Time; 1:00PM – 3:30PM

Location: Clear Creek Canyon

Clear Creek 04/29/2025 Photo Album

Weather was the main consideration for my choice of a place to fish on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. The high in Denver was projected to reach the mid-sixties, and that translates to frigid temperatures at higher elevation destinations. My choices were confined to the foothills and lower elevation locations. After three long drives during the previous week, I was reluctant to undertake another lengthy trip. In 2.5 hours on Monday I experienced decent success in Clear Creek Canyon, so I decided to take advantage of the short drive, and returned to the nearby stream.

Curved Position

The high temperature in Clear Creek Canyon was forecast to reach 61 degrees, but wind was a factor, and rain and cooler temperatures were expected to predominate from 3:00PM onward. I decided to forego morning fishing, and instead I headed to Prospect Park with Jane for some pickleball. I packed the car with everything I needed for an afternoon of fishing, and I departed the park by 11:15AM and arrived at my chosen parking lot by noon. The wind was gusting, and I decided to take advantage of the car and downed my lunch before gearing up and departing for Clear Creek.

Pocket Water

I swapped my pickleball shirt for my long sleeved Under Armour thermal undershirt, and then I slipped on my light down North Face and added my raincoat as a windbreaker and protection from the forecast rain. Once I was prepared, I hiked along the path for .2 mile, and then I crossed the creek at a wide tail section to reach the south bank. I began my day at 1:00PM with a tan mini chubby, an olive perdigon, and a sparkle wing RS2. I began working my way westward along the left bank, and I tossed the dry/dropper in likely locations.

Stretched Out

Nice Pool

I persisted with this style of fishing for the next 2.5 hours, and I landed nine trout. Two were rainbows and the remainder were browns. I never observed a rising fish until the last twenty minutes, when the wind kicked up, and a huge black cloud began delivering rain, sleet and snow. My hands were too cold to change to a double dry, so I continued with the dry/dropper and landed two decent trout. One of the late trout snatched the olive perdigon, and the other crushed a yellow fat Albert on the surface.

A Bit Larger

After building the fish count to five between 1PM and 2PM on the strength of the tan mini chubby, the olive perdigon and the sparkle wing; I encountered an extended lull. Two of the first five landed fish took the mini chubby, one nipped the sparkle wing RS2, and the other two gobbled the olive perdigon. During the lull, however, the resident trout began to refuse the tan chubby, so I made a change.

Productive Water

One of Two Rainbows

I substituted a yellow fat Albert for the mini chubby, and I replaced the sparkle wing RS2 with a psycho prince. The dry/dropper clicked for two trout, and eventually I replaced the psycho prince with another sparkle wing, when I spotted a few rising fish during the onset of the extremely foul weather.

Raised Up

Tuesday was a decent day on Clear Creek, although I never encountered a decent hatch similar to that which entertained me at the start on Monday. I worked hard for nine trout and covered a decent amount of stream real estate. The mini chubby produced a few fish, and that lured me into staying with it longer than I should have, even though it was the object of refusals during the second hour. A blustery storm that caused a rapid drop in temperatures, chased me from the creek when my hands began to sting.

Fish Landed: 9