Time: 7:30AM – 2:00PM

Location: Middle section

Colorado River 07/15/2026 Photo Album

Wednesday, July 15, 2006 was the scheduled date for the second guided float trip with my friend, Dave G., and Cutthroat Anglers. Once again we were in the expert hands of Reed Ryan, our favorite guide.

I spent the night at the home of Beth and Dave G., and this proved to be a fortuitous stay, as Reed requested that we meet him at a central parking lot by 6:15AM. I set my alarm for 5:00AM, and after an excellent Asian breakfast prepared by Dave G., we were off and met Reed at the designated location.

Nocturnal Stonefly Imitation

The 6:15AM departure enabled us to arrive at the chosen launch point by 7:00AM, and we were on the water fishing by 7:30. I packed my Sage One five weight and my Scott six weight, and Reed rigged the six weight with a dry/dropper combination, and he configured the five weight with double dries that included two large yellow body flies that represented the nocturnal stonefly.

Side Channel Invites Exploration

The river was in excellent shape with flows of 1200 CFS and mostly clear with a slight tinge of color. The 7:30AM start acknowledged the brutal hot temperatures of July, and we planned to be off the water by 1:30, the hottest part of the day. The air temperature, as we began our float, was 62 degrees, and I slipped on my raincoat to combat the slight chill.

An Early Brown

We floated for ten miles, and we alternated between our dry/dropper and double dry rods. The dry flies rotated among the nocturnal stonefly, grasshopper, a bionic ant, and a red quill imitation. A chubby Chernobyl with a rust body was the mainstay as the top fly on the dry/dropper, and it trailed a black Pat’s rubber legs and several pheasant tail nymph imitations. Most of the flies had their moments, but the most effective were the size 16 pheasant tail, black rubber legs, bionic ant and chubby Chernobyl. The nature of the section of river fished dictated the choice between the six weight and the five weight. Slower moving stretches next to tall grasses suggested double dry, and faster water with seams and depth screamed dry/dropper.

Big Fish, Big Net

Reed maneuvered the drift boat from side to side, and instructed us to cast either left or right. The key was casting ahead or at a forty-five degree angle away from the boat. The dry flies were most effective, when we plopped them very close to the bank; whereas, the dry/dropper targeted deep slots, troughs, seams, pockets and riffles of moderate depth. In other words, we covered the entire river with the dry/dropper approach. Reed, as usual, was very adept at maneuvering the boat for optimal casting positions for the two anglers. Dave G. remained in the bow for the entire trip, and I manned the rear, as that is my preferred spot.

Foam and Riffles

How did we do? I landed fourteen trout on the day. Four were rainbows and the remaining ten were brown trout. Two of the fourteen were sub twelve inch fish, but at least four stretched the tape to the fifteen to twenty inch range skewed toward the upper limit. The remainder were fine hard fighting trout in the thirteen to fourteen inch length.

Edna, the Guide Dog

The early start paid dividends, as the temperature spiked in the eighties by the time we quit, and the water temperature forced our exit. We had the entire section of river to ourselves, and we spotted a golden eagle, a great blue heron, a cluster of merganser ducks and quite a few geese. The highlight, however, was a river otter family. Presumably the mother otter caught a large fish, and the baby otters gathered around her and shared in the feast. Reed cautiously approached the cluster of otters, until we were no more than twenty yards away. Click on the photo album link above to view several otter videos.

Smooth Section

Wednesday was a very successful day on the Colorado River. I was very impressed with the size of the trout. Float fishing is the best method for fishing a large river such as the Colorado, as one can cover a lot of water very efficiently. Fourteen fish was quite respectable, but the size of the fish is what made the day special.

Fish Landed: 14