stop, so I hiked up the dirt road for a ways, and resumed my quest for St. Vrain trout.

Apparently catching fish was not in my future for Wednesday, May 14, 2025. I spent an hour on the creek probing likely holding locations for trout. The hour proved to be a heavy dose of futility. For the first thirty minutes I kept the chubby in place, but eventually I swapped it for a peacock hippie stomper. For nymphs I cycled through the hares ear nymph, olive perdigon, emerald caddis pupa, and a PMD supernova. None of these offerings attracted fish, and similar to the earlier stop on the South Fork, I never observed a fish. I did not sight a fish, I witnessed no refusals or looks, and no fish darted for cover, as I advanced upstream. I have had terrible luck on trips to the North Fork, and I am removing it from consideration for future trips.

As I typed this report, I checked the flows, and they have increased from 51 CFS to 99 CFS over a less than 48 hour period. Perhaps the fish were hunkered down attempting to adjust to the significant shift in flows. For now, I will accept that explanation, but it doesn’t change my avoidance of the Buttonrock Preserve for the near future.

Fish Landed: 0

Time: 1:00PM – 4:30PM

Location: Town of Lyons

St. Vrain Creek 04/07/2025 Photo Album

After a solid day on the Arkansas River on March 31, I found myself stuck inside for most of the following week. A brief but potent shot of winter weather rolled across Colorado and pushed me off the water and into the indoor pickleball courts. Not the worst trade, but I was itching to get back on a stream.

Monday, April 7, changed that. A warming trend rolled through Denver, and with the forecast topping out around 70 degrees, I couldn’t resist. I packed the car with gear for a proper spring doubleheader—pickleball and fly fishing—and headed out. I kicked off the morning at Prospect Park for a few hours of pickleball, while the air temps played catch-up from an overnight chill. By noon, I was driving north toward my ultimate destination: the Town of Lyons and the nearby stretches of the St. Vrain Creek.

Start Here

After pulling into a small parking lot, I quickly downed my lunch and suited up with my trusty Loomis two-piece five weight. The creek was trickling along at 18.8 CFS—very low and very clear. I expected a technical afternoon, and that’s exactly what I got. For my rig, I went with a classic: a peacock hippie stomper with a long (four-foot) dropper. Below that I trailed a beadhead hares ear and an ultra zug bug. This setup stayed on for most of the afternoon, although I swapped the zug bug for a supernova nymph during the final hour, after the first one unraveled.

Whopper

The fishing was tough. I covered water steadily for 3.5 hours and managed to net seven trout—six browns and a single rainbow. All were small, ranging from six to nine inches. Honestly, nine inches might be generous. The low water and gin-clear conditions demanded long, delicate casts and careful movement. Even then, I still sent plenty of fish darting for cover. Most of my success came from the rare runs, riffles, and pockets with a bit of depth and current—habitat that was surprisingly sparse in this stretch. Much of the creek was wide, shallow, and easily skipped.

Attractive Section

One small highlight was the one that got away. I came upon a series of short pockets, where the creek narrowed considerably. I considered skipping the area entirely, but in a fit of thoroughness, I executed a short cast to a narrow deep pocket  between a pair of exposed boulders in the middle of the stream. Suddenly a nose appeared by the hippie stomper, and I was instantly attached to a trout that was much larger than any others encountered on Monday. I played the hard fighting brown for fifteen seconds, and then it rolled on the line, and suddenly, it escaped. I am not certain whether I foul hooked it, when it refused the hippie stomper, or did I hook it in the mouth, and then it freed itself via the rolling action. Nevertheless, this was the thrill of the day.

Best Fish of the Day

One interesting observation: as I reached four fish, each of my four flies had accounted for one fish—the hippie stomper, hares ear, ultra zug bug, and supernova nymph. Clearly, the trout weren’t keyed in on anything specific. Later in the afternoon, I spotted two size 18 blue wing olives drifting by, but no risers materialized. Final tally: hares ear (3), supernova (2), hippie stomper (1), ultra zug bug (1).

A Bit of Depth Here

It wasn’t a banner day in terms of fish size or numbers, but the weather made up for it. By the time I headed out, Lyons was basking in 70-degree sunshine. I wore my Under Armour long sleeve and a fishing shirt, but even that combo left me a bit warm in the afternoon heat. Hard to complain about that in early April.

Despite the slow action, the day stirred up my fly fishing appetite. With good weather lined up for Wednesday and Friday, I’ve got my sights on another outing—or two. Hopefully, the next batch of trout will bring some heft and put a real bend in the rod. Stay tuned.

Fish Landed: 7

Green Drake Comparadun 01/27/2025 Photo Album

My second most used type of green drake imitation is the comparadun style. My post of 02/06/2024 contains more information on this fly as well as a link to previous posts. I always choose the parachute green drake as my first offering during green drake hatch time periods, but as I mentioned in my recent 01/27/2025 post, sometimes the parachute loses effectiveness, and when this happens, I switch to a comparadun. My theory is that midway through the hatch, the trout tune in to the large fluttering wing of the western green drakes, and the high fan shaped wing of the comparadun matches that triggering characteristic.

Size 14 Comparadun

I used to tie the comparaduns with splayed microfibbets for the tail, but these flies tended to sink after a while. The split microfibbets were not enough to help support the large size 14 or 12 body. Recently I converted to moose mane tails, and these seem to do a much better job of keeping the green drake comparadun afloat. Visibility is another issue with the comparadun, as the dark wing and body blend with the stream, and it takes quite a bit of concentration to track the fly. Not being able to see ones fly is a major impediment to catching fish. I may experiment with double green drake configurations this summer, with the parachute version and its visible white tipped wing leading the way followed by the dark and sinister comparadun. I’m surprised I never tried this before.

Size 12 Comparadun

I counted my supply of comparaduns in size 14 and 12, and I decided to make an additional seven fourteens and three twelves. I already have a decent supply of microfibbet versions, but these will be relegated to back up duty, while I build my supply of moose mane tail flies.

Fresh Batch and Materials

Salvation Nymph 12/10/2024 Photo Album

Of all my flies, the salvation nymph is number one. That says a lot. I really do not have much to add regarding this workhorse nymph. Over the past several years I added the step of applying UV resin to the wing case and the flashback over the abdomen. This enhances the flash of this fly even more. The pearl flashabou strand, the shiny flashback black material, the silver holographic ice dub, and the black peacock ice dub provide flash over every millimeter of this fly, and the fish seem to love it. Feel free to check out my posts from prior years for more information, and you can start with this link to 11/25/2023. It contains a link as well, and you can work backward.

A Model of Flash

As one might expect, given the significant number of hours that this fly resides on my line, I lost quite a few during the past season. I knuckled down at the vise and produced another twenty-six to increase my inventory to one hundred for the start of the new season. One hundred is obviously way more than I need, but I suspect that something will arise in future years that prevents me from tying, so why not possess a safety stock?

Twenty-Six Ready for Action

My previous post with the link above provides some information on how to find tying instructions or how to search for them in case you wish to purchase. Bring on the 2025 salvation chomping trout.

Mini Chubby Chernobyl 11/08/2021 Photo Album

Several fly tiers that I follow posted images of mini chubbys, and I was intrigued by the idea of a smaller-sized foam fly for instances, where the fish were refusing my larger hopper patterns. I remembered this thought, and toward the end of my 2024 fly tying season, I churned out five mini chubbys with a beige body and light tan foam.

These flies remained forgotten in my fly box until the afternoon of 08/19/2024 on Cascade Creek. I was experiencing a fairly slow day on a creek that was new to me, and for some reason I knotted one of the mini chubbys to my line. Imagine my surprise, when the size twelve chubby with a single wing began to induce aggressive takes from gorgeous stream bred rainbow trout. It was not a fluke, as trout emerged from nearly every prime location to attack the fly.

Model Fly

I visited the same stream a second time toward the end of September, and although the success rate was not as great as the August afternoon, the action was decent and convinced me to tie some mini chubbys during my fall and winter fly tying sessions.

Left Side

The past several days fulfilled my commitment, and I churned out twenty size 12 mini chubby’s for the upcoming season. Nearly all my success occurred on Cascade Creek, so I am quite anxious to determine whether the fly can produce on other western rivers and streams.

If the results replicate 2024 on Cascade Creek, the mini chubby will be a nice addition to my arsenal. It should support a pair of size 14 nymphs, as it contains slightly more surface mass than a hippie stomper. Another favorable factor is tying time. I can crank these flies out faster than I can produce a hippie stomper. I do not view these as a replacement to the hippie stomper, but rather a productive complement.

Twenty Complete

When I researched tying instructions, I noticed that some patterns utilized two sets of legs, and some limited leg attachment to the front next to the wing. I opted for the single set of legs. Fifteen of the mini chubbys were made with light tan dubbing, and I applied light gray dubbing to the other five.

I am very excited to continue the mini chubby experiment in 2025.

Time: 11:30AM : 4:00PM

Location: Canyon below Estes Lake

Big Thompson River 10/15/2024 Photo Album

After canceling my trip to Carbondale due to an oncoming cold, I was determined to make the most of my week. By Tuesday, fortified with some cold medicine, I felt ready to hit the water for a day of fly fishing. The Big Thompson River called to me—its shorter drive and reputation for a higher ratio of rainbow trout made it an ideal choice. Unlike brown trout, rainbows aren’t fall spawners, which improved my chances to find feeding targets.

Near the Start

This Pool Produced

I arrived at the river around 11:30 AM, greeted by a pleasant 64-degree air temperature. With flows at 25 CFS and crystal-clear waters, conditions were looking promising. Dressed in my trusty raincoat for added warmth, I was ready to dive in.

An Early Brown Trout

Best Brown of the Day Came from This Nondescript Spot

I started my day with a peacock hippie stomper paired with a salvation nymph. Within the first 15 minutes, I experienced one temporary hook-up and two refusals—always a good sign that the fish were active!

Another Respectable Brown Trout

Promising Pool

Makes Up for Lack of Size with Color

After a quick lunch, I resumed fishing with the same flies, and to my delight, I managed to land three trout. One of the rainbows took the salvation nymph, while the other two favored the hippie stomper. By 12:30 PM, however, I started to notice refusals to the stomper. Time for a change!

Lovely Pattern on This One

I switched to a size 18 tan deer hair caddis, which quickly accounted for another trout. Yet, after that initial excitement, I hit another lull. Not deterred, I upsized to a size 14 light gray deer hair caddis, and that’s when things really took off!

Typically Productive Water Type

This new combination clicked perfectly, and I was thrilled to build my fish count from three to an impressive twenty-two before calling it a day. At one point, a decent fish broke off my light gray caddis, prompting me to switch to an olive-brown version. Throughout this productive stretch, both the hippie stomper and the caddis generated nearly half of the landed trout each.

Light Olive Body Background Color

The day’s catch was a healthy mix, with rainbows outnumbering browns at roughly a 60% to 40% ratio. The sizes were comparable, with my largest catch reaching a solid thirteen inches—quite the impressive fish by Big Thompson standards!

Emphasis on Pink

My day on the Big Thompson far exceeded my expectations. The dry fly action during this time of year was a delightful surprise and a reminder of why I love this sport. With the five-day forecast predicting continuing mild weather, I’m already contemplating another fishing trip.

Deep Spot Between the Rocks

As I reflect on this outing, it’s clear that even when plans change, sometimes the unexpected adventures turn out to be the best ones. Here’s to more days on the river!

Fish Landed: 22

Time: 10:00AM – 4:00PM

Location: Middle Colorado River

Colorado River 09/18/2024 Photo Album

For this blog post, I am offering two versions. One was composed by me as usual and the other used artificial intelligence. Can you guess which is which, and tell me your preference?

Yesterday, I finally got to experience the long-awaited guided float fishing trip on the Colorado River. After a couple of washouts due to high and muddy waters earlier in the summer, I was excited to hit the river with my friend Dave G. and our guide, Reed. The anticipation had been building, and as I drove to Dave’s house in Eagle, Colorado, I couldn’t wait for the adventure that lay ahead.

We met at the boat launch by 10:00 AM. The sky was a stunning pure blue, but the air was brisk, with temperatures lingering below 40 degrees. I layered up in fleece and a rain shell, shedding a layer within the first hour as the sun warmed us up. By lunchtime, I was down to just my fishing shirt—a testament to how quickly the day transformed.

A Bit of Cloudiness

Reed had rigged up my Sage One five weight with new Rio Gold fly line, which performed beautifully. He also set up Dave’s rod and a six weight for me, outfitted with a dry/dropper configuration. I claimed the front of the boat, eager to get started. Reed’s dog, Edna, accompanied us as always, adding a bit of charm to the outing.

Edna

Funky Midge Cluster

The morning began with high hopes as I cast a double dry rig featuring a size 14 caddis and a funky midge cluster imitation. Unfortunately, the fish seemed uninterested. Meanwhile, Dave G. was reeling in a few on his dry/dropper setup, prompting me to switch tactics. I opted for a large attractor top fly paired with a Pat’s rubber leg and a perdigon nymph. It proved to be the right call; by the time we paused for lunch along the riverbank, I had landed ten nice trout!

Nice Morning Catch

After lunch, Dave and I switched positions in the boat, and I continued to increase my count, bringing my total to sixteen. Reed made adjustments to my rig, introducing a psycho baetis along with the rubber legs. While the rubber legs were still dominating, the baetis helped reel in a few more fish.

Hopper Eater

The highlight of the day came in the afternoon, as we approached a densely vegetated bank. Reed set us up with solo hopper flies, and I managed to cast close to an overhanging grassy bank. A thrilling moment unfolded as I witnessed a sixteen-inch brown trout rise to meet my fly—a visual eat that I’ll cherish long after the trip. Despite that excitement, the hopper action remained slow, and we soon switched back to our dry/dropper setups, landing a few more trout before reaching our takeout at 4:00 PM.

Focused on the Mouth and Lip

The day was mostly delightful, despite the afternoon winds that plagued us. I found myself in a few tangle mishaps until Reed stepped in with a brilliant short over-the-left-shoulder backhand cast to counter the crosswind. With the temperature reaching a comfortable 70 degrees, the fish were hungry, and we capitalized on pounding the banks with our dry/droppers. Thanks to Reed’s expertise in positioning the drift boat, we were able to maximize our chances.

Color Changing Along River Bottom

In total, I landed 19 fish, and the experience was well worth the wait. Here’s to more days like this on the water!

Fish Landed: 19