Time: 10:15AM – 2:30PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 08/05/2026 Photo Album

A projected high temperature of 89 degrees in Denver had me once again seeking cold water options on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. The flows on South Boulder Creek dropped from 73 CFS to 63 CFS for five days and then increased to 69 CFS. This is well within what I deem the ideal range, and the water released from the bottom of Gross Dam is very cold, so I made the small Front Range tailwater my destination.

Likely Spot

Two cars preceded me in the Kayak parking lot, and a couple more arrived, while I prepared to fish. I grabbed my Loomis two piece five weight and descended the steep trail to the creek. The stream was indeed flowing at a nice level, and it was crystal clear.

Nice One

I passed one other fisherman and continued another .2 mile beyond him, and I began my quest for trout with a tan pool toy hopper and a size 12 prince nymph. Neither fly attracted attention in the early going, so I added a salvation nymph to attain greater depth on my drifts. This paid dividends, as I recorded seven landed trout in the 1.5 hours, before I broke for lunch. Two fish nabbed the salvation and the others grabbed the prince, but I covered a considerable amount of stream real estate in order to net the seven fish. Many attractive locations failed to yield any form of attention.

Pretty Rainbow

After lunch I decided to experiment with a double dry arrangement. I placed a peacock hippie stomper in the forward position and trailed an olive-brown deer hair caddis. The caddis was on the menu for the resident trout, and I landed three to increase the fish count to ten.

Rainbow Territory

At this point I was rather pleased with my fish count, but the hippie stomper was generating a lot of refusals. Could the fish be looking for green drakes, and the hippie stomper was close enough to attract interest but not close enough to eat? I knotted a parachute green drake to my line, but it was totally ignored. Maybe the fish desired a different version of the western green drake? I replaced the parachute style with a comparadun. The creek was devoid of action.

Another Fine Rainbow

What were the fish looking for? I decided to revisit the dry/dropper, since I was approaching some faster water that contained deep runs and plunge pools. I went with the tan pool hopper, the prince nymph and the salvation once again. Almost instantly after the change, a nice rainbow trout crushed the hopper, and what a pleasant surprise that was. Shortly thereafter, a brown trout grabbed the drifting prince, and I thought I was in the money.

Wide Slick Behind Boulder

Alas, that was not the case, and I suffered through a long fish catching drought. While I was in this lull, I spotted three yellow sallies, as they hovered above the creek, so I swapped the salvation for a hares ear nymph. The move produced another brown trout, but then futility once again became my companion.

Speckles Galore

In a last ditch effort to add to the fish count, I reacted to the observed yellow sallies, and I cycled through a size 14 yellow stimulator and a small deer hair yellow sally imitation tied like a deer hair caddis. These ploys failed to arouse interest, so I hooked my fly to the rod guide at 2:30PM and hiked back to the car.

Moderate Riffles

Wednesday was a fair day on South Boulder Creek. I took the water temperature at 10:30AM, and it was 53 degrees. My hand actually got numb while holding the thermometer underwater for a minute. Before I quit at 2:30PM, I once again recorded the temperature, and it remained at a very cold 53 degrees. This was a very impressive example of holding the temperature steady. Of course the air temperature, where I was fishing, stayed in the mid-seventies, so there was less solar heating of the water column. Thirteen fish was respectable, and the largest was probably a thirteen inch rainbow. I was disappointed to once again fail to interact with green drakes. Hopefully the water managers keep the flows in the same range for awhile, and the green drakes make their annual appearance.

Fish Landed: 13

Time: 9:00AM – 12:00PM

Location: Clear Creek Canyon

Clear Creek 08/02/2026 Photo Album

Temperatures were once again spiking in the 100’s in Denver, as I contemplated another fly fishing outing. I was somewhat burned out from playing pickleball early and in the heat on Friday and Saturday, and wet wading struck me as a refreshing option on Sunday, August 2, 2026. I decided to make a trip to nearby Clear Creek Canyon, as I did not wish to invest a lot of drive time. Clear Creek was tumbling along at 66 CFS at Lawson, and this represented decent flows for the nearby Front Range waterway. I made it my choice.

Another Fine Trout

In an effort to combat the heat I departed the house early, and this delivered me to my chosen pullout by 8:45AM. The air temperature was a mind boggling 82 degrees at 9AM, so I chose to wade wet, and I selected my small Orvis Access four weight. I was not expecting monsters from Clear Creek, and there was virtually no wind; only heat.

Moderate Riffles Produced

To begin my quest for Clear Creek trout, I tied a peacock hippie stomper to my line. I replenished my fly box with four new stompers after losing four the previous Wednesday, and the initial hippie stomper that I utilized was one of the new arrivals in my box. I prospected my way upstream through some fairly attractive pockets during the first fifteen minutes, but I never witnessed a sign of fish. I paused to reevaluate. While I considered my options, I decided to take the stream temperature. Perhaps the creek was too warm, and that explained the lack of action. I held the thermometer beneath the surface a foot or so for less than a minute, and it dropped to 62 degrees. I suspect it may have been another degree or two colder, but 62 satisfied my need to know, and I moved on.

Another Likely Trout Home

I decided to add a size 16 light olive deer hair caddis behind the hippie stomper, but this simply elevated my frustration, as the fish now refused the first fly, the hippie stomper, and ignored the caddis. My solution to this problem was to remove the stomper entirely and fish the small caddis solo. I did observe a few caddis, as they fluttered about near the streamside rocks.

Brown Emerged from Angled Current Seam

The solitary caddis performed as expected, and I landed three brown trout that materialized along the bank to grab the small sparsely tied caddis adult. I was pleased to be on the board, but catching three brown trout required quite a bit of casting and and steady progression. It seemed that I was bypassing quality fish holding locations with no interest.

Quality Clear Creek Fish

I once again adjusted my approach, and I positioned a Jake’s gulp beetle in the front position and trailed the caddis twelve inches behind. This improved my success rate, and the fish count moved from three to five. The two additional trout grabbed the beetle, but I was plagued by refusals and a couple momentary connections, when it seemed the trout were reluctant eaters.

Moderate Riffles Yielded Here

The caddis fly was irrelevant, perhaps because the fish saw the beetle first. Terrestrials seemed like a solid option during the hot summer, so I removed the caddis and added a black sunk ant on the one foot dropper. I was gambling that the fish were looking toward the surface, and the ant could drift high in the water column.

Very Fine Clear Creek Brown Trout

In a nice deep pool and run two fish refused the beetle, but then I noticed a fish moving toward my flies at the lip of the pool. I was not sure, if the fish took my low floating beetle, so I set the hook and discovered that it nabbed the nearby sunk ant! I suspected that I was on to something, but that proved to be the only ant eater.

Sunk Ant in Lip

I was stuck on six, and I began to limit my casts to three maximum for any likely fish holding lie, but I was mired in a lull. I was weary of tracking the small size 14 beetle, so I decided to return to the highly visible white wing of the hippie stomper, and I retained the sunk ant. Why did the hippie stomper suddenly become a desirable food source; whereas, it was spurned earlier in the morning? I do not have an answer, but I boosted the fish count from six to ten, before I quit a bit before noon. All four of these fish crushed the hippie stomper, and they gobbled it with confidence. Three of these brown trout were very respectable fish in the twelve to thirteen inch neighborhood, and they represented some of the largest that I ever caught in Clear Creek.

Shelf Pool

I had an afternoon appointment, and I had a few things to attend to before that, so I hooked my fly to the rod guide and carefully climbed a very steep and rocky bank back to the highway. Ten fish in three hours of fishing was very satisfying, and as I mentioned, I was surprised by the size of several of the browns. Clear Creek is notorious for having small and very picky brown trout. I am almost certain that the 100 degree day elevated the water temperature to levels unsafe for fishing during the afternoon, so my three hours of morning fishing were the ethical choice.

Fish Landed: 10

Time: 10:30AM – 2:45PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 07/27/2026 Photo Album

Monday through Wednesday of the last week of July were open for fly fishing on my calendar, so I chose to designate Monday and Wednesday, as my days to fish. The intense heat wave that covered Colorado for the entire month of July was projected to continue. The major freestone streams of Colorado were already in shutdown mode, with fishing voluntarily prohibited on the sections of the Eagle River, Yampa River, Roaring Fork River and Colorado River. My choice of destination was necessarily dictated by weather and stream flows. In normal years I focus on high country streams and tailwaters by the second week of August, but 2026 represents a dire situation, when I comes to water in the west.

Fine Specimen

A week ago I visited South Boulder Creek and experienced decent success in the tailwater section below Gross Reservoir. Flows remained in the 73 CFS range, and the weather suggested highs of 83 degrees in Eldorado Springs and 73 degrees in Pinecliffe. The location where I planned to fish was in between, so I interpolated a high of eighty degrees. Of course during my 07/21/2026 outing I encountered a moose. Would I meet him again? I also spotted six western green drakes during my time on the creek, and I was hopeful that the passing of another week allowed the stream resident trout to tune into the large western mayflies.

Lovely Pool

One truck occupied a space at the parking lot below Gross Reservoir, when I arrived, and another angler pulled in, as I prepared to fish. The temperature was 73 degrees, and I assembled my Loomis two piece five weight for my day on the creek. I hiked a decent distance from the parking lot and passed the occupants of the two vehicles in the lot in the early going. Later I encountered a group of four anglers, who were pulling on their waders, as they apparently backpacked their gear in from a different trailhead to avoid getting overheated. I probably should have done the same.

Love the Run

By 10:30 I was positioned in the stream ready to make my first cast. My underwear was drenched with perspiration, and my glasses were fogged, but the forecast of a hot day convinced me that the cooling effect of perspiration would be welcome. As it turned out, high clouds blocked the sun for much of my day, and I was actually chilled after standing in the cold creek flowing from the bottom of the large dam.

Very Nice Rainbow

Since I was hopeful that the trout were tuned into the green drake hatch by now, I tied a size 14 parachute green drake to my leader. Surely this tactic would draw the trout of South Boulder Creek to the surface. My wishful thinking did not pan out, as trout refused and nipped at the green drake imitation. I did manage to land three eager feeders, but most of the first thirty minutes yielded frustration.

Glistening Brown Trout

I debated switching to a different green drake pattern, but instead I converted to a double dry presentation. The double dry was my breadwinner on July 21, 2026, so perhaps a repeat performance was on the agenda. I opted for a peacock hippie stomper and a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis. The ploy was partially successful, as I landed two additional trout on the caddis, but refusals outnumbered takes, and I prospected some very attractive spots with no reaction. I pondered another change.

Likely Spot

By now it was lunch time, and the next upstream section featured faster water and deep pockets, seams and plunge pools. After lunch I decided to go deep with a dry/dropper, and I knotted a tan pool toy hopper to my line and then dangled a size 14 prince nymph. The prince sometimes serves as a reasonable imitation of a green drake nymph, thus my choice.

Prince Nymph Produced

The hopper/dropper combination proved to be the answer to the fly fishing riddle of the day. The first two trout after lunch smashed the pool toy hopper, but then the nymph began to work its magic. Over the remainder of the afternoon I upped the fish count from five to thirty-one! The prince nymph was clearly the star performer. At some point I added a salvation nymph and then a supernova PMD below the prince, but they were largely bystanders, as the prince did the heavy lifting. The hopper remained a viable alternative as well.

Pool Toy Hopper Floating

The breakdown of fish landed by fly goes as follows: parachute green drake – 3, deer hair caddis – 2, pool toy hopper- 8, salvation nymph – 1, supernova PMD – 1, and prince nymph – 16. Did the trout mistake the prince nymph for a green drake nymph? I am not certain, but I do know that they recognized it as a source of protein.

Seam Likely Home to a Trout

I estimate that ten of the thirty-one landed trout were rainbows with the remainder being brown trout. The rainbows were larger on average with several in the thirteen inch range. A few thirteen inch brown trout also landed in my net. All the trout were wild and much appreciated by this angler.

Another Fat Rainbow

The locations that produced on Monday were deep pockets and runs and riffles of moderate depth. Typically the hopper takes were on the first cast to a new area, while the nymph hits may have come on subsequent casts.

Fat Tail on This Brown Trout

In this year of drought and heat, I was quite pleased with my day on Monday, July 27, 2026. As usual, size was somewhat lacking, but this was offset by numbers. The action was steady throughout the day.

Lots of Options in This Section

I began my hike back to the car at 2:45PM, as the western sky blackened. Could I make it back to the car, before the storm arrived? I was half way back, when the wind picked up, and I heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. Shortly thereafter, some light rain began to fall, but I pressed on, as the cool wetness of my shirt actually felt refreshing. After a few minutes of this refreshment, however, the density of the rain increased, so I stopped beneath a large tree and removed all my gear in order to slip into my rain jacket. The pause was very timely, as the rainfall shifted from light to heavy in a matter of seconds. I waited beneath the tree for fifteen minutes, until the downpour subsided, and then I continued on my way. I was amazed at the instant discoloration of the creek from crystal clear to milky coffee after the relatively brief rainfall. South Boulder Creek remains on my favorite list, as long as flows are sustained in the current range. I looked for Mr. Moose, but apparently he was also seeking shelter from the rain.

Fish Landed: 31

Time: 2:15PM – 4:30PM

Location: Ponds near Copper Mountain

Curtain Ponds 06/16/2026 Photo Album

As luck would have it, I would pass the Curtain Ponds on my return drive to Denver. I fished there numerous times with decent success, albeit small brook trout, but I was in need of a confidence boost, so I stopped there.

Near the Beginning

My rod was rigged with the slumpbuster and black leech, so I made a few casts with the double streamer in one of the ponds, but I was concerned that the flies would sink and snag in the aquatic growth, since the ponds are fairly shallow at many locations. I removed the streamers and moved to a double dry with a peacock hippie stomper in the first position and a size 14 stimulator trailing.

Riffled Surface

Once again the wind was gusting with abandon, and I had to position myself to avoid casting into the wind. The hippie stomper and stimulator enticed a wave of refusals, so I downsized the stimulator to a size 16 deer hair caddis. Once again refusals ruled, but I did manage to end the skunk and pulled three colorful brook trout of eight inches into my net. They all crushed the hippie stomper, and I was bewildered with why a few fish ate it, and the majority rejected it.

Lovely Colors

I speculated that perhaps a midge larva dangled below the hippie stomper might be effective with the constant wave action, so I replaced the deer hair caddis with a size 22 olive zebra midge. The olive midge never produced, but as I mentioned the hippie stomper yielded some positive results, allowing the fish count to reach three.

Along the Bank

I stood on the bank and pondered the situation. As I stood there, blue damsel flies fluttered about in great numbers. It seemed kind of early for damsels to hatch at the high elevation, but the evidence said that it already happened. I scanned the reeds along the pond for olive colored nymphs, but I never saw any. Nevertheless, I replaced the olive zebra with an olive balanced leech with no bead. This fly can also imitate a damsel nymph.

Spectacular Scene

I turned my attention to the next door pond, and suddenly I began to generate results. Over the remainder of the afternoon I landed an additional twelve brook trout to up my total to fifteen on the day. It was a much appreciated salvage job. For some reason the fish in the next pond were far more responsive to the hippie stomper than the first pond that I fished.

Easily Best of the Day

It seemed that a fish quickly reacted to my cast or the flies failed to attract attention. I adopted the approach of recasting in a fan from my position and ceased waiting and counting down and stripping. Two of the landed brook trout nabbed the trailing damsel nymph. I would have thought that they responded to movement via a slow hand twist retrieve, but that was not the case. They attacked the damsel, as soon as it entered the water. All the other brook trout hammered the hippie stomper, and of course refusals remained an issue, although the ratio of landed fish to refusals improved measurably.

Rich with Vegetation

Fifteen fish in a bit more than two hours of fishing is respectable. The wind remained a significant nuisance, and the fish were small with most being in the eight to nine inch range. I did land a gorgeous and colorful eleven inch brookie near the end, and that was very rewarding.

Fish Landed: 15

Time: 1:00PM – 2:00PM

Location: Eastern end of Black Lake

Black Lake 06/16/2026 Photo Album

I abandoned Clinton Gulch and decided to explore the Black Lakes at the top of Vail Pass. It was only a short drive back to Interstate 70 and then up the eastern side of Vail Pass to reach the Black Lakes. I read about them in the Flyfisher’s Guide to Colorado’s Easy Access Mountain Lakes, and it seemed like a decent nearby alternative.

I arrived at 12:30 and parked in a dirt lot high above the lake and consumed my lunch. I actually drove past the lake looking for the second one, but my path was blocked by a gate across the road below the first Black Lake, so I turned around and settled in the upper lot.

A View of Black Lake

The wind was gusting furiously, but I grabbed my already strung rod from Clinton Gulch and carefully slid down the steep bank and crossed a tiny inlet creek to arrive on the south side of the lake. The water was low and revealed a muddy beach, and I carefully walked across the packed mud to a small point.

Once again the wind was blasting from the west and creating waves and small whitecaps on the surface. I tossed the three fly dry/dropper across the wind and allowed the flies to float with the direction of the wind, and I persisted with this approach for ten minutes, before I deemed it unproductive.

Perhaps the fish were deeper, and I needed to strip streamers? I reconfigured my line with an olive slumpbuster and trailed a black beadhead leech. I spent an additional ten minutes stripping the streamers using forty foot casts, but I never felt a bump. My confidence was shot, and I was in a state of frustration. The book said the lake was mainly home to stocked rainbows, and I never saw the Black Lakes on stocking reports, so I was essentially fishing for holdovers. I deemed my probability of catching a fish low, so I once again called it quits and climbed the steep bank back to the car.

I am not sure I would return to the Black Lakes, although I am curious to know where the second lake is. I suspect one needs to park above the gate and hike down the cycling road to encounter Black Lake number two. It was an interesting exploratory detour, but I was still fishless. I decided to try a third option.

Fish Landed: 0

Time: 11:30AM – 2:30PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 05/23/2026 Photo Album

With commitments stacking for the week after Memorial Day, I was anxious to squeeze in a day of fly fishing, so I settled for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. It was risky, but my concerns turned out to be unfounded. I chose South Boulder Creek as my destination, because the flows at 70 CFS were advantageous compared to other Front Range streams, and I was averse to making another long drive, particularly with labor day traffic heading into the mountains.

For Show

Early Take Site

I arrived at the Walker Ranch Trailhead parking lot on Saturday morning and prepared to fish. The lot was overflowing, such that cars were parallel parked along the entry/exit road, but I lucked out and found a spot in the lower lot relatively close to the trailhead. I was concerned about fly fishing competition, but I eventually learned that most of the visitors were cyclists, hikers and dog walkers.

Workhorse Pat’s Rubber Legs

The temperature was in the upper fifties, but when clouds blocked the sun, a chilly wind blew through my shirt. I knew I would overheat, if I wore an extra layer, so I stuffed my raincoat in my backpack as an insurance policy. I quickly assembled my Loomis two piece five weight, and I was on my way. All this preparation enabled me to arrive next to the creek to begin my quest for trout by 11:30AM.

Deep Trough

Broad Shoulders

After experiencing excellent success on Tuesday on the Eagle River with two Pat’s rubber leg nymphs, I was curious to discover, if the same flies would produce on the small tailwater of South Boulder Creek. I began my day with a tan chubby Chernobyl trailing a medium olive-black Pat’s rubber legs and a coffee and black rubber legs as the end fly. I never switched flies as the day progressed, so I can report that the smaller fish of South Boulder Creek relish the Pat’s rubber legs just as much as Eagle River rainbows. The creek was tinged a bit, so I suspect that the black rubber legs contrasted nicely and caught the attention of the resident trout.

Nice for SBC

Between 11:30AM and 1:10PM I racked up fifteen trout. A bit past one o’clock I stepped in a spot that was deceptively deep. My right foot searched for bottom, but never found it, and consequently my entire body spun, and I tilted backward, until I was on my back in the creek. Ice cold water rushed over the top of my waders. before I could right myself. After uttering quite a few loud expletives, I debated whether to begin my return hike or continue. The sky was quite cloudy, and the lack of sun and cool breeze was not helping my soaked state. I decided to continue, until I hit twenty and then return regardless of the time.

Deep Run

I fished on and built the fish count to twenty-one, even though my feet were transforming into cold stumps. Sloshing water pressed my long underwear against my legs, and that was not a comfortable feeling. Nevertheless, persistence enabled me to boost the fish count to twenty-one, and then I climbed the bank for my return hike. Surely the one mile hike up the steep incline to the parking lot would warm me up.

Stretched Out

Shelf Pool Deluxe

In spite of my soggy state, I stopped at two favorite haunts on the return hike, and I added two more fish including a nice twelve inch rainbow. A twenty-three fish day in three hours of fishing was certainly respectable. I was pleased to net some decent trout for South Boulder Creek in the 12 – 13 inch range, I estimate that sixty percent of my catch were brown trout with the remainder rainbows, and as usual, the rainbows ran slightly larger on average than the browns. Roughly five of the landed fish grabbed the olive Pat’s rubber legs, while the remainder inhaled the coffee-black version.

Pastel Rainbow

I am unable to suggest a favorite water type that yielded fish. I cast across the creek to slower moving shelf areas and allowed the flies to drift downstream and swing, and quite a few fish reacted favorably to this approach, However, Upstream casts to deep areas produced as well, typically as the flies reached the tail out section. A few trout smacked one of the rubber legs almost the instant they hit the water. On Saturday the best approach was to cover the water, but move quickly after three to five casts. Most of the fish reacted to the first or second cast, so stealth and accuracy were critical.

My experiment of fishing the same lineup of flies that worked on the Eagle River was successful. I am rather psyched to implement the same strategy on another stream in the near future. It does seem that run off is in the early stages, although I expect it to be short lived. Tailwaters or lakes are probably the best bet for the next several weeks.

Fish Landed: 23

Location: Cline Ranch State Wildlife Area

Time: 2:45PM – 3:30PM

I abandoned my efforts on the Arkansas River and decided to visit the Cline Ranch State Wildlife Area on my return trip. The area is right off of US 285 and along my return drive, and I pass it quite often. I was curious to scout out the area. I pulled into the tight two-track lane and after a short drive arrived at a parking area. There were four designated parking spaces, and each displayed a sign assigning a fishing beat. I was the only car there, so I’m sure I could have parked in any space and fished in any beat, but I chose to park in the beat 2 space.

I was still wearing my waders, so it did not take long to prepare to fish, although I packed away my five weight, and this caused me to have to assemble my Sage four weight. I used the narrow opening to circumnavigate the gate that blocked the continuation of the two-track lane, and I was confronted with a sign pointing to the left for beat one and right for beats 2-4. I chose right, since I was parked in the beat 2 slot, and I was new to the Cline Ranch experience.

I hiked down the lane for .4 mile or so, and I began to wonder how far it was to beat 2. After all, I was only planning an hour or so to sample the new area. Another sign pointed me farther along the two-track to beats 2-4, so I decided to just cut across to the stream. Shortly after beginning my unsigned detour, I found a fisherman access sign and followed a trench-like path to the creek. Actually I first hit a braid off the main steam, and I followed that for a bit, until I realized that it was not the main branch.

Eventually I arrived at an area littered with small beaver ponds. I do not like beaver ponds. Some beaver ponds contain large fish and some contain stunted fish and some are barren of fish altogether. I had no knowledge regarding these ponds, so I decided to skip around them in search of a moving creek.

Before long I found such a segment, and I prospected it with a Chernobyl ant trailing a beadhead hares ear nymph. I managed to momentarily hook a tiny brown trout, but that was the only fish I saw. The moving water section was very short, and then I encountered another series of beaver ponds. The other reasons I hate beaver ponds is because of all the trenches, holes and tunnels along with the mucky bottoms. These features make fishing beaver ponds very dangerous for a 75 year old angler.

I was not impressed with the Cline Ranch area, so I bushwhacked my way back to the lane and returned to the parking lot. The lane was littered with deer and elk waste, so apparently the local herds love Cline Ranch.

As I was removing my waders, a Tesla arrived on the other side of the gate. An older gentleman emerged and opened the gate and drove through and then closed the gate again. I chatted briefly with him, and he said beats 2-4 were 1.5 miles up the two-track lane. He also said that the entire area is filled with beaver ponds, although in normal years snow melt breaks things and converts the area into more normal stream fishing. Because of the low snowpack that is unlikely to happen in 2026. I crossed Cline Ranch off my list of small streams to try on future trips.

Fish Landed: 0

Time: 11:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Clear Creek Canyon

Clear Creek 05/03/2026 Photo Album

Once again I had difficulty dialing in the fly fishing on a nearby Front Range Stream. Jane and I hiked the newest section of the Peak to Plains Trail on Friday afternoon, and it served as a scouting expedition for this avid angler. I spotted quite a few spots along the newly opened trail that appealed to my fly fishing instincts. With nice weather projected for the next two days, I planned to make a longer trip on Monday, before bad weather arrived on Tuesday and Wednesday, but then a scheduling conflict resulted in a change in plans. Sunday became my alternative to Monday, and Clear Creek and the short drive made sense.

I completed my workout and some gardening chores, and I departed my house in Denver by 10:40AM. I arrived at one of the Peak to Plains parking lots a bit after eleven o’clock, and this enabled me to stand along the edge of the stream ready to fish by 11:30AM. The air temperature was in the upper sixties, so I simply wore my fishing shirt, but I stuffed my raincoat in my backpack in case of cool cloudiness. My classic Sage four weight was assembled and served as my fly rod on Sunday. The canyon was alive with all manner of outdoor enthusiasts including anglers, dog walkers, walkers, runners and cyclists. I am certain rock climbers were also in attendance, but I was not near a popular rock climbing destination.

First Fish Landed

On my hike on Friday I picked out a prime spot to begin my test of new water, but when I arrived a father and daughter were tossing rocks in the creek right next to the large series of pools that I targeted. The dad announced that they would be leaving shortly, so I waded along the north bank downstream for fifty yards. I concluded that I was beyond the impact of the stone tossing crew above me, and I could fish the lower portion of the attractive stretch and then skip the recently disturbed section.

Caddis Eat in This Area

I began my day with a gray chubby Chernobyl, a 20 incher and a bright green sparkle caddis pupa. I quickly moved through the section of moderate riffles, long pockets and deep runs; but no evidence of trout made an appearance. When I arrived at the top of the area, where the rock hounds had been situated, I attempted a backhand cast and snagged a tree limb. I waded out a bit and made an attempt to bend the small tree down to rescue my flies, but the fly grabbing branch was too stiff. Seeing no way to unsnag the flies, I grabbed the line above the chubby Chernobyl and applied direct pressure and snapped off the 20 incher and bright green caddis pupa. I berated my lack of awareness and decided to change my approach.

Rare Brook Trout from Clear Creek

I observed one refusal to the chubby Chernobyl in the early going with no action on the nymphs, so I decided to alter my approach. My early session in recently disturbed water was perhaps not a fair test, but I had a hunch that dries might produce more action. I opted for a peacock hippie stomper and a size 16 olive-brown deer hair caddis, and I began to work upstream at a decent pace while prospecting the caddis in likely holding lies. It worked, sort of.

Brook Trout Came from the Slick above the Whitewater Near the Far Bank

I landed five trout on the double dry lineup with one smashing the hippie stomper and the others rising to crush the deer hair caddis. I actually deployed three different caddis dry flies, as the hackle on the first one got cut by the teeth of a trout, and I switched out the second one to go with a gray body instead of olive-brown. During the main portion of my fishing day, I discovered that I could generate interest by skating the flies on the surface. I cast across and then executed abrupt mends that jerked both flies upstream in an erratic manner. This worked best, when I cast across the creek to some slow moving water along the opposite bank. I admit that this method encouraged a large number of slashing misses or refusals, but I did hook and land two with the skating caddis methodology.

Some Heft to This One

For the last half hour I switched back to dry/dropper mode with a tan pool toy hopper trailing a size 14 prince nymph and a size 16 ultra zug bug. I saw a fair number of caddis flitting about, so I surmised that perhaps egg layers were present, and the prince and ultra zug bug tend to mimic egg laying caddis. I did not take the time to lengthen the dropper, and I was fishing a dry/dropper rig that only extended around three feet deep. I did land one brown on the prince nymph for my only subsurface eat of the day, and that advanced the fish count to six, but I probably should have extended the leader for more depth.

Skated the Flies Under the Branches

I continued a bit longer after fish number six, but then my watch reminded me that it was 3:00PM, and my flies were not clicking in spite of some very attractive water, so I stripped in my line and called it a day.

Size 14 Olive-Brown Deer Hair Caddis

Fortunately I was near a break in the high fence that separates the creek from the trail, so my exit was straightforward. I landed six trout in three hours of fly fishing. Two of the landed fish were browns of around twelve inches, and those were fine catches for Clear Creek. I probably should have skipped the section disturbed by the rock tossers, but it looked pretty amazing. I landed four brown trout, one very small rainbow trout and a ten inch brook trout; so I was a cutthroat away from a grand slam. I suspect the brook trout was the first that I ever landed in Clear Creek. I was outside on a nice spring day with cool temperatures, and I landed some fish. It was a satisfying day for this angler.

Fish Landed: 6

I was unable to complete my top ten ranking of fishing outings for 2024, so I made it a priority for 2025. I read all my posts for the year excluding the ones on flies tied, and I narrowed my outings down to sixteen that were worthy of top ten status. As a side note, I counted my outings, and I spent seventy days on lakes or streams in 2025. I feel quite fortunate to achieve this amount of fishing at my age. With that brief introduction, I will launch the 2025 top ten list.

10. Arkansas River – 03/24/2025 – I was quite pleased to land fifteen trout from the Arkansas River on 03/24/2025. I am accustomed to catching single digit fish in the early season, but this day was a welcome surprise. A brief blue wing olive hatch and some resulting success on my part were icing on the cake.

Long and Fat

9. Beaver Creek – 07/30/2025 – I love prospecting small streams with my Orvis four weight, and that is actually how this day unfolded. I had not fished this small mountain stream in a few years, and I was pleased to discover that it maintained an abundant supply of spunky wild fish.

8. Taylor River – 07/22/2025 – I anticipated green drake action on 07/22/2025 on the Taylor River tailwater, and although the early hours required dry/dropper drifting, things heated up considerably in the early afternoon. Green drakes took over, and they were accompanied by some pale morning duns, and I enjoyed the ride.

Olive Perdigon

7. Eagle River – 04/09/2025 – This was a rare early season visit to the Eagle River. This outstanding day featured a blue wing olive hatch and meeting new friends on the river. I explored a new section of the river with unexpected success, and this served as a segue to quite a few additional outstanding outings on the Eagle River.

6. South Boulder Creek – 08/04/2025 – Every summer I attempt to hit the green drake hatch on South Boulder Creek. During this outing I succeeded. It was a pure green drake fly day, as I used exclusively green drake dry flies. My green drake user friendly surpassed all previous trials in terms of effectiveness. Lots of fish spent time in my net.

Amber Hued

5. North Fork, White River – 09/09/2025 – Several things were impressive about this day. I drove four plus hours from Denver to this fishing destination, so this allowed only four hours of afternoon fishing. In that relatively short amount of time I landed thirty-four trout, and they were not dinks. I was very strategic in my approach and casting, and it paid off.

4. Yampa River – 06/25/2025 – This was another example of getting a late start, yet enjoying excellent results. Jane and I took down our campsite and drove from Steamboat Lake to Steamboat Springs, before I launched my three hours of fishing. I landed twelve fish, but it was an action packed time. A nice pale morning dun hatch developed, and I took advantage, and the size of the trout was very respectable. It was reassuring to learn that lots of robust trout remain in the Yampa River in spite of some very hot summers.

Excellent Spot

3. Eagle River – 09/24/2025 – 2025 seemed to be the year of the Eagle River with many outstanding outings, but this day stood out for several reasons. I explored never before fished water and met with excellent success. Based on a previous outing, I searched out water types that produced and stuck to a consistent approach, and I was rewarded with an abundant quantity of plus-sized trout.

2. River Nire – 06/03/2025 – My ranking of this day was biased by the fact that I was fishing in another country, Ireland. I booked two days of fly fishing in Ireland assuming that I would catch 5-10 brown trout per day in the ten to fifteen inch range. Guess again. Thirteen fish were landed, and most were in the fifteen to twenty inch range. This far surpassed my expectations, and I was surrounded by the beauty of the stunning Irish countryside. If you get a chance to fish in Ireland, grab it.

Wild Irish Brown Trout

1.Frying Pan River – 08/19/2025 – An outstanding day was required to surpass my day on the River Nire, but 08/19/2025 met that requirement. How about forty-eight trout on the Frying Pan River? I have fished this small tailwater nearly every year of my residence in Colorado, but this day surely topped all others. Between 9:45AM and 1:30PM I landed twenty-two trout, and quite a few were very respectable fish from a size perspective. I was satisfied with my day, as I resumed after lunch, and I spied a few western green drakes. I changed over to a parachute green drake, and the fishing action accelerated from the morning and early afternoon! What a day!

Lots of Possibilities

Big Mouth

Iron Sally 12/30/2025 Photo Album

Go back to my initiation with the iron sally by clicking on this link to my 01/20/2013 post. I’ve been tying these for over ten years; however, they remain relatively time consuming. The turkey wing, dubbing and black crystal flash enter the mix during the thorax construction, and it requires quite a bit of patience to follow the detailed steps. The end result, however, is worth the effort.

Love the Double Wing Case

The gold ultra wire abdomen and bead give this nymph lots of weight, and the crystal flash flashback and legs are both effective imitations and attractors. I deem the iron sally to be one of my prettiest flies.

Another Angled Right Side

I have experienced quite a bit of success with this fly. It is a solid searching pattern during the early season, when flows are high, and a heavy fly is required to get down to the trout’s feeding level. Perhaps my most effective usage of the iron sally took place on the Eagle River in early July just after the run off flows subside. I have witnessed very dense yellow sally hatches during this time frame, so this probably explains their attractiveness to the resident trout.

Including the Materials

I counted my supply of iron sallies and discovered that I had twenty-two size 12’s and twenty-nine size 14’s. I tied three size 12 and one size 14 to bring my totals to twenty-five and thirty. I will be knotting an iron sally to my line in a matter of three months.