Time: 10:30AM – 4:30PM

Location: Below Reudi Reservoir

Frying Pan River 09/23/2025 Photo Album

After a spectacular day on the Frying Pan River on August 19, 2025, I was anxious for a return engagement. Tuesday, September 23 would be that date. It rained steadily on Monday evening into Tuesday morning, so I felt fortunate to be visiting a tailwater. The DWR chart reflected steady flows of 170 CFS, Tuesday’s high in Basalt was forecast to reach only 60 degrees with cloud cover and light precipitation in the picture.

When I arrived at my chosen pullout at 10:00AM, the dashboard thermometer registered 48 degrees. I was not acclimated to these colder temperatures, so I wore my Under Armour long sleeve undershirt, my fishing shirt, my fleece hoodie, and my light down North Face. In addition, I dug out my billed hat with earflaps. I wore this entire ensemble all day, and I was comfortable.

Perfection

To begin I configured my line with the flies that served me well on August 19. The surface fly was a tan size 8 pool toy hopper, and below the hopper I tied a 20 incher and salvation nymph. I was aware that I was thirty days removed from the day in August, but the flies were not particularly tied to a specific hatch.

Typical Frying Pan River

From 10:30AM until 11:45AM I progressed up the river, and I managed to guide three small brown trout into my net. I cycled through the salvation nymph, a hares ear nymph, a supernova PMD, and a RS2 in an effort to generate action. The hares ear delivered two and the 20 incher one. I spotted some very tiny mayflies, and this prompted my test of the RS2, but it was totally ignored.

Nice Grip

I ate lunch in the car, and then I migrated up the river a couple miles. I encountered quite a few anglers at one of my favorite locales, but I parked among three other cars and cut through the trees to a spot just below a split in the river around a small island. I persisted with the dry/dropper, and I built the fish count to ten, before I reached the spot, where the river merged and ran next to the road. At this point I decided to reverse my direction to fish the smaller left braid.

Magnified Tail

Ribbon Along Bank Held a Big Fish

A long smooth pool is situated near the bottom of the left channel, and that is where I resumed fishing. Before casting, I observed four or five trout dimpling the surface. I decided to abandon the hopper and nymphs in the low and slow moving pool to avoid splashy casts and the risk of spooking the fish. I knotted a peacock hippie stomper to my line and then added a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis on a one foot extension. I was surprised when a ten inch brown trout smacked the caddis, but after the initial success both flies were either refused or ignored.

A very nice rainbow trout was feeding regularly fifteen feet above me and to the left, and I could easily observe its reaction to my flies. The trout ignored them. I exchanged the caddis for a size 22 CDC blue wing olive, and the observable trout paid no attention, although it feasted on small naturals. I gave up on the CDC olive and replaced it with a size 18 black parachute ant, and a small brown trout momentarily shed its selectivity, and it ate the ant. I tried the ant on several other recent risers, but its effectiveness ended, and I switched back to a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis. I moved to the top of the left braid, and I netted another small brown on the caddis, before I climbed the bank and returned to the right fork when looking upstream.

Cube Pool Again

I decided to fish the same water that I covered previously, however, on the second cycle I went to a double dry. I opted for a size 14 parachute green drake and a light gray size 16 deer hair caddis. Suddenly the caddis became a hot fly, and I built the fish count to sixteen. When I arrived at the cube pool, quite a few fish were rising, and I could feel the energy of the hatch. I flicked a fifteen foot cast to the tail of the pool, and a fine thirteen inch brown instantly grabbed the caddis. Perhaps I stumbled on to the answer with my caddis fly selection?

Chunk of Butter

Bottom of Cube Pool

I began spraying casts to the places that displayed recent rises, and the caddis was ignored, but several decent browns sucked in the parachute green drake. As this was transpiring, I spotted some naturals, and they were size 16 pale morning dens. I removed the caddis and replaced it with a size 16 light gray comparadun, and suddenly the trout exhibited interest once again in my second fly. I stuck with the green drake and comparadun and boosted the fish count to twenty-two, before I stripped in the flies and hooked them to my rod guide.

One of the Better Ones

By 4:30PM some light rain descended, and I reached a turning point. I either had to wade to the bank and dig out my raincoat or quit for the day. Given the time and my fish count of twenty-two, I chose the latter and hiked back to the car.

Right of Rock Was Home

Tuesday evolved into a rather successful day on the Frying Pan River. I landed twenty-two fish, and at least ten were respectable browns in the twelve to fourteen inch range. I was ready to write off the day as a disappointment at 2:00PM, but late hatches and a dry fly approach created a major turnaround. I never totally dialed in the hatch, but I experimented enough to create decent action and a successful day. I suspect that the sudden chill sent the trout into lethargy, and that explained the late afternoon hatching activity. This may have been my last visit to the Frying Pan River in 2025, and if so, I can appreciate two very fine days in the tailwater.

Fish Landed: 22