Time: 10:00AM – 4:00PM

Location: Middle section

Colorado River 09/18/2024 Photo Album

For this blog post, I am offering two versions. One was composed by me as usual and the other used artificial intelligence. Can you guess which is which, and tell me your preference?

I scheduled two float fishing trips with my friend, Dave G., and guide, Reed, for the summer of 2024. The first two were washed out by high and muddy water. Wednesday, September 18 was my regularly scheduled second trip, so I made the drive to my friend, Dave G.’s house in Eagle, CO on Tuesday evening in anticipation of the guided float. Severe weather warnings were in place for Colorado for Tuesday evening, and I was concerned that I would be the victim of another cancellation. Our guide, Reed, contacted Dave G. on Tuesday evening, and they made the final arrangements for our time and place to meet.

A Bit Off Color

By 10AM on Wednesday morning the three of us were positioned at a boat launch along the Colorado River. According to Reed the river flows were up compared to his previous float, and the clarity was a bit off color, but not enough to inhibit our fly fishing prospects. The sky was pure blue and remained so for the remainder of the day, but the temperature on the car dashboard registered less than 40 degrees. To start, I wore two layers of fleece and my rain shell, but within the first hour I shed a fleece, and by lunchtime I was down to just my fishing shirt.

I strung my Sage One five weight with my new Rio Gold fly line spooled onto the reel. During my day on the river, I was quite pleased with the performance of the new line. Before we started, Reed rigged Dave G’s rods and then prepared a second six weight rod for me that was outfitted with a dry/dropper configuration. I chose the front of the boat for the morning, and we blasted off. Reed’s dog, Edna, as usual, was along for the ride, and we were barely aware of her presence.

Edna

Funky Midge Cluster

In the early going I tossed a double dry rig that featured a size 14 caddis and a funky midge cluster imitation, but these flies did not interest the fish. Dave G. was having a bit of success with his dry/dropper, so I switched to the previously rigged six weight with a large attractor top fly and a Pat’s rubber leg and a perdigon nymph. Over the remainder of the morning the action improved, and by the time we paused for lunch along the river bank, I landed ten nice trout.

Nice One from the Morning

After lunch Dave G. and I switched positions, and we continued our float, as I continued to increase the fish count to sixteen. At some point in the mid-afternoon Reed reconfigured my offerings to include a psycho baetis along with the Pat’s rubber legs. The rubber legs continued to dominate the catch statistics, but the baetis accounted for a few fish as well.

Foliage Changing Color Along the River Bank

Toward the middle of the afternoon, we approached a bank along the western side of the river that contained dense vegetation, so Reed set Dave G. and I up with solo hopper flies. Armed with these big attractors, we splatted casts close to the bank, and I managed to boost the fish count by a few.

Hopper Eater

A highlight was a drift that bobbed less than a foot from an overhanging grassy bank that resulted in a visual eat. The grasshopper molester was a sixteen-inch brown trout, and the memory of this encounter lingered in my mind. In spite of this success, the hopper action was slow, so we switched back to our dry/dropper rods and hooked a few more trout before reaching the takeout at 4:00PM.

Focused on the Mouth and Lip

Wednesday was mostly a delightful day, although afternoon winds plagued us on a regular basis. I was guilty of creating some nasty snarls, until Reed demonstrated a short over-the-left shoulder back hand cast to counter the cross wind. The cast also kept he and Dave G. out of harm’s way for an added benefit. The temperature was around 70 degrees, and the fish were hungry. Nearly all of our casting involved pounding the banks with dry/droppers, and quite often a willing trout consumed our offerings. It was definitely a nymphing day. Reed was expert in positioning the drift boat to place us in advantageous positions to catch fish. I finally logged a guided float trip in 2024, and it was well worth the wait.

Fish Landed: 19