Colorado River 1 – 09/18/2024

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

North Fork of the White River – 09/12/2024

Time: 9:30AM – 2:15PM

Location: Between Buford and Trappers Lake

North Fork of the White River 069/12/2024 Photo Album

Thursday was my last day in the Flattops and my get away day. I gathered all my belongings from the Aspen cabin at the Ute Lodge, and I was on my way for one last day of fly fishing. I planned to get an early start and leave early in order to allow for a reasonable arrival time at my my home in Denver, CO. Little did I know that two significant traffic snarls awaited me, adding thirty minutes to my already lengthy drive. One was on the west side of Vail Pass, and the other was the approach to the Eisenhower Tunnel.

Early Gem

Getting Bigger

In previous years I experienced great success on a section of the North Fork, and I reserved it for Thursday. The temperature, when I arrived, was 54 degrees, so I bypassed added layers, but I did pull on my raincoat. I planned to wear it for the first hour or so, but it remained in place during my entire time on the river. The reason for this was the fly angler’s four letter word, wind. The wind gusted for significant amounts of time, and I was forced to halt my casting, turn my back and hold my hat in place numerous times. Fortunately I was on a small stream with fast water that enabled me to approach relatively close, thus, facilitating short casts.

Brighter Colors Too

Brook Trout Joins the Parade

Perfect Holding Spot on High Gradient Stream

I chose this stretch of the North Fork, since it produced abundant quantities of fish in prior years, and I was concerned that I would not have as much time on the water due to my planned early departure. As it turned out, my plan was on the mark, although I still logged 4.5 hours of fly fishing. During this time I landed forty-six trout. Yes, aside from the constant battle with the wind, it was a magnificent day.

Another Respite from the Churn

Pumpkin or Fish?

After I intersected with the stream, I continued to hike without fishing for a decent distance. I wanted to make sure I reached my planned exit point by early afternoon, and the early section was characterized by high gradient and limited fish holding locations. When I finally began casting, I armed my Loomis two piece five weight with a size 14 olive ice dub hippie stomper and a salvation nymph. These same patterns remained on my line throughout my tenure on the North Fork. During the first hour I landed eight, after two hours the fish count rested on seventeen. In the morning session one-third of the landed trout crushed the hippie stomper, but this ratio shifted dramatically in the afternoon.

Long One

Look at This Flipper of a Tail

After my noontime snack, I continued, and the pace of catching fish accelerated from an already impressive morning rate. The fish counter moved from seventeen to forty-six, before I called it quits at 2:15PM in order to prepare for an early start. During this time period the salvation was king. I could rely on every prime spot to produce one if not two trout, as they aggressively grabbed the shiny nymph, as it tumbled by. My dropper was only 2.5 feet long, so the trout were elevated in the water column and looking for any sort of food to eat.

Home to a Big One

What sort of trout was I catching? Twenty-five percent of the finned creatures that occupied my net were brook trout, and the remainder were rainbow trout and cutbows. A couple of the brook trout approached a foot long, but the real prizes were the cutbows and rainbows. I landed many dazzling, chunky thirteen and twelve inch battlers with a couple fine fish pushing the fourteen inch line. All were healthy and hefty for their length, and they delivered heroic fights in their effort to get free.

Vivid Black Spots on This Cutbow

What type of water did they inhabit? The two main requirements were depth and slow current velocity. I skipped many high gradient stretches with minimal marginal pockets in order to efficiently utilize my limited time, and the strategy was successful.

Narrow and Fast Was Typical

Thursday was an amazing day and perhaps the best of 2024. The angling adventure was a success from both a quality and quantity standpoint. I moved quickly, popped casts, landed fish and snapped photos of the most memorable. The wind was indeed, a nuisance, but it just added to the gratification, when I achieved a high level of success. It was a splendid way to top off a fun week in the Flattops with stunning scenery, mostly beautiful weather, and productive fishing.

Fish Landed: 46

 

South Fork of the White River – 09/11/2024

Time: 11:30AM – 4:30PM

Location: Upstream from the South Fork Campground

South Fork of the White River 09/11/2024 Photo Album

Wednesday was an interesting day. I was concerned about PM thunderstorms, so I wore my fleece and billed hat with flaps. The temperature in the parking lot was 54 degrees, and it never peaked above the upper 60’s. Part way into my hike, I began to perspire, so I removed the fleece and tied it around my waist. This was obviously not a solution for when I began fishing. I arrived at my chosen destination at 11:15AM, and I immediately made an adjustment, as I tied my fleece around my waist inside my wader bib. It was tight, but it worked.

I Skipped Many Wide Shallow Sections Such as This

Pockets Along the Left Bank Were My Targets

I was armed with my Sage One five weight, and I started my quest for South Fork trout with a tan Amy’s ant, a 20 incher, and a Pat’s rubber leg. The flows seemed a bit higher than normal for this time of year, so I used two weighted flies to get down. After a reasonable trial period, I declared my deep drift strategy a bust, and I replaced the Pat’s rubber legs with a salvation nymph.

Early Success

A Nice Handful

Sweet Spot. Depth and Slower Current

I paused at noon for lunch, and when I resumed, my frustration reached new levels. In the period after lunch I landed one rainbow, and I endured five long distance releases. One can imagine the level of frustration present on the South Fork. I was trapped at one fish and convinced that is where I would remain. I decided to mix things up, so I replaced the 20 incher with an ultra zug bug. A sloppy release of a fish snapped off the salvation, so I replaced it with another. I was hoping for a sharper hook. These moves resulted in a couple decent rainbows to boost the fish count to three, and I remained at this level for a long interval.

Action Improving

Deeper Colors

I was covering a huge amount of water, skipping wide shallow riffles and marginal spots and casting my arm off. The Amy’s ant was not a factor, so I replaced it with my old reliable olive ice dub hippie stomper. Between 2PM and 2:30PM I managed to climb the count to seven, but the action remained lackluster, although quite a few feisty twelve and thirteen inch rainbows were among the landed fish.

Productive Spot

By 2:30 some large dark clouds rolled in, and I managed to pull on my fleece and raincoat and dropped my earflaps, before the precipitation descended. I waited out the ten minute downpour, before I resumed casting. Needless to say, I was pleased with my foresight which provided the extra warmth to withstand the temperature drop and rain. I continued to stress, however, about how to carry the fleece on my return hike.

A Fine Trout

Once the storm passed, the fishing conditions shifted dramatically. I surmised that the long distance releases and lack of consistent action stemmed from the salvation not being a close enough imitation of the pale morning dun nymph. I swapped it for a hare nation, which is essentially a salvation with hares ear legs rather than rubber legs. The results were immediate. Between 3:00PM and 4:30PM, I doubled the fish count from seven to fourteen, and number twelve was the fish of the trip. The wide slab of a rainbow nipped the hair nation and fought me up and down the run, before I was able to slip it into my net. It was the fish of the trip so far, as it extended the length of my net opening. The girth was the more impressive characteristic. In addition to slab sides, numbers nine and eleven were also in the same length range, however, they failed to carry the extreme poundage of number twelve. They were not lean trout, just not as thick as the prize of the day.

Another Trout Condo

At 4:30PM I approached a long wide and shallow riffle section, so I stripped in my line and hooked the end fly to the rod guide. I solved my concern over carrying layers back to the parking lot by stuffing my raincoat in the backpack, and I tied the arms of the fleece around my neck.

Best of the Day

Most of the day was slow and frustrating, but the last 1.5 hours turned my fortunes around. The South Fork is a tough river, and I question whether a return is in my future. Yet, the image of those three fifteen inch rainbows may draw me back in a future year.

Fish Landed: 14

North Fork of the White River – 09/10/2024

Time: 10:00AM – 3:30PM

Location: Between Buford and Trappers Lake

North Fork of the White River 09/10/2024 Photo Album

On day two in the Flattops I confirmed that a lot of beautiful fish reside in the relatively remote high mountain region. I spent another day on the North Fork of the White River, however, I chose a different section.

Pollinating

My Home for Three Nights

The air temperature at my cabin, when I departed, was 44 degrees, but it increased to 51 degrees by the time I arrived at my chosen pullout. In an effort to remain comfortable, until the  sun warmed the atmosphere, I pulled on my rain shell. For my casting tool I chose my Loomis two piece five weight. I expected to cast a lot of dry/droppers.

Copper and Scarlet

Brook Trout Resting

Watermelon Colors

In the two hours before I paused for lunch, I used a tan pool toy hopper size 8 and a size 14 prince nymph to elevate the fish count to ten. The hopper accounted for three trout and numerous refusals, while the dependable prince delivered the remainder to my waiting net. The morning session transpired in some high gradient terrain, and I skipped around quite a few narrow sections with minimal trout holding possibilities.

Nature’s Palette

Mostly Rainbow Here

What a Spot

After lunch I reconfigured my offerings with a size 14 peacock hippie stomper and a salvation nymph. I read my blog posts on the North Fork from recent years, and they cited these flies as effective. The action was not immediately improved over the morning, but after twenty minutes, the fish demonstrated their appetite for my two flies. The key was finding deep water with length. Short, deep pockets did not produce, nor did long riffles, if the current velocity was too strong.

Turned Around

Trout and Leaf

Between 12:30PM and 3:30PM I landed another forty-eight trout to boost the daily total to fifty-eight! Whew! What a day! I covered a significant amount of river length, as I searched for stream characteristics that consistently yielded trout.

Perhaps the Best Pool

What type of trout was I catching? Unlike previous years, the cutbows and rainbows far outnumbered brook trout. I estimate that ten of the total catch were brook trout. Two of the brookies approached twelve inches, which is impressive for that species in Colorado streams. The cutbows were amazing. Thirteen inches was likely the maximum, but the patterns and colors of these trout were magnificent. It seemed that the cutbows were in varying stages of hybridization. The body color varied from the light gray displayed by rainbows to the deep copper hue of a cutthroat. Pink stripes and scarlet cheeks blended with an orange slash and dense spot patterns to make the fish absolute jewels.

I will be extremely interested to see what tomorrow offers from the Flattop streams. Tuesday was a rare fly fishing bonanza, and I am thankful to maintain my ability to enjoy another year in this wilderness wonderland.

Fish Landed: 58

 

 

 

North Fork of the White River – 09/09/2024

Time: 1:00PM – 5:00PM

Location: Between Buford and Trappers Lake

North Fork of the White River 09/09/2024 Photo Album

Monday was the start of my annual fly fishing adventure in the Flattops region of Colorado. I made this four plus hour drive every year for at least the last eight, although I abandoned my camping days for the moderate comfort of the Ute Lodge. My usual accommodations in the Pine cabin were reserved (I actually met the occupant), so I settled for the equally rustic Aspen cabin.

Cattle Roundup near the Gateway to the Flattops

I arrived at my fly fishing destination just after noon on Monday, September 9, 2024, so I immediately broke out my modest lunch. The dashboard thermometer registered 71 degrees, however, this was probably the peak, as high cloud cover blocked the sun for most of the afternoon and held the temperature in check. In fact, steady rain commenced at the end of my day, as I started my car to continue my drive to the Ute Lodge.

I utilized my Sage One five weight, in case I needed the extra backbone to control the hot rainbows of the North Fork. Once I was thoroughly prepared, I hiked along the road, until I found a gradual trail to the river. The wind kicked up during my early tenure on the river, and I was thankful for the larger five weight rod. I began my fly fishing outing with a size 8 yellow fat Albert, a size 12 prince nymph on a four foot dropper, and a salvation nymph on a one foot extension. My set up was rather long by dry/dropper standards.

Narrow Spot Where Tangle Occurred

I began lobbing casts in a narrow braid with tight surrounding trees, and this awkward approach along with wind created a massive snarl. It required two casts, and I ended up removing all the flies and the four foot tippet extension in order to tame the tangle. In reality I did not begin fishing until 1:45PM as a result of the massive monofilament mess.

Pleased with This Early Catch

Foot Long Brook Trout

Love the Slick

Once I returned to action, the day progressed admirably. I landed nineteen trout, before I quit at 5:00PM in time to avoid the impending rain. Two of my landed fish were 11-12 inch brook trout, and the remainder were hard charging rainbows. Even the small ones offered significant resistance, after a hook penetrated their lips. The rainbow catch included a chunky fourteen inch fish along with three feisty thirteen inchers, and a number of foot long fighters. The quality of the fish was exemplary.

Shimmering Coiled Trout

Taking the Plunge

Long Drifts Here

As with previous years, I covered a good amount of stream real estate while skipping long stretches of wide, shallow riffles. I focused on spots with decent depth and long slots and runs. The selective prospecting seemed to work, as I landed multiple fish from quite a few locations. Of course, not all was rosy, as I experienced quite a few temporary connections, and some of these appeared to result from prize fish. I played a massive whitefish for a minute or two, before it broke off my entire fly offering. What a ponderous beast it was! I was not happy, but I avoided profanity. In total I lost five flies due to break offs.

Copper Body Color on This One

Long One

Another Fine Rainbow

Monday was a promising start to four days of fly fishing in the Flattops. I am a weary but satisfied fly angler.

Fish Landed: 19

South Boulder Creek – 08/28/2024

Time: 11:00AM – 4:00PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 08/28/2024 Photo Album

With Labor Day weekend and a trip to Hilton Head Island in my near future, I was facing perhaps my last fly fishing outing until the second week of September. I checked the flows on my home waters, South Boulder Creek, and the water managers cranked down the valve to 100 CFS. It was 122 CFS during my last visit to the tailwater below Gross Reservoir, and that level dictated extreme caution when wading with only a few viable crossing points. The combination of lower flows and the prospect of the presence of green drakes clinched my decision. I made the trip to the Walker Ranch Loop trailhead for a day of fly fishing.

The temperature at the parking lot, when I arrived, was 74 degrees, and I suspect that the reading reached eighty degrees, by the time I hiked out of the canyon at 4PM. I chose my Loomis two piece five weight for my casting tool. Somehow I strained my neck while camping over the weekend, and I felt like the short rod would provide less strain to the neck area, when I lifted the line to make a cast. Also, I planned to toss a double dry fly, and the slow action Loomis is well suited to that task.

Corner Pocket Was Productive

By the time I hiked down the trail to my chosen fishing spot, it was 11:00AM. I selected a peacock hippie stomper from my MFC fly box, and then I added a parachute green drake on a twelve inch dropper. It was slow going initially, as I prospected some very attractive pools and pockets with nary a look, but I persisted with the double dries, and eventually I was rewarded for my patience. In the 1.5 hours before lunch, I landed ten trout, and this included a couple very respectable brown trout and rainbow trout. Initially my best results came from pockets and runs along the edge of the creek, but as time passed, the fish in the larger and more obvious locations began to respond as well.

Plump Rainbow

Early Brown Trout

There was very little strategy on Wednesday, August 28. I fished the double dry consisting of the stomper and paradrake for the entire time, until I stopped at my favorite pool, but more on that later. The parachute green drake was the more productive of the two flies, and I estimate that the catch ratio was 70% paradrake and 30% hippie stomper. The desirable pair of flies in the eyes of the trout accounted for forty fish on the afternoon. The flies were not perfect, as an abundant quantity of refusals and rejecting looks were a significant part of the story.

Photographed Purely for the Color

Along the Rock

Between 12:30PM and 2:30PM, however, the fish were definitely tuned into the green drake. I spotted a handful between 1PM and 2PM, but they were not available to trout in great abundance, I attributed much of my success to trout having long memories for western green drakes.

Long for These Waters

What sort of water was the most productive? Deep slots and potholes around exposed boulders produced some surprisingly nice fish. Also, the lip of pockets and runs, where the water began to accelerate and sluice over the lip was another favorite. On several occasions I gave up on the drift and made a lift just prior to the fly racing over the lip, and I found myself attached to a fish. This always amazes me.

Ooh La La Pool

Brown Trout Perfection

By 3:30PM I decided to call it a day, however, on my return hike I could not resist the temptation to make a few casts to my favorite pool. Upon my arrival I lobbed ten casts with the double dry, but these selective fish were having none of it. While I observed, a flurry of rises commenced, but their target was so small that I was unable to determine the preferred food item. I began to cycle through fly changes, and I replaced the parachute green drake with a size 18 deer hair caddis. It became apparent that caddis was not the answer. Next I knotted a Jake’s gulp beetle as the trailing fly, and it was equally ignored. Finally in frustration I stretched my net seine across the mouth, and I held it in the current for three minutes. When I examined the contents of the seine, I noticed some nymph casings and a crippled mayfly with a dark olive body. I concluded that the fish were responding to a blue wing olive hatch, and judging from their aggressive feeding, I guessed emergers. I replaced the beetle with a soft hackle emerger, and I dabbed the body with floatant to fish in the surface film. This generated a couple looks, but no action. Next I replaced the soft hackle emerger with a CDC blue wing olive, and once again the fish ate naturals in close proximity to my fly. I finally threw in the towel and moved on.

Tucked Under Branches

The prevalent size of trout on the day was eight to nine inches, but I was pleased to land five trout in the twelve to thirteen inch range. Two browns and one rainbow stretched to the upper limit of the size range. The weather was ideal, and the flows were reduced more to my liking, and green drakes were favored by the wild trout. I could not have asked for a more enjoyable fly fishing outing.

Fish Landed: 40

South Boulder Creek – 08/26/2024

Time: 11:00AM – 3:00PM

Location: Between East Portal and Rollinsville

South Boulder Creek 08/26/2024 Photo Album

Jane and I reserved a campsite at Kelly Dahl campground from Sunday, August 25 through Tuesday August 27. We invited a group of friends to join us, and six agreed to camp along with three who planned to make a day trip on Monday, August 26. Two of the six who committed to overnight camping had to withdraw due to a family medical issue, so four of us arrived on Sunday and set up camp at sites 23 and 24. We scrambled to assemble the canopy and tents, before rain commenced on Sunday, and we were all thankful for the canopy cover that made dinner and evening card games comfortable.

Canopy Ready for Rain

Most of the group planned to complete a hike at the East Portal on Monday, but I tossed out the idea of fly fishing. Our friends, Howie and Sandie, decided to accompany me on the fly fishing venture. The only decent option within close driving distance of Kelly Dahl was South Boulder Creek between the East Portal and Rollinsville. I fished this section of South Boulder Creek a few years ago, so I decided to give it another trial. I had low expectations, but I hoped that Sandie and Howie could experience catching a few wild trout from the small stream.

We arrived at an obvious public stretch of the rapidly flowing creek by 10:30AM, and we were positioned on the stream casting by 11:00AM. Howie and Sandie decided to share a rod and alternate, and they were prepared before me, so they cut down to the creek first. Howie began with a Charlie Boy hopper and a beadhead pheasant tail nymph.

For the start of my day I bet on a tan size 8 pool toy hopper and a salvation nymph. I ambled along the creek for fifteen yards, before I slid down the bank and crossed the creek.   I began working up along the opposite bank, and I managed a small eight inch brown trout in the early going along with a couple browns below the six inch cut off that I require in order to count.

Fast Water Ruled

After the early success, I endured a fairly lengthy dry spell with quite a few refusals to the pool toy hopper. The nymph was totally ignored, so I added a 20 incher below the salvation to generate deeper drifts. The creek was tumbling along quite rapidly due to high gradient and flows that I suspect were above average for the last two weeks of August. My deep nymph strategy was rejected completely by the resident fish, so I crossed back to the road side of the creek,

I decided to look for Howie and Sandie to suggest that they try a different approach, but they were not in sight. I walked down a nice path that followed the top of the bank in an eastward direction, and eventually I found them. I rounded them up, and we moved back upstream beyond the parking lot that contained many worn paths and that screamed heavy fishing pressure. For the remainder of the afternoon we progressed upstream along the left bank and alternated among the three of us. I switched to a peacock hippie stomper and a size 14 light gray caddis, while Sandie and Howie utilized a Chernobyl ant and a size 16 parachute Adams.

During this time frame Howie had a slap at the trailing Adams, but he never saw it. On one other occasion, however, he spotted the take and set the hook and momentarily felt the weight of a brown trout. Unfortunately it quickly popped free and swam to freedom.

Best Fish of the Day

During my turns I tended to claim the places that looked fishy, but required superior casting skills. This entailed quite a few casts across the main center current to slower moving shelf pools. I executed mends and reach casts to counter the drag of the main current on my fly line. In a few cases my mend caused the double flies to skip or jump, and the fish responded with a refusal or look.

Same Fish Extended

I did manage to hook and land three browns during my turns. All of these trout consumed the deer hair caddis, and they were all in the eight to ten inch range. By 2:30PM some dark rain clouds slid across the sky and settled above us. I was wearing my raincoat for warmth, and it was a fortunate choice, as we paused for ten minutes under a cluster of large evergreen trees, as the skies opened with a curtain of rain. After the precipitation ended, we resumed for a short while, but I could sense that the troops were ready to head back to the campground for an early start to happy hour.

We called it quits, but left our waders on, as we drove another five miles to the East Portal. Another angler stopped to chat with us, as we fished along the creek, and he informed us that he fished near the East Portal with decent success on dry flies. One of the spots he mentioned was by some large rock piles. We found the rock piles before arriving at the East Portal parking lot, so I parked and crossed two sets of railroad tracks to have a look at the creek. It was interesting and perhaps worth a future try. The gradient appeared to be a bit less steep, but there was more tight vegetation along the banks to thwart efforts to move upstream.

My fish count was below average, but that was attributable to sharing the stream with Howie and Sandie. My expectations were low, but the high gradient limited the number of fish holding lies, and it represented quite challenging conditions for two fairly novice fly anglers. The combination of high gradient topography and small fish make South Boulder Creek in this area a marginal destination choice in my opinion.

Fish Landed: 5

South Boulder Creek – 08/23/2024

Time: 10:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Below Gross Reservoir

South Boulder Creek 08/23/2024 Photo Album

After three straight days of fly fishing early in the week, I took a break on Wednesday and Thursday, but by Friday I was eager to resume my August blitz. My trip on 08/16/2024 to South Boulder Creek was quite successful, and I was very anxious for a return visit. I was fairly certain the green drakes were still active, and I attempt to take full advantage of this once a year occurrence. The continuing heat wave in Colorado was another reason to seek out the cold water releases from Gross Reservoir.

Five or six cars preceded me to the Walker Ranch Loop trailhead, and I prepared for a day on the creek with my Loomis two piece five weight. Slow action, short length, and fast assemblage played into my choice. The temperature was 66 degrees, as I began my hike down the Walker Ranch Loop trail. On my way to my chosen starting point I passed a pair of anglers “practicing” in a spot, where I needed to wade in order to make farther progress. I excused myself, and we exchanged intentions, and they informed me that they planned to move downstream as well.

Early Success

By 10:30AM I arrived at my planned starting point, and I configured my line with a parachute green drake size 14. During my previous visit, I landed all my fish on this style of green drake, and I was hoping for a repeat engagement. Within the first five minutes I landed a small seven inch brown trout that rose and sipped the paradrake in a narrow band of slow moving water directly above my casting position. This event instilled a bit of optimism in my outlook, but then the trout decided to teach me a lesson, as they ignored my casts for a short period. I was spoiled from my earlier trip, and I quickly lost patience, so I modified my approach and added an olive ice dub body hippie stomper as the forward fly followed by the parachute drake.

Small Hidden Pool Produced

The stomper/paradrake combination initiated a frustrating run of refusals and very brief hookups. I counted five in a row. Among them was a fish that slipped free, and the pent up energy in the rod whipped the flies into a tree limb high above me. One can imagine my anger. I flicked the rod away from the flies, and this impulsive but dangerous action, resulted in snapping off two flies. I paused to replace them, but when I was done, I thought I spotted the white wing of the hippie stomper in a dead branch. I moved to the base of the cluster of tree limbs, and I was able to bend the branch down to retrieve my flies. There was, however, a slight problem. The white wing was, in fact, a small dense cobweb! I felt pretty ridiculous, but I gazed back at the next limb that was higher up, and I surmised that I might be able to bend that one down to a recoverable level as well. I did so, and what do you think I found? No, not another cobweb, but the two connected flies. I stuffed them back in their proper resting places in my fly boxes.

Delicate Wildflowers

By noon the fish count rested on a meager total of four, and I was beginning to question my decision to fly fish on South Boulder Creek. The two anglers that I encountered on my hike in appeared, and they proceeded to move below me, but by noon they were within sight. I decided to forsake the section that occupied my morning and move upstream, but when I advanced forty yards, I spotted another young fisherman working on his line in another spot that I needed to wade through. Once again I excused myself and quietly passed by. In retrospect the morning section of the creek was narrow, and the 122 CFS flows created only a few truly promising lies for trout.

Just a Nice Brown Trout

I moved above the angler that I just passed and found a place, where I could battle through some dense branches to regain access to the creek a fair distance above the other fisherman. In this area the stream spread out more, and this offered more side channels and pockets of moderate current velocity and moderate depth. These were the characteristics that attract trout. I progressed upstream through this section from noon until 2:30PM, and I moved the fish count from four to twenty-four. Yes, the catch rate improved dramatically. The hippie stomper and parachute hopper remained in place during the early going, and the flies delivered positive results, but refusals and tentative bites resulting in quick long distance releases plagued my fly fishing outlook. I decided to rotate through other green drakes styles. First I tested a Harrop hair wing green drake, and it provided a fish or two, before it broke off, as I played and released a rainbow trout that crushed the leading stomper. The hair wing was not doing much, so I opted for a size 14 green drake comparadun with a large fan hairwing.

Center Stream Pocket

The stomper/comparadun combination remained on my line until 2:30PM, and the comparadun accounted for roughly 60% of the landed fish with the hippie stomper delivering the remainder. By 2:30PM the sky darkened, and I heard distant rumbling, so I retreated to the shoreline and pulled on my rain shell. I completed this move in the nick of time, as the spigot got turned on, and drenching showers ruled the canyon environment. I backed into a small space beneath a dense evergreen and waited for the curtain of rain to end. A couple times the rain paused, and I stepped back to the creek only to be scared back to my sheltered enclave by thunder and lightning. Finally the western sky got brighter, and I spotted a glimmer of blue, but dense gray clouds predominated above. It was at this time that I observed two flashes with almost instantaneous loud rumbling, and this suggested that the lightning was in close proximity. I snugged back against a rock wall and impatiently awaited the end of the lightning and thunder.

One of Several Nice Rainbow Trout

Finally the thunder became distant, and blue sky ruled above me, so I resumed fly fishing. The temperature plunged during the storm, and I was quite pleased to have my raincoat for additional warmth. I was relatively close to two very attractive pools, so I progressed directly to them. At the first one I executed some long casts across the main current to the shelf pool along the far bank. and a brown trout dashed to the surface and grabbed the comparadun. At the next pool I could see fish finning at the tail and in the right side pool. For the most part they were immune to my efforts to hook them, but one overly aggressive brown snatched the hippie stomper.

The Ribbon of Water Along the Rocks Was Targeted

As I looked on, quite a few fish began to slash the surface, but the object of their actions must have been small, because I was unable to determine the food source. I cycled through the usual suspects which included a CDC blue wing olive, a size 16 light gray comparadun, a size 16 cinnamon comparadun, and a size 18 parachute black fur ant. Finally the ant duped a brown trout to bring my total to twenty-seven. I seined the water with my net seine, but all I could collect were some empty nymph husks. I tried a Craven PMD emerger pattern, but that was not the answer. In a last ditch effort to match the hatch, I removed the double dries and tested a size 20 CDC blue wing olive with a fairly large and fluffy wing. Nothing. As this hatch matching escapade evolved the water became quite tinged with sediment, but the trout seemed to ignore the turbidity, as they continued to feed.

I surrendered to the pool and thanked South Boulder Creek for a twenty-seven fish day and completed the hike back to the parking lot. As I strolled along the trail, the sun reappeared and warmed the atmosphere and this weary angler, and the clarity of the creek improved dramatically. Apparently the slug of run off moved fairly quickly through the narrow canyon. My goal of meeting the green drake hatch was achieved, although the fly fishing was not the free and easy experience of August 16. Friday was a great example of why I carry five different western green drake patterns. The quality of the fish was decent, as I landed a couple thirteen inch rainbows and several healthy twelve inch brown trout. The fish of South Boulder Creek are all wild, and they show off their vivid colors and patterns quite well. Will I register another South Boulder Creek green drake day? it is getting late, but stay tuned.

Fish Landed: 27

Beaver Creek – 08/20/2024

Time: 10:30AM – 3:20PM

Location: National forest land

Beaver Creek 08/20/2024 Photo Album

Note: In order to protect small high country streams, I have chosen to change the name for a few. This particular creek happens to be one of them. Excessive exposure could lead to crowding and lower fish densities.

For my third consecutive day of fly fishing I chose a mountain stream that I have grown to love. I expected an excellent day, but fly fishing is always full of surprises.

Very Clear

Nice Early Chernobyl Ant Eater

I arrived at a small parking lot near the trailhead and quickly prepared to fish with my Sage R8 four weight selected as the fly rod of choice. The temperature was 66 degrees, and I chose to wear my waders, which was a big mistake. I hiked a reasonable distance and found myself next to the stream ready to cast by 10:30AM. I began with a hippie stomper solo, but it failed to generate interest, so I switched to a dry/dropper approach. I knotted a classic Chernobyl ant to my line and followed it with a beadhead hares ear nymph. These flies remained on my line until lunch, and I managed to land three decent brown trout including a fat thirteen inch bruiser that represented the best fish of the day. All three of the morning trout crushed the Chernobyl ant. The nymphs, which included a prince, where ignored and only served to be a nuisance, when they wrapped around the top fly while landing the fish.

Promising Area

Welcome to My Net

The remainder of the day was mostly an exercise in frustration. I progressed upstream through absolutely stunning water and scenery, and I managed to boost the fish count from three to nine. I covered over a mile of stream, and the afternoon featured an abundant quantity of fruitless casts. Since the nymphs were ignored, I cycled through a large number of double dry fly combinations. The hippie stomper was central to most of this time period and included a long period with a purple body stomper. The end position included a beige mini chubby, an olive stimulator, a size 14 olive body deer hair caddis, and a parachute green drake. At one point I reattached the Chernobyl ant in the end position, since it produced three fish in the morning, and it actually accounted for another decent twelve inch brown trout. The six landed fish were spread across a wide mix of the flies listed, as none seemed to be a consistent fish magnet except for the Chernobyl ant.

Who Designed This Pool?

Sole Rainbow on the Day

The deep clear pools were unproductive, and most of the afternoon fish materialized from runs along the bank or large exposed boulders. A few popped up from moderate riffles to eat, and the very lip of a few pools relinquished fish that grabbed one of the dries, just as they were about to accelerate. In fairness I also experienced around six temporary hookups and a couple foul hooked fish that refused the top fly and got snagged by the trailing fly as a result of my belated hook set.

What a Pool

The sky was cloudless and the sun beat down relentlessly. When I returned to the car after a sweaty hike, the temperature registered 90 degrees. Apparently both the angler and fish were in a heat induced torpor on August 20, 2024. For this reason, I am not writing off Beaver Creek. I will return once again, when the weather cools in September or October.

Fish Landed: 9

Cascade Creek – 08/19/2024

Time: 10:30AM – 4:00PM

Location: National forest land

Cascade Creek 08/19/2024 Photo Album

Note: In order to protect small high country streams, I have chosen to change the name for a few. This particular creek happens to be one of them. Excessive exposure could lead to crowding and lower fish densities.

Early Fish

If you had asked me at 2PM for my assessment of this creek, I would have said meh. Between 2PM and 4PM my opinion changed dramatically. I am getting ahead of myself.

Surprised by This Brook Trout

Several weeks ago my wife, Jane, and I completed an eight mile out and back hike along this mountain stream. The water was gorgeous, but I never spotted a fish. I was very intrigued to give it a trial, so that brings me to Monday, August 19, 2024. I arrived at the trailhead parking lot at 9:30, and I chose my Sage R8 four weight for the day’s action. The air temperature was 64 degrees, but by the afternoon I am certain that it spiked in the upper seventies. Hiking in waders was a toasty proposition. The weather throughout my stay on the creek was clear skies with minimal cloud cover.

My Garmin watch stopped functioning on Sunday, so I only had my Garmin Inreach Mini to go by for time. I targeted a one mile entry hike and approximated this to be twenty-five minutes, so I arrived at my starting point and began fly fishing at 10:30AM.

Tasty Meal for Rainbow

Lots of Length

I extended my leader with a section of 5X and attached a size 8 tan pool toy hopper. For a dropper I added a prince nymph. I tested this combination for fifteen minutes with no interest from the trout, so I made an adjustment. I replaced the prince with a weighted 20 incher and then added a beadhead hares ear. The entire dropper from pool toy to hares ear was in excess of four feet. The modification paid off, as I landed a twelve inch brown trout and a similar rainbow along with a smaller brown, before I paused for lunch. All three fish nailed one of the nymphs.Home of Pool Toy Hopper Eating Rainbow

After lunch I resumed prospecting with the dry/dropper. I drifted the flies along a long, narrow band of slow moving water along a vertical rock wall, and suddenly a large mouth engulfed the hopper. I was connected with a muscular slab of a rainbow, and I was able to guide it into my net. Unfortunately , I remained mired on four trout for an extended time, and repeated refusals to the hopper made me second guess the value of the nymphs.

What a Trout Lair

Slab of Speckles

I modified my approach to a double dry with an olive ice dub hippie stomper and a light olive stimulator. These flies enabled me to raise the count to eight, as the stomper and stimulator both produced. These fish were mostly rainbows in the ten to eleven inch size range. Another dry spell forced a reevaluation, and I cycled through a few different trailing dries including a parachute green drake and a size 14 olive body deer hair caddis. The green drake and stomper added a pair of trout to the fish count to reach ten, and at that point I endured a long spell with no landed fish. I was stuck on ten.

Fighter

The sky was bright blue, and the sun was beating down, and I momentarily lost confidence. At this point I judged Cascade Creek as mediocre with low trout density and not a likely future destination. Meh, as I stated in the opening sentence.

Mini Chubby Got the Job Done

I pondered the situation, and I was about to experiment with a parachute hopper, when I spotted a pair of beige body mini chubbies in my fly box that I tied during the winter for situations, where I needed a smaller foam fly than the size eight hoppers and Chernobyls that I typically utilize. I attached the single wing chubby eighteen inches behind the hippie stomper, and I began to prospect the pair. Suddenly the creek came alive with chunky trout that attacked the mini chubby and to a lesser degree the stomper. I was shocked by the fortuitous change in my angling fortunes.

Foam Is Home Held True

Bruiser Brown Trout

I made fairly long casts to deep troughs and slots and current seams, and quality trout aggressively rose to smash the foam flies. All the fish landed in the 2PM to 4PM time frame were easily in the twelve to sixteen inch size range. I had a blast and reevaluated my rating of Cascade Creek.

Spots Galore

Typical Productive Water

Did the improved action result from the fly change, my deeper penetration away from the parking lot, or the improved quality of stream structure? I will never know for certain, but I hope to test the variables with a return visit in the near future.

Fish Landed: 19