Clear Lake – 06/13/2025

Time: 11:15AM – 12:30PM

Location: Clear Lake on Guanella Pass

Clear Lake 06/13/2025 Photo Album

My grandson Benny was ill and unable to attend daycare on Wednesday and Thursday, so us grandparents stepped in to provide care. This eliminated those two days from consideration for fly fishing. On Friday morning I had a doctor’s appointment at 8AM, but I decided that I could visit a relatively local lake, if I prepared ahead of time.

Big Horns

That is, in fact, what transpired, and I set out for Clear Lake on Guanella Pass after my appointment. I had decent success in the small mountain impoundment in previous years in early June, so I decided to give it another test. I arrived by 10:45AM, and after I pulled on my waders and boots and assembled my Sage four weight, I hiked a short distance to my favorite spot. Alas, as I slowly scrambled down the bank to the edge of the lake, I discovered four anglers surrounding my favorite spot.

Target Area Surrounded by Anglers

I surrendered to the crowd, and I established a position north of the other fishermen. The lake was already quite low, and for the most part the surface was smooth under very bright sunshine. These were not prime conditions. I rigged with a peacock hippie stomper and olive-brown deer hair caddis, and I began to fan casts to the mirror-like surface. The next twenty minutes tested my patience, as the flies sat unmolested. I failed to observe a single surface rise during my entire time at Clear Lake. I began to experiment with different retrieves including pops and stops and steady strips, but none of these tactics generated interest from a fish.

Hippie Stomper and Deer Hair Caddis

Slowly the competing anglers began to depart, and I interpreted this as a bad sign. The last of the folks that were present, when I arrived, moved on, but a young man in shorts with a spinning rod descended above me, and he began to launch long casts to the far shoreline. He seemed to have a bobber with a spinner beneath it, and the bobber scooted along the surface creating a wake. Eventually he crossed to the opposite bank and worked his way north and away from the area that I wished to occupy.

Smooth Like a Mirror

While this was going on, I decided to kill time and allow the water to rest, so I pulled out my lunch and relaxed on a large boulder. Once my lunch was completed, I changed my set up to consist of a tan body mini chubby Chernobyl, a prince nymph and a beadhead hares ear nymph. I crossed to the opposite shoreline, and I began lobbing casts in a southward direction, as I covered the deep drop off that produced in previous years. In spite of some nice casts and thorough coverage of the area, I was unable to generate even a look, until finally the top fly bobbed, and I set the hook. I quickly stripped in a six inch brook trout, and I was pleased to avoid a skunking at Clear Lake. I continued working my way along the bank, until I reached shallow water, and then I called it quits and modified my plan for the remainder of the day.

Fish Landed: 1

South Platte River – 06/10/2025

Time: 10:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte River 06/10/2025 Photo Album

With Ireland and jet lag in the rearview mirror, I was anxious to return to Colorado waters. Run off was in full swing, so my choices were limited to tailwaters or lakes. I checked the flows on the South Platte River at Lake George, and I learned they were in the 88 CFS range, and my choice became a no brainer. I love Eleven Mile Canyon, and flows in that range were a bit low but well within my desired range. Air temperatures were projected in the upper seventies, and that reinforced my desire to visit the canyon tailwater.

Prime Water

I arrived at my chosen pullout by 10AM, and as I geared up at the tailgate of my car, another angler ambled by on his way to fish the section that I chose. This irked me a bit, but it was open water, and he got there first. I wore only my fishing shirt and stuffed my raincoat in my backpack. My rod choice was my old Sage four weight. I was in a position to begin casting by 10:30AM, and my line displayed a size 14 peacock body hippie stomper and a beadhead hares ear nymph. In the early going I managed a pair of relatively small brown trout, and the hares ear accounted for both; however, spots that looked very attractive failed to produce. The hippie stomper was attracting attention in the form of looks and refusals, so I concluded that the fish were looking toward the surface for their meals.

Looking Up the Canyon

I removed the long dropper leader and the hares ear, and I replaced them with a one foot tippet with a size 14 olive-brown body deer hair caddis. Cha-ching. This pairing clicked, and I moved the fish count from two to ten before I broke for lunch at noon. Credit goes to Max of Charlies Fly Box who posted an Instagram video that recommended caddis in the riffles for fast action. His advice was accurate.

Olive-Brown Deer Hair Caddis on Its Nose

After lunch I continued my advancement through pocket water and riffles, and I increased the fish count to fourteen by 1:00PM. By now the sun was bright and the air temperature was in the upper seventies, and it seemed that these conditions placed the trout in a state of lethargy. The double dry suddenly failed to attract interest, so after a long dry spell, I returned to the dry/dropper methodology. I spotted one solitary golden stonefly, so I chose a tan body mini-chubby Chernboyl as my top fly. Beneath it I brought back the hares ear, and then I added a second nymph in the form of a salvation nymph. The length of the leader from mini chubby to salvatoin was around four feet.

Pockets to Pick

I cast to all the likely spots, but it was as if the river was a victim of a recent fish kill. I removed the salvation and replaced it with an olive perdigon. After an enormous amount of casting and moving, I managed to land two nice rainbow trout in the final two hours. One bow snagged the hares ear, and the other clamped down on the olive perdigon.

Promising

On the day I landed four rainbow trout with one chunky specimen approximating thirteen inches in length. A brown trout stretched the tape to thirteen as well, and the other rainbows were around twelve inches in length. The remainder of the catch were less than a foot long.

Another Fine Rainbow

While both dry flies were working, the deer hair caddis was preferred over the hippie stomper. I estimate that the ratio of caddis dry fly takes to hippie stomper takes was seven caddis for every three stompers. Moderate depth riffles and medium depth and long pockets were the most productive river structures. The big deep pools were a waste of casting energy.

Run Near the Bank Delivered

A sixteen fish day, while most of the waterways were blown out with high water, was appreciated greatly. The last two hours were tough, but the morning action was fast and very entertaining. Perhaps another visit to the South Platte is in my future.

Fish Landed: 16

 

 

River Suir – 06/04/2025

Time: 9:30AM – 4:30PM

Location: Near Ballymacarbry

River Suir 06/04/2025 Photo Album

Kevin, my guide, suggested that our day on Wednesday might be more challenging than Tuesday. His lowering of my expectations was prescient.

Frenchy

Once again he collected me from the B&B at 9:00AM, and we proceeded to the Clonanav shop. I snugged on my waders and wading boots over my layers of fleece, light down, and a rain shell. I was glad for all the layers, even though we enjoyed long intervals of sunshine. Periods of overcast, wind, and light rain between the sunshine made my choice of attire proper.

Mayfly

The River Suir is a powerful river, and although the Irish guides complained about low water for the time of year, it seemed to be running swiftly from bank to bank. Kevin fixed me up with a Klinkhammer dry and a frenchy dropper, and I was off and running. For Wednesday Kevin brought along a wading staff, and I was pleased to have it; however, it was longer and heavier than I was accustomed to.

Big Fast Moving River

Since the River Suir is a larger waterway, I was forced to make long casts. My line had a shooting head, and it took me quite awhile to adjust to this line configuration. For me, the hard part was lifting the long line to recast after a drift. I was waiting too long, and stripping the front section into the rod, and this then required abundant casting to get the shooting head back outside the guides. Once Kevin demonstrated how to pick up, when the orange section was at the tip, my casting improved significantly, although probably not up to the expertise of those who do it frequently.

Keeping It Wet

The other issue was the glare on the water, and this was especially problematic, when I zinged out a sixty foot cast. I was out casting my vision. Nevertheless, I managed to land four brown trout before lunch including a dink six incher, a thirteen incher, and a fourteen inch fish. The last morning fish was a very fine trout in excess of fifteen inches, but exceedingly fat, and it demonstrated the hardest fight of the trip. This fish craved the bottom of the river, and it dove repeatedly. At one point Kevin readied his net, and this angered the fish and goaded him into another extended fight that included diving and head shaking.

Fat One

After lunch we moved upstream to some very attractive water, where a long seam bordered a strong center run. During the afternoon session, I alternated between chucking a streamer, dry/dropper and a single dry fly. I experienced hits and brief hookups with the streamer and one connection on the caddis dry. In the latter case a sizeable brown moved a foot beneath the water and then crushed the dry fly, but I only nicked its lip, and it dashed downstream to safety. It was the most visual take of the trip.

Silvery

I doubled the fish count from four to eight, and this included a pair of fish in the fifteen to sixteen inch range along with a pair of sub one foot browns. For the last hour we moved to the River Nire, my home on Tuesday, and I covered a riffle section and a long slow-moving pool. Once again I took advantage of the shooting head, and Kevin taught me to aim high, so the line turned over and fluttered down on the extremely smooth water of the large pool. This avoided slapping the line down with the risk of spooking fish. Fish were rising sporadically throughout the pool, but I was unable to tempt a bite despite a fly change to a small olive comparadun. Finally in an act of desperation, Kevin returned me to the dry/dropper technique, and on the first cast after the change, a hard charging brown in the fifteen to sixteen inch range grabbed the frenchy. This was number eight, and as a light rain changed into steady precipitation, we called it quits.

End of Day Pool

Wednesday was an eight fish day that could have easily been double digits, had I improved my conversion rate. I caught five very respectable browns, but most importantly I learned some new techniques and improved their application. Hopefully I can reinforce them during future outings in the western U.S.

Fish Landed: 8

 

River Nire – 06/03/2025

Time: 10:00AM – 4:00PM

Location: Private water.

River Nire 06/03/2025 Photo Album

With streams raging with run off in Colorado, I booked two days of fly fishing with Clonanav Fly Fishing in Ireland. The trip was not purely for fly fishing; as Jane, Amy, and Amy Jo joined me. Jane is my wife, Amy is my daughter, and Amy Jo is a friend. We launched our self-planned tour of Ireland on May 26 in Dublin, and the ladies dropped me off at the Glasha Farmhouse on Monday, June 2, and then they proceeded to Dungarvan on the southern coast for a couple days of relaxation, before we all returned to the states on Thursday.

Deep Pool

Enough about our trip. The purpose of this blog is to report on my fly fishing adventures, so I will move on to that topic. My guide, Kevin, collected me at 9AM on Tuesday morning in his spiffy Range Rover, and he transported me to the fly shop only a mile or two away. I pulled my provided waders and wading boots on and then slid into my light down coat and a raincoat. It was quite overcast and windy (common in Ireland), as we proceeded to the River Nire. We drove through a pair of gates and over a rough and barely visible two track, and we eventually parked in a pasture next to the stream.

Off and Running

Proud Fisherman

The River Nire was just as I imagined an Irish stream. Long and placid, deep pools were separated by short sections of sluicing faster water, and large deciduous trees arched over the waterway. I opted not to bring my fishing gear, and Kevin had two GuideLine rods rigged and ready to cast. The rods were secured in rod holders over the hood of the Range Rover. The four weight GuideLine was far softer than what I was accustomed to, so it took me a bit to adjust.

Another Irish Brown

Like a Lake

On my first cast I failed to load the rod, and this resulted in a short cast to some slow water twenty feet from my position. I lifted to execute a better cast, and I was shocked to feel the weight of a decent fish. Unfortunately it escaped, but what a start!

Surprised by This One

At the outset I was using a Klinkhammer dry with a pink and white wing post, and beneath this attractor was a size 18 flashback pheasant tail nymph. During the morning I primarily persisted with this arrangement, and it resulted in ten magnificent brown trout in my net. My expectation going into this trip to Ireland was catching five to ten small brown trout per day. Guess again. I landed thirteen in total on the day, and nearly all were in the fifteen to twenty inch range along with a pair of browns twenty inches or more. Wow, did these fish fight. Diving and head shaking were integral to their combative repertoire.

Look at the Bulk

After lunch I added three additional magnificent browns, and I had at least another four temporary connections. Two of the afternoon catch extended beyond twenty inches. It was simply outstanding.

This Section Really Produced

As mentioned earlier, the Klinkhammer and pheasant tail produced early, but the pheasant tail got swapped for a Frenchy perdigon part way through the morning. Two trout crushed the dry with the remainder duped  by one of the nymphs.

And Again

After lunch I fished mostly the dry/dropper, but we experimented with a tiny gray streamer as well. I detected one strong bump with the jigging streamer, but the pursuer failed to grab the fly a second time. My day ended in a stunning pool with a size 16 caddis with a yellow indicator on top for visibility. I fished it solo, and although I only landed three in the PM, two represented the largest of the day.

All In

Fishing in Ireland is more akin to Pennsylvania than Colorado. I made relatively long casts, and in many cases it reminded me of lake fishing. Patience was a necessity in these instances, as the fly chugged along slowly, but often enough a grab occurred after I waited out the drift. Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully Kevin was exaggerating how much today was above the norm to lower my expectations.

Fish Landed: 13

Nice Bend

Splendid

South Platte River – 05/24/2025

Time: 10:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte River 05/24/2025 Photo Album

As I mentioned in my post of 05/20/2025, I was set to visit the South Platte River, when I was distracted by the temporary low flows on the Arkansas River and made that my destination on Monday. Friday was my day to follow through on my initial inclination. I made the trip to the South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon. The high temperature was projected to reach the low seventies in nearby Lake George, CO, and the flows were actually running a bit low at 58 CFS.

Looking Ahead

For this trip to Eleven Mile I decided to experiment with a new stretch of the river. I usually frequent the upper special regulation section below the dam, but I admire the open water area, as I drive by. Sure, the bait fishermen are able to ply the river with their offerings, but I have learned historically on other streams that wily fish remain that are able to avoid the drifting worms and power bait. The key is to probe out of the way and difficult to reach spots, and these types of water exist in abundant quantity in Eleven Mile Canyon.

Number Two

Typical Productive Water

I slowly drove up the canyon while scanning the river for faster sections, until I finally found an area that exhibited the characteristics that I was seeking. The temperature was in the low sixties, so I pulled on my rain jacket for extra warmth, and I rigged my Sage R8 four weight. By 10:30AM I was on the river, and I began my angling day with a size 8 tan-body pool toy hopper, an orange scud and an olive perdigon. Between 10:30AM and 11:45AM I prospected all the likely seams, slots, pockets and riffles; and I notched four trout in my fish count. Two were rainbows and two were brown trout. One aggressive rainbow crushed the pool toy hopper, and the others grabbed  the nymphs. After twenty minutes the orange scud failed to deliver, so I substituted a beadhead hares ear nymph, and it attracted one rainbow, while the other two trout favored the olive perdigon.

Did the Job

Colorful Rainbow

After lunch on a nice flat rock, I continued up the river, and I built the fish count to seven. The three additional trout chose the hares ear, and in the process of landing one of the nicer rainbows, the olive perdigon broke off. I always grieve the loss of a perdigon, and the expensive tungsten bead, and I did not wish to expose more to that risk, and the trout seemed to like the hares ear, so I dipped into my fleece wallet for a PMD supernova to replace the perdigon.

Pocket Water Delight

By one o’clock I encountered a group of elementary age kids splashing and playing on a huge exposed boulder in the middle of the river. The river in the upstream area was wide and shallow and slow moving, so I retreated to the car and advanced up the road for .2 mile. I parked and jumped into another narrow section that contained deep pockets, plunge pools and exposed boulders. This was exactly the type of structure that I was seeking.

Seams Always Good

For the remainder of my afternoon I probed the likely spots, and I increased the fish count from seven to seventeen. Two nice brown trout in the fourteen inch range graced my net during this phase of my day. Both of the large trout emerged from lies in front of large exposed boulders, where the current deflected off the upstream face. Part way through the afternoon time frame, the PMD supernova was separated from my tippet, and I replaced it with a salvation nymph. Of the ten trout landed, as I moved the fish count from seven to seventeen, two consumed the supernova, one mauled the pool toy, one nabbed the salvation nymph and the remainder picked off the hares ear.

One of the Better Fish

Emerged from the Current Seam

My theory held. The section featured fast water with pockets and slots and hidden seams, and I used my dry/dropper to probe each possibility. Most fishermen prefer the deep pools and the entering runs as obvious fish magnets, and I avoided these spots that are normally pressured by the bait dunkers. I would not characterize the fishing as sizzling, but rather steady. Not all promising locations yielded results, but if I moved at a steady pace and persisted, I was able to create adequate action.

Covered in Spots

Nice Brown from in Front of the Large Boulder

Aside from the two fourteen inch browns, I netted quite a few trout in the eleven to twelve inch range, and I recalled at least four decent fish that shed my fly hook after brief fights. On the day I estimate that the ratio of browns to rainbows was roughly 50/50.  Overall it was a fun day. I always enjoy discovering new streams or different sections of rivers that produce favorable results. I will definitely do more exploration of Eleven Mile Canyon.

Fish Landed: 17

End of Day Double

 

 

Arkansas River – 05/20/2025

Time: 11:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Near Buena Vista

Arkansas River 05/20/2025 Photo Album

As I waded through my options for fishing on Friday, May 16, 2025; I reviewed the flows on the various Front Range streams. This survey of the DWR flow data taught me that the South Platte River was the one remaining moving water alternative, and I decided Eleven Mile Canyon would be my choice on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. However, after a series of cool weather days, I checked the stream conditions on the Arkansas River at Nathrop, and I was surprised to learn flows dropped from the 800 CFS range to the low 500’s. Could I squeeze in one more day on the Arkansas, before it blew up again, when run off resumed? I called the fly shop in Buena Vista, and Thomas answered and told me that the river was indeed clear and dropping and a viable fishing option.

I succumbed to the allure of the new area of the Arkanasas River, and made the drive to Buena Vista. Along my route I saw digital signs warning of the danger of high wind. Was my decision to fish in severe weather conditions a good one?

Flows Were Up a Bit but Decent

I stopped at the Buena Vista fly shop and introduced myself to Thomas and purchased a spool of 4X tippet and continued on my way to the parking area near my chosen fly fishing location. The temperature, when I exited the Telluride was 56 degrees, but the wind was gusting and made it feel much chillier, so I pulled on my long sleeve thermal undershirt, my fleece hoodie and my North Face light down coat. I forgot to pack my rain shell, which I normally use as a windbreaker. I also decided against wearing my wide brimmed western hat in favor of my billed New Zealand hat with ear flaps. This may sound like overkill for 56 degrees, but I was comfortable for most of the morning and early afternoon. For a fly rod I pulled my Sage One five weight from its tube to combat the wind.

More Clear Pockets

I hiked the .15 mile path to the top of the bank overlooking the river, and then I followed the trail downstream for .2 mile, before I negotiated the bank and positioned myself along the river’s edge. I wanted to explore the downstream area, since I did not start there on my earlier trip. To begin my search for trout, I selected an amber ice dub body size 8 chubby Chernobyl, and then I added an iron Sally and an olive perdigon.

A Winner

The river was a bit higher than my earlier visit, and this forced me to limit my casting to the west bank with minimal coverage of the center of the river. I prospected for thirty minutes until lunch at noon, and I managed to land three brown trout. Much to my amazement one crushed the chubby Chernobyl and the others grabbed the olive perdigon.

In Front of the Boulder Produced

After lunch I resumed my progress, and my success was limited to a couple temporary hookups. It was at this time that I waded to a spot, and when I placed my right foot between two rocks, it slipped causing me to temporarily lose my balance. My rod was in my right hand, and I reached down with that hand to prevent a fall, but I also placed the rod across two exposed rocks. Although I did not fall, I did suddenly lean to the right to rebalance, and this act snapped the Sage One in the butt section. Needless to say I was not happy, but after a bit of berating myself for my stupidity, I regained my composure. I removed the flies, broke down the rod, and returned to the car; which, fortunately was not far away. I returned the broken rod to its case and pulled out my back up five weight Loomis.

Promising

I returned to the river and resumed from the scene of my unfortunate accident. I exchanged the iron sally for a 20 incher and maintained the perdigon. These flies remained in place, until I snagged something in front of a large exposed rock, and the location was too precarious to allow a rescue, so I ended up snapping off all three flies. When I rigged anew, I substituted an olive-black Pat’s rubber leg for the 20 incher.

Chubby Eater

Using these fly combinations I increased the fish count from three to eight, before I called it a day around 3:30PM. The chubby Chernobyl accounted for two fish, the rubber legs logged one, and the remainder nabbed the olive perdigon. My day was rather slow, and I covered a lot of water to generate the eight fish day. The wind was a huge hassle. It gusted frequently from the north and created a frustrating headwind. My most effective casts were up and across with long drifts across from my position and downstream. Most of the landed fish appeared from deep lies in front of or next to large submerged or exposed boulders. I suspect that the lack of insect activity and the cold snow melt caused the fish to hug structure and not move very far for food.

One of the Better Fish

The size of the fish was quite favorable with nearly all being in the twelve to thirteen inch range. In one place I made a cast across a fast current to a wide slow moving pool below a large boulder, and as the flies began to swing, a fish grabbed one of the nymphs. I set the hook and turned the fish temporarily and exposed the side of a fairly long brown trout. I suspect it may have been the largest fish I’ve seen in my newly discovered stretch of the river.

Lovely Spot

I suspect I should have adhered to my original inclination and fished the South Platte, but high winds were in the forecast there as well. Breaking my rod was a bummer, but landing eight nice brown trout under challenging conditions during a lull in run off was actually a decent accomplishment  Nevertheless, tailwaters and lakes are in my future.

Fish Landed: 8

Pine Valley Ranch Lake – 05/16/2025

Time: 11:00AM – 2:00PM

Location: Shoreline

Pine Valley Ranch Lake 08/16/2025 Photo Album

After experiencing a skunking on Wednesday and enduring a continuing struggle with a cold, I considered my options for a day of fly fishing on Friday, May 16, 2025. My Tuesday outing involved a long drive to the South Platte River, so I filtered my choices to those close to Denver. I examined the DWR flow information, and I quickly discovered that all the Front Range streams were in the process of blowing out with rapid increases in volume. Even South Boulder Creek, a tailwater, was chugging along at 199 CFS.

The one drainage that was conspicuous as an example of favorable flows was the South Platte River tailwaters. Other than the Waterton Canyon stretch, however, they all involved relatively lengthy drives, and I was reluctant to undertake that, having made the trip on Tuesday to Eleven Mile Canyon.

I shifted my attention to lakes, and in a short amount of time, I settled on Pine Valley Ranch Lake. The travel time was reasonable, and I love the Pine Valley Ranch Park, and I enjoyed decent success at the lake in prior seasons. The stocking report indicated that a transfer of trout took place on March 28, and that was quite a while ago, but I gambled that hungry fish remained albeit perhaps a bit wiser and more spread out.

In the meantime, I received a text from the mother of my fly fishing student, Ben, and Ben had Friday off, so I invited him to join me. He jumped on the opportunity, and I picked him up at 9:30AM, and we continued our drive out US 285 from there. We arrived at the lower parking lot by 10:30AM, and six other cars were present. A fisherman was preparing to fish in one of the vehicles, but the others seemed to be hikers and dog walkers.

I wore my down coat and my rain jacket, and I fit together my four piece Sage R8 four weight. Ben assembled his gear and rods, and we hiked around the lake to a spot on the south shoreline. I selected the long way around to familiarize Ben with the surroundings, since it was his first visit.

Ben’s Early Catch

Initially I fished a peacock hippie stomper, salvation nymph and salad spinner midge pupa, and I managed one connection. The rainbow leaped from the water several times and then shed the hook, before I could gain control. Ben, meanwhile, was fishing with a balanced leech streamer that displayed shiny brown fibers and a tungsten bead. His choice proved fortuitous, as he hooked and landed three rainbows of above average size in the time period prior to lunch. In addition, he noted some follows and recorded a few temporary hook ups, so his action was quite impressive.

Ben with Fish Number One

We paused for lunch at noon, and after lunch we resumed our efforts to attract the attention of the lake dwellers. After seeing Ben’s success, I removed my dry/dropper setup, and I knotted a woolly bugger to my line and crimped a split shot right above the eye of the hook. The bugger had a brown marabou tail and a peacock chenille body. The wind was gusting dramatically, and this in turn caused small waves to develop on the surface, and I assumed the fish were unable to see the hippie stomper. The woolly bugger failed to produce, so after fifteen minutes and many casts and strips, I replaced it with the streamer I made, while my grandson, Theo, observed.

Intruder

Theo Thunder

Imagine my excitement, when I felt the bump of a take and hooked and stripped in a slightly above average-sized rainbow trout. I simply threw together a jumble of leftover materials for this fly, so It was very gratifying to achieve success.

Streamer Stripping

The weather went through cycles that consisted of strong wind, waves, and clouds; and then sunny and clear skies. During the sunny periods, the surface would change into smoothness, and then a smaller cloud would block the sun and create an overcast and a bit of riffle, and the lake would bloom with sporadic rises. Between one and two o’clock, when we quit, I settled on the double dry approach with a peacock hippie stomper and a size 22 dry fly. The fly consisted of a light olive quill body and olive wing and dubbing at the thorax. I noticed a few small adult midges buzzing about, and they appeared to display the same light olive coloration.

Not Bad for Dave

Finally I enjoyed some success. I landed three rainbow trout, and two sipped the small olive dry fly, and one crushed the hippie stomper. All these fish hit the surface fly, after I cast and waited for twenty to thirty seconds. Stripping and popping the flies was not an effective technique on this day. Also, the fish responded during those times, when the sky clouded and before the wind became too strong.

Ben’s afternoon was quite slow after a solid morning, and we agreed to depart at 2PM. Four trout in three hours of fishing was not impressive, but I had fun introducing Ben to a new spot, and I was thrilled to observe his streamer success. I look forward to more lake fishing over the next several months.

Fish Landed: 4

St. Vrain Creek – 05/14/2025

Time: 11:00AM – 11:45AM, 1:00PM – 2:00PM

Location: Near Lyons, CO

This story begins with the Mothers Day hike that Jane and I completed in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday, May 11. During our drive to the park, we traveled along the South Fork of St. Vrain Creek, and it looked fishable even though run off was commencing on many Colorado freestone streams after hot days over the weekend.

With nice weather once again in the forecast for Wednesday, May 14, I considered my options and decided to attempt to sneak in a freestone day on the South Fork, before snow melt became a permanent condition. I arrived at a pullout along CO 7, and the thermometer displayed 61 degrees, so I wore my fishing shirt with no additional layers. I assembled my old Sage four weight, and I followed a path down a gravel bank to the creek and then bashed through some bushes to the end of a nice pool with a center-cut run. I knotted the amber ice dub size 8 chubby Chernobyl to my line that served me well on Tuesday, although it was now devoid of legs on one side. Beneath the chubby I added a weighted 20 incher and then an olive perdigon. The creek was clearly in the early stages of run off, but the water was crystal clear, so I hoped that I could extract some trout with my heavy dry/dropper rig.

Well, that theory failed to materialize. Between 11:00AM and 11:45AM, I worked my way upstream and drifted the offerings through every spot where the current slowed enough to enable fish to hold. No dice. I never saw a refusal or a look or even a darting fish escaping my wading. Either the creek contained no fish, or the early stages of run off forced the stream inhabitants to hug the banks with a case of lockjaw, as they adjusted to new conditions.

I cut my losses and moved on to the North Fork of St. Vrain Creek at Buttonrock Preserve. I found a parking spot at the trailhead and quickly downed my lunch in the car. By now the wind was gusting, although the temperature was around 66 degrees. My gear was already at the ready from my previous stop, so I hiked up the dirt road for a ways, and resumed my quest for St. Vrain trout.

Apparently catching fish was not in my future for Wednesday, May 14, 2025. I spent an hour on the creek probing likely holding locations for trout. The hour proved to be a heavy dose of futility. For the first thirty minutes I kept the chubby in place, but eventually I swapped it for a peacock hippie stomper. For nymphs I cycled through the hares ear nymph, olive perdigon, emerald caddis pupa, and a PMD supernova. None of these offerings attracted fish, and similar to the earlier stop on the South Fork, I never observed a fish. I did not sight a fish, I witnessed no refusals or looks, and no fish darted for cover, as I advanced upstream. I have had terrible luck on trips to the North Fork, and I am removing it from consideration for future trips.

As I typed this report, I checked the flows, and they have increased from 51 CFS to 99 CFS over a less than 48 hour period. Perhaps the fish were hunkered down attempting to adjust to the significant shift in flows. For now, I will accept that explanation, but it doesn’t change my avoidance of the Buttonrock Preserve for the near future.

Fish Landed: 0

South Platte River – 05/13/2025

Time: 11:00AM – 4:00PM

Location: Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte River 05/13/2025 Photo Album

After a fantastic day on a new section of the Arkansas River on Friday, I yearned to return. However, temperatures in the upper eighties over the weekend spurred a heightened amount of snow melt, and when I checked the streamflows at the Nathrop station on Monday, the graph depicted a severe slope upward. I called the local fly shop, and Tony informed me that the fishing on the Arkansas River was probably on hold, until the run off began to subside in June. It was time for plan B.

Zoomed

I quickly shifted gears and examined the flows on tailwaters starting with Eleven Mile Canyon. I knew from previous years that the water managers hold back water to fill the South Platte reservoirs, and that proved to be the case in 2025. The gauge at Lake George was displaying flows in the mid-eighties, and I recognized this as an opportunity to visit Eleven Mile Canyon.

Produced

Behind the Boulder

I arrived at one of my favorite parking lots at 10:30AM, and the temperature registered 61 degrees, and the sky was quite overcast. I opted for my raincoat as my only layer, and I pulled together my Sage R8 four weight. I love this rod on medium sized rivers. To begin my effort to net South Platte River trout, I knotted an amber ice dub size 8 chubby Chernobyl to my line, and then, being in a contrarian mood, I selected a partridge and orange wet fly and a hares ear nymph. I wish I could report that my choice of a seldom used fly paid dividends, but after fifteen minutes of casting in relatively attractive water, I had nothing to show for my experimentation with a classic wet fly and nymph. I moved the hares ear to the upper position and replaced the partridge and orange with an emerald caddis pupa.

Love the Pose

After this change in plan, I began to catch a few trout on the hares ear, and I steadily progressed upstream. When I rounded the bend, I was disappointed to spy another angler, and a second person stood nearby next to a folding chair. This clearly blocked my forward progress, but I advanced, until I was twenty yards below the man’s position. I later discovered that the other person was the angler’s wife or partner. During this period, I increased the fish count to six, with the hares ear doing most of the damage, although after a short trial, I abandoned the caddis pupa and replaced it with the trusty olive perdigon.

Right Side Slick

Upon approaching the couple, I exited right and circled around them through a dense clump of bushes and then followed the road, until I arrived at a spot, where the river ran right next to the dirt lane. Another angler arrived in the meantime, so I moved another twenty yards upstream and continued my upstream progression. I found a nice clear spot along the bank and chowed down on my lunch before resuming.

Just Before Release

For the most of the remainder of the afternoon, I persisted with the chubby Chernobyl, hares ear nymph, and olive perdigon. By 3PM, I spotted some stray blue wing olives, so I replaced the hares ear with a PMD supernova and then a sparkle wing RS2. Each of these flies yielded a pair of fish.

Very Respectable

After lunch I moved through some pocket water and then made some long casts in the smooth pool and glide at the bend. I did connect briefly with what felt like a heavier fish, as it attacked the chubby Chernobyl at the tail of the long slick. Once I passed the run and pool, I debated whether to move to my second favorite location, but I decided to persist. The next section featured a wide area that spilled around exposed rocks, and this created pockets, albeit relatively shallow. The gambit paid off, as I built the fish count to twelve, and this included some surprising twelve inch brown trout from fairly marginal lies.

Spectacular Spots

Once I covered the pockets, I opted to exit, since another slow moving deep pool was in my future. I hiked back to the car, and the couple that I encountered was present at their vehicle next to mine, and the gentleman was using the folding chair to remove his waders. We shared greetings and a brief exchange of our successes, and then I departed and moved .3 mile up the river to my next area to explore.

Shelf Pool

Rare Double

I spent the rest of the afternoon prospecting pockets, slots and deep runs among faster water, and I advanced the fish count from twelve to twenty. Among these catches were a pair of very nice and chunky thirteen inch brown trout. In addition, I experienced a rarity, when I hooked two fish at once and landed them both. A nice thirteen inch brown trout grabbed the chubby, and as I began playing it, a small brown nabbed one of the trailing nymphs. This always makes me wonder, whether I need to strip my flies faster, since the fish nailed the trailing nymph, while the larger fish streaked about attempting to escape.

Source of Double

My big revelation on the day was the effectiveness of the juicy chubby Chernobyl. Six of the twenty netted trout mashed the chubby, and these were some of the larger trout. The hares ear accounted for three, the supernova added two, the sparkle wing tallied two and the remainder grabbed the olive perdigon. The perdigon was a factor, but it was not the heavy lifter that it has been in recent outings.

Covered in Spots

Although Tuesday was a solid day, I would not characterize it as hot fishing. I covered a huge amount of the river and made an abundant quantity of casts. Places that I was certain would produce failed to do so, and other spots that screamed marginal came through. Tuesday’s success required a lot of casting and steady movement and above all continued focus. Hopefully I can squeeze in more stream fly fishing, before I am forced to resort to stillwaters.

Fish Landed: 20

Surprisingly Productive Chubby Chernobyl

Arkansas River – 05/09/2025

Time: 11:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: Buena Vista Area

Arkansas River 05/09/2025 Photo Album

I am not sure if the source of my euphoria on Friday, May 9, 2025 stemmed from the continuing outstanding productivity of the olive perdigon or the discovery of a new section of the Arkansas River. With highs in Denver predicted in the seventies, I checked potential fly fishing destinations and settled on the Buena Vista area of the Arkansas River, where the high was forecast to peak in the low sixties. On the previous week I made the drive to the same area, and I enjoyed a very satisfying day of fly fishing, so a return visit appealed to me.

New Water

Every year at this time that spans mid-April until early May, I chase the famed Arkansas River caddis hatch, and that also played into my planning. The fly shop report indicated that the hatch was centered over Salida after the recent cold snap. I surmised that progression to the Buena Vista area was a possibility.

Impressive Start

Love the Spots

I set my Google maps app to a new spot, and I gambled that there was fishing access. The map that I was using suggested that was the case, but there was a risk that I was wasting time seeking out an unknown fishing spot.

Looking Ahead

I arrived at the designated test location by 11AM, and by the time I pulled on my fleece hoodie and raincoat and assembled my Sage R8 four weight and hiked a short distance to the river, it was 11:30PM. I was flying blind, and I had no idea where to park, how far away the river was and what the fishing conditions were like. Fortunately I quickly found the designated parking lot, the walk to the river was short, and the section of the river in front of me looked amazing.

Sole Rainbow

I began my quest for trout with an amber ice dub body chubby Chernobyl, an iron sally and a bright green caddis pupa. I debated using the olive perdigon, but I wanted to experiment with the caddis pupa first. On the first two casts in a deep slot behind a boulder, I hooked and landed two respectable brown trout in the twelve to thirteen inch range; and, needless to say, I was impressed. Between 11:30 and noon, when I found a nice flat rock for my picnic lunch, I added two more browns to my netted fish tally to boost the total to four. Was this for real? All the late morning trout grabbed the iron sally.

Narrow Run Along the Bank Produced

After lunch, however, I endured a brief dry spell, so I reconsidered my offerings and exchanged the heretofore unproductive caddis for the olive perdigon. It was a master stroke. For the remainder of the day the chubby Chernobyl and perdigon were constants in my lineup, and my only change was to swap the iron sally for a go2 bright green caddis pupa midway through the afternoon.

Wide Moderate Depth Riffle Was Prime

Check Out All the Subsurface Rocks

What an afternoon it was! the fish count ballooned from four to thirty-one. In total the chubby Chernobyl accounted for five, the iron sally registered the first four, one fish fell prey to the caddis pupa and the remaining twenty-one hungered for the olive perdigon. I never spotted a caddis fly, but during two extended periods of heavy cloud cover, I noticed a few blue wing olives, but not enough to generate any surface feeding. Apparently there were active baetis nymphs, and the olive perdigon was a close enough representation. Another testament to my good fortune was my ability to fish for three plus hours without losing a fly, and with tungsten beads going for one dollar each, that was good news.

Big Flapper

The river was in prime condition. The flows in Nathrop downstream were around 400 CFS, and crystal clear was the clarity status. I fished upstream along the left bank, and prospected all the deep slots, troughs, pockets and riffles. All these types of structure produced, but the most dependable locations featured the tail end of deep slower moving slots just before the adjoining currents merged and accelerated. A lift at the end of these drifts seemed to be a deadly technique. I love the feeling of confidence, when I lock on to productive flies and identify the most likely fish holding lies. Before casting I could more or less predict the result, although I covered the water thoroughly and produced the occasional nice fish from fairly marginal spots.

Chubby Again

Once again I failed to greet the caddis hatch, but in exchange I discovered a new favorite section of the river, and I reinforced the effectiveness of the perdigon style of fly. I typically dislike tying flies during fishing season, but I may have to deviate from this position, and tie up some more. Other than the expense of the beads, the perdigons are a straightforward tie with minimal materials. A thirty-one fish day is very appreciated, and although the largest probably stretched the tape to thirteen inches, quite a few were in that twelve to thirteen inch range, and all but one outlier rainbow were marvelous vividly colored wild fish. Could I sneak in another day on the Arkansas before the run off thwarts my success? Stay tuned.

Fish Landed: 31