Time: 12:30PM – 4:45PM

Location: Between Buford and Trappers Lake

North Fork of the White River 09/09/2025 Photo Album

I made the drive from Demver to the North Fork of the White River in four hours and fifteen minutes. My Google maps suggested long routes through Rifle/Meeker and Steamboat Springs, so this caused some concern regarding my usual route over the Flattops Trail and two mountain passes. I called the Ute Lodge, and the woman that I spoke with assured me that the gravel road was open. When I stopped for gas in Yampa, CO, I had a cellular signal, so I asked ChatGPT about the status of the route, and the AI guru called me a lucky man, as both passes were open.

Re-entry

Another Likely Spot

I arrived at my chosen pullout by 11:45AM, and I immediately munched my lunch. As I was eating, the wind kicked up, some dark clouds slid across the sky, and a ten minute shower washed Jane’s car, which I was occupying. I waited out the worst of the downpour, and then I assembled my Sage One five weight and performed my normal preparation to fly fish. I carefully inspected my fleece wallet and fly box and replenished several dry flies and nymphs.

Amber Hued

So Many Spots

When I was prepared, I ambled along the road and then cut down a two track lane to the river. With all the wildfires in the Flattops, I was concerned about low flows, but the river looked normal for September, and my heart beat elevated in anticipation of an afternoon of fly fishing.

Chunky One

To begin, I knotted a yellow foam hopper with a gray dubbed body to my line. I am not certain whether I tied or purchased the fly, but the size 8 dry remained on my line for the duration of the afternoon. It was very buoyant and visible, and its nearly total foam construction required very little false casting for drying. Beneath the hopper I added a 20 incher, and on the point I tied an ultra zug bug. The hopper and 20 incher were constants, but I rotated the point fly among the ultra zug bug, a size 12 brown nymph with rubber legs, a salvation nymph and a PMD supernova.

Money in the Bank

Two of the better trout that I landed smacked the hopper, and the 20 incher was very popular with the North Fork trout. The salvation and supernova were also productive in the mid-afternoon time frame. Two landed trout were brook trout, and the remainder were rainbows and cutbows. Several of the cutbows presented vivid colors with amber bodies and prominent speckles. I estimate that fifteen of the thirty-four landed fish were rainbows and cutbows in the twelve to fourteen inch range. These fish were valiant fighters, and they put on aerial shows with numerous leaps. Several dashed to fast water, but I allowed them to run and strip out line, until I could gain the upper hand.

Vibrant Colors

Past visits to the White River have taught me to be very selective about my casts. Marginal spots are nearly always a waste of time and elbow exposure. I waded around long and wide, shallow sections and saved my casts for deep pools and long troughs and slicks next to fast water. Depth and length were the keys. My annual Flattops fishing trip was off to an auspicious start. Monday was one of my better days of 2025 and probably the best ever on day one of my annual trip.

Fish Landed: 34