Time: 9:45AM – 1:30PM

Location: Glenwood Canyon

Colorado River 08/20/2025 Photo Album

After a spectacular day on Tuesday on the Frying Pan River, I decided to sample the Colorado River in Glenwood Canyon, since it is along my homeward route to Denver from Carbondale. I fished Glenwood Canyon one other time on 10/24/2018 with decent success, although that was much later in the year. As I drove through the canyon on my way to my daughter’s place on Monday, I noted that the river in the canyon was on the low side although not abnormally low for the season, and clarity was decent with visibility of three feet along the edges.

I arrived at my chosen parking area by 9:15AM, and by the time I assembled my Sage One five weight, geared up and walked to the river it was 9:45AM. The temperature was already in the low seventies. I wore my waders, since I was fishing deep water, and I desired the extra protection of chest waders. As it turned out, I never waded deeper than my waist. The five weight was insurance against tangling with a larger fish.

Hopper Eater, As Expected, Was Along the Bank

A river like the Colorado in Glenwood can seem overwhelming due to its width and power even at lower than average flow rates. I decided to ignore the entire river except for the ten to fifteen feet out from the bank. My starting point was tricky, as it appeared to be a smooth and slow moving pool, but when I began to cast, I realized that the current was faster than expected, and there were no barriers to slow things down. I launched my day with a size 8 tan body pool toy hopper, a weighted 20 incher, and a salvation nymph. As the day evolved, the hopper and 20 incher remained constants, but I cycled through the salvation, a PMD supernova, and emerald emergent caddis pupa in the position of the point fly.

Early Eater

For the first thirty minutes I cast the hopper right along the bank, and I was about to give up on the whole Colorado River venture, when a feisty twelve inch brown trout smacked the pool toy. I thought I was on to something, but then another long lull in action returned my thoughts to an early drive back to Denver.

Beast

I finally advanced beyond the smooth and featureless area and approached some river structure that included deep pockets, slots and runs. As I would learn, the type of water played an important role in generating fly fishing success. I tossed the dry/dropper upstream, and as it drifted next to an exposed boulder, something grabbed one of the nymphs and towed the hopper sideways and beneath the surface. I immediately set the hook with a sweep, and suddenly I was attached to a streaking freight train. It shot to the fast plume and swam with the current downstream. All I could do was hang on and allow line to spin off my reel. After a fifteen yard dash, the fish made a turn toward the bank, and I caught a glimpse of a husky seventeen inch brown trout. I took a few steps, but I was reluctant to wade without my wading stick, and both my hands were occupied with holding the rod and managing the line. After a few more seconds, the brown trout tired, and I was able to hydroplane it back upstream to my net. The 20 incher remained attached to the mouth by the slimmest of membrane. Needless to say, I was a bit euphoric after landing the prize of the day.

Long and Wide

By lunch time I moved the fish counter to four with the help of a small brown and another twelve incher. I found a nice rock and observed the river, but only a few random insects fluttered up from the surface. I did notice, however, that quite a few small size 18 caddis flew erratically from the bankside rocks, as I maneuvered my way upstream. I constantly fought off the idea of casting a double dry with the pool toy in front and a trailing caddis. Who knows? It might have worked.

Such a Gorgeous Place

From 12:15PM until I quit at 1:30, I continued along the shoreline, and I boosted the fish count to seven. The three additional landed trout were all browns, and one was a very pretty fish in the thirteen inch range. I held it up for a passing whitewater raft crew to observe and received a round of applause.

I Ate Lunch Next to This Inviting Moderate Depth Riffle Area

By 1:30PM I endured a fairly lengthy dry spell, and the sun was beating down mercilessly, so I decided to get an early start on my nearly three hour return drive to Denver. I covered a significant amount of Colorado River shoreline, and I discovered that the best spots were seams and runs of moderate depth next to fast water. In addition to my seven landed fish, I endured at least five temporary hook ups. For some reason my ability to stay connected was compromised on Wednesday. I easily had the opportunity to reach double digits on the large and brawling Colorado River.

Could a caddis dry have worked? I kind of regret not trying it. More insect activity would also be a boon to fishing this large river. A lack of heat would be another favorable factor. Another strategy might be streamers around the large boulders. Perhaps an October trip is in my future.

Fish Landed: 7