Time: 3:15PM – 4:30PM

Location: National forest

East Fork of Brush Creek 07/10/2026 Photo Album

Jane, Amy and I completed a long and challenging hike near our campsite on Friday morning. Because the hike was steep and longer than expected, I adjusted my fly fishing plans. Jane and I were responsible for Friday dinner at our campsite, and Jane suggested that I return from fishing by 5:00PM. We were preparing a meal for seven adults and four kids using a camp stove on a picnic table, so it was not a small chore. I needed to be present to help.

Hand Size

Originally I hoped to fish a relatively high gradient section of the East Fork, where I experienced decent success in 2025; however, time constraints prevented me from repeating last year’s adventure. Instead, I chose to fish near our campsite in a series of beaver dams. Have I mentioned that I do not like fishing beaver dams? They are inevitably surrounded by tunnels and holes and troughs and mucky bottoms. Wading is a true hazard. On a positive note, I was planning to fish with a couple eleven year old kids on Saturday, so it was not a bad idea to scout out the nearby options.

Hot Spot Where the Flow Was Entering

I asked Jane to drop me off to save time, and then I rigged my Orvis Access four weight and knotted a peacock hippie stomper to my line. Almost immediately a few brook trout attacked the stomper, and I knew I was in for some fun. In fact, I advanced upstream through four separate beaver dams and landed twelve brook trout and one brown trout in 1.25 hours of fly fishing. Not bad. I was encouraged that success might be within reach on Saturday.

After the Brief Shower

By 4:00PM some dark clouds rolled overhead, and a very brief rain shower followed. I never had time to pull on my raincoat, but the impact of the rain on the surface of the pond ended the series of sporadic rises that preceded the rain. I, however, continued fishing through the rain, and the large attractor hippie stomper apparently was too enticing for the fish to totally abandon feeding. After the rain stopped, a few rises resumed, but the pace slowed considerably compared to before the storm. I found that I had to allow the fly to sit motionless for an extended amount of time, but if I maintained my patience, a surface crush would occur. Also, around this time I broke off the peacock body hippie stomper on an errant backhand cast, and I replaced it with another with a flashy red body. The red version seemed to be a favorite of the brook trout as well.

Orange Belly

Friday was a fun, although brief, outing on the beaver ponds of the East Fork. I landed thirteen trout in 1.25 hours, and all were duped by hippie stompers. Fishing a single attractor dry fly was a blast. I hiked back to the campsite and arrived in time to assist with dinner preparation. It was a good day in Colorado.

Fish Landed: 13