Time: 9:30AM – 11:00AM

Location: Shoreline

Clear Lake 06/17/2024 Photo Album

After a rewarding day on Friday, June 6, I anxiously looked forward to a return to Clear Lake. Monday was that day. The high in Denver was forecast to reach 90 degrees, but the higher elevation Georgetown, CO was expected to see temperatures in the low seventies. This in fact played out, as the temperature, when I arrived at the parking lot was 67 degrees, and it was 69 degrees, as I departed at 11:00AM.

Congestion on Guanella Pass Road

Upon my arrival I rigged my Loomis 8.5 foot two piece five weight, and I slipped on my fleece hoodie, and I headed up the trail that borders the lake. As I approached “my spot”, the spot where I enjoyed success on Friday, I was disappointed to see a pack of anglers across from my desired casting location. I made a quick decision to cross to the opposite shore with the hope that I could squeeze in along the narrow band of lake next to the steep bank. As I continued on the trail, I realized that a man and young companion were just ahead of me, so that posed yet another constraint on my plan.

Once I was on the other side of the lake, I determined that the man and young fishing friend landed farther down the shoreline. I paused above my desired location, and at this point I noticed two large bobbers stationed within eight feet of the near bank, so it was clear that I would not be able to thread the needle and claim “my spot”. I continued along the path and situated myself on the point that featured two huge boulders.

Morning Calm from the Point

For the next 1.5 hours I sprayed casts in every direction from the point, and then I edged eastward along the shoreline to a small cove. During this time I observed very sporadic rises. I began my quest for trout with a pool toy hopper and size 16 deer hair caddis, and the caddis generated a few refusals and one very brief hook up. I decided the caddis was not the answer, so I exchanged it for a size 20 down wing dry fly with a black body. This also instigated a few tentative bumps and refusals.

After an hour of this futility, I decided to try a dry/dropper approach. It worked quite well on Friday, and this was the same lake, was it not? I removed the down wing dry and replaced it with a beadhead pheasant tail nymph and a bright green go2 caddis pupa. The dry/dropper combination also caused a few very temporary connections, but once again my efforts to catch a fish were stymied. It became pretty clear that I was in store for a challenging day on Clear Lake, if I remained in my current locale, so I decided to cut my losses and moved on. Sadly I am apparently dependent on dumb stocked rainbows in a certain location to enjoy success at Clear Lake.

Fish Landed: 0