Brown Perdigon 11/10/2025 Photo Album

If an olive perdigon is effective, why wouldn’t a brown version produce as well? I plan to find out. My salvation nymphs, pheasant tail nymphs, and supernova PMD’s are productive flies throughout the season, but particularly favored during pale morning dun time. It seems to me that a brown perdigon brings a similar size and color to the menu with the added benefit of extra weight to sink the nymph or sink a second fly on the dropper. What about pairing a brown perdigon with a PMD nymph imitation?

Look at the Taper

I get excited thinking about the possibilities. A month or so ago I tied three brown perdigons, but I never introduced them to the Colorado rivers during the fall. While my perdigon hooks and tungsten beads remained out on my tying tabletop, I decided to add seven additional brown perdigons to my storage boxes to bring my total to an even ten for 2026.

A Batch of Seven and Materials

I simply substituted brown thread for olive and brown spade hackle fibers for grizzly. I am now excited to test these flies and my theories on fly attractions.

Time: 11:00AM – 3:30PM

Location: Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte River 10/27/2025 Photo Album

With nice days dwindling during the 2025 fly fishing season, I jumped on the chance to fish on Monday, 10/27/2025. Air temperatures have arrived as a prime factor in choosing a fly fishing destination, and after I surveyed all the likely locations, I settled on the South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon. The high in Lake George was forecast to peak at 61 degrees, and that was well within my comfort zone.

Looking Up the River

I arrived at my chosen roadside pullout by 10:30AM, and after pulling on my fleece hoodie and raincoat and assembling my Sage R8 four weight, I was prepared for a day of autumn fishing. I recently saw an Instagram post lauding the superb streamer fishing on a Colorado river. I decided to take advantage of the information, and I loaded my reel with my sinking tip line and knotted a size 8 Mickey Finn bucktail streamer to my line. I crimped a split shot a foot above the streamer, and for thirty minutes before lunch, I cast and stripped the streamer in all directions and varying degrees of stripping speed and movement. I never saw so much as a follow. I have no confidence in my approach to streamer fishing. I suppose I need to fully commit to the method and experiment with different streamers and varying amounts of weight.

Pleased to Land a Fish

Run Near Far Bank Produced

I ate lunch at 11:45AM across from the car, and then I returned to the Telluride and swapped the sinking tip reel and line for my normal four weight. For the remainder of the afternoon I worked my way up the river with my reliable dry/dropper configuration. I suppose repetition breeds confidence, and confidence yields fish. An amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl and olive perdigon were constants on my line, and I cycled through several flies on the end position. I began with a salvation nymph and then converted to a hares ear nymph and ended with a small apricot egg.

Headed Back

One aggressive brown trout clobbered the chubby Chernobyl and created a nasty snarl in the process. One of the early fish nabbed the salvation nymph, and the remainder snatched the olive perdigon. Seven fish in 3.5 hours of focused fishing does not translate to hot action, but given the timing in late October and the absence of insects, I was pleased with the results.

Shelf Pool Was Explored

Two landed fish were rainbow trout in the thirteen to fourteen inch range. Two trout were on the small side, and the remainder were average trout in the twelve inch slot. Large deep pools were unproductive as were seams and glides of moderate depth in areas where the stream widened. I focused most of my attention on long and deep troughs and slots particularly where the deep hole was right above the junction of two faster currents.

Spread Out in the Net

Future outings in 2025 are weather and health dependent. The month of November calendar is sprinkled with various dentist and doctor appointments. I will keep my eyes and ears open for opportunities to extend the season

Fish Landed: 7

Time: 11:00AM – 12:00PM

Location: One of the wooden docks

I was very anxious to introduce my five year old grandson, Theo, to fishing; and we were babysitting both our grandsons on the weekend of August 22 – August 24. Jane and I concluded that Saturday offered the perfect opportunity to deliver on the idea of a fishing outing.

A year ago when Theo was four, I also attempted an introduction. I shopped at Bass Pro Shops and purchased an all-in-one Jurassic Park rod and reel. I also parted with a few bucks to buy a styrofoam cup of night crawlers. On a Saturday in late August or early September, Jane and I along with Theo and his parents tromped to Warembourg Pond in Louisville.

It was a hot day, and the pond was very low requiring fairly long casts to get beyond the dense algae that bordered the shoreline. It was not ideal for a novice four year old. I rigged Theo’s Jurassic Park setup with a bobber, split shot and hook baited with a small section of a nightcrawler and tossed everything toward the middle and beyond the muck. I handed the rod to Theo, and the bobber remained stationary for what seemed like five minutes, but was actually only a minute or two, but nothing happened. I took the rod back and reeled in, and I was about to cast to a new location, but I noticed that the line was twirled and kinked along its length. I spent some time unfurling it and made another cast with similar results. Our fishing venture ended pretty quickly, due to a lack of fish and the frustrating line condition.

I returned the rod to Bass Pro Shop and bought another, where the line actually passed through the hollow rod without rod guides, but when I tested it, the same twirling and kinking plagued me, so that outfit was also returned. I eventually released the nightcrawlers into my garden. so at least I gained some benefit from the experience.

Summer turned into fall and then winter, and I pondered the youth fishing problem. At some point I discovered an old rod in the corner of the garage, and I remembered that an old push button reel was settled in the bottom of my fishing box. In anticipation of a new attempt at introducing Theo to fishing, I retrieved the reel and attached it to the rod and strung the line. However, when I attached a heavy rubber weight to the line to test the casting capability, I discovered that the push button release was not functioning. Theo had a bit of fun in the alley, however, bouncing the rubber sinker off the concrete.

At a social gathering with friends, Howie and Sandy informed us that they took their granddaughters to Lake Mary at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, and they mentioned that the girls caught loads of fish. They described small sunfish actually fighting to eat the bait. This was my ticket to select Lake Mary as my next fishing destination for Grandson Theo.

As our babysitting days approached I, along with assistance from Theo, spent quite a bit of time picking Japanese beetles from my garden. For some reason they prefer pole bean leaves and eggplant leaves, and it is a constant battle to stay ahead of the infestations. Theo loves spotting the pests, and then I pluck them and shove them into a large yogurt container with a clear plastic lid. It may sound inhumane, but I let them sit in the garage in the heat, and they eventually suffocate.

When Saturday arrived, Jane and I loaded Benny and Theo into their car seats and motored off to Bass Pro Shop. I stowed the rod and the yogurt container with Japanese beetles in the back of the car next to the stroller. I planned to purchase a new functioning reel with line that would not kink at Bass Pro Shop on our way to Lake Mary

I approached the non-fly fishing counter and described to the friendly salesperson what I was looking for. I wanted a fairly inexpensive push button reel for my five year old grandson (who was standing nearby) with a decent line that would not kink. In short order he led me down the counter to a box filled with red push button reels that were on sale for $5.99! I inspected the footing to make sure it was compatible with my rod, and I scooped up the reel. Next I marched over to the refrigerator and bought a box of medium nightcrawlers in case Colorado fish did not savor Japanese beetles. We were now set for fishing adventure number two.

A short drive delivered us to the parking lot at Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge (RMAWR). We unbuckled the boys from their car seats and approached the lake. We quickly discovered that the perimeter of the lake was filled with tall cattails that made it almost impossible for an experienced fisherman to cast let alone a novice five year old. We spotted two wooden platforms that extended into the lake, but it was a Saturday, and not surprisingly, they were filled with anglers, young and old.

We were about to acknowledge that the fishing gods did not want Theo to catch a fish, when the occupants of one corner of the platform offered us space. We jumped at the invitation, and Theo and I moved to the right corner of the dock. The dock contained a railing, and that was good for safety reasons, but it also served as an impediment for a five year old to sling the line over the top.

Lots of Small Sunfish

I removed the lid from the beetle container and impaled one with a size 8 snelled hook that I purchased in the early 1980’s. Because Theo was unable to fling the rig over the railing, I pressed the button and flipped a cast ten feet from the dock. It only took a second before the bobber moved sideways, and I set the hook and felt the small weight of a fish. I attempted to hand the rod to Theo, so he could experience the fun of reeling it in, but he refused! I wound the handle and brought up a four inch bluegill. Theo and Benny admired the flopping fish, but neither were brave enough to touch it. I quickly removed the little guy and flicked it back in the lake.

I embedded the hook in several more beetles and landed another smaller sunfish, but then it seemed that the beetles were falling off prematurely, so I switched to nightcrawlers. I ripped a piece of a nightcrawler off, and double hooked it. By now the nice anglers that offered us the corner moved to the left, and this opened up space where the railing was lower. I thought Theo could cast over the lower barrier, but he remained adamant that he did not wish to cast. With the worm as bait. I simply dropped the bobber off the edge of the dock, and Theo and I could see at least twenty small sunfish nipping at the worm. We stuck with it for another fifteen minutes or so and landed three more tiny sunfish. Theo continued to resist reeling them in.

I discovered that catching small sunfish on a worm is not an easy thing. The fish were very adept at grabbing the part of the worm that did not contain the hook. This caused the bobber to slide and sink, and I reacted with a hook set, but more times than not, I came up empty. I made a bit longer cast, and decided to allow the bobber to dive deeply before executing the hookset. This worked too well, and I landed a three inch sunfish with a size eight hook embedded in its gullet.

As Theo looked on, I used my hemostat to yank out the hook, but in the process blood squirted all over my hand. It was a tough lesson for Theo on his first fishing outing. This little study of the harshness of life was the impetus to call it a day.

Was Theo’s first day of fishing a success? I think he would still like to give it another try. I would like to identify another lake with plenty of small fish, but with more shoreline access. The lesson I learned is that Japanese beetles work better than worms, because in order to consume the beetle, the fish needs to eat the hook. If I could only figure out a way to get the beetle to stay on the hook better. Hopefully Theo and I will have another opportunity to try fishing in 2025.

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.