Big Thompson River – 10/07/2025

Time: 11:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Below Lake Estes

Big Thompson River 10/07/2025 Photo Album

After a non-fishing weekend in the Flattops, I was anxious to resume my sampling of western waters in 2025. I made plans to fish with my friend, Nate, on Wednesday, so I was reluctant to make a long drive on Tuesday, and I decided to visit the Big Thompson River. The flows were a favorable 51 CFS, and the high temperature was expected to peak around the mid-fifties, which is in my tolerable range.

I arrived at a pullout in the canyon below Lake Estes a bit after 11:00AM, and I quickly geared up with my rod choice being my Sage R8 four weight. The dashboard registered 51 degrees, and the sky was quite overcast. I judged that the sun’s rays would not be warming things up to a great degree, so I wore my Under Armour long sleeve undershirt, fishing shirt, North Face light parka, and raincoat. For head gear I pulled on my billed hat with earflaps. I was concerned that I dressed too warm, but I was glad to have the layers throughout my day on the stream.

Not a Bad Start

My day can be divided into three segments. The first was the morning, when I deployed an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, an olive perdigon, and a salvation nymph. I used these flies for thirty minutes before lunch and netted a couple small rainbow trout.

Nice Pocket

After lunch I switched to a peacock hippie stomper and trailed a size 14 caddis in a double dry arrangement. In the first session the chubby attracted a few refusals, so I concluded that the trout were looking to the surface for their food; and, thus, the double dry. The hippie stomper accounted for one fish as did the caddis, but the two surface flies followed the lead of the chubby Chernobyl and produced quite a few refusals. By 2:00 the fish count rested on seven, but I suffered a long dry spell, so I modified my approach for segment three on the day.

Another Respectable Brown Trout

I replaced the hippie stomper with a tan body mini chubby, since trout were attracted to the chubby Chernobyl in the early session, but refused to eat. I bet that a smaller chubby with a tan body might generate improved effectiveness. Next I downsized the trailing dry fly to a size 16 deer hair caddis with an olive body. The small caddis yielded a trout, but, otherwise I was no better off.

Slots Along the Far Bank

I noticed a few tiny blue wing olives in the air, so I reverted to a dry/dropper with the mini chubby leading an olive perdigon and size 22 sparkle wing RS2. This combination produced a few fish to elevate the fish count to ten. During this time the most effective technique was an across stream cast, and then I held my line high to keep the fly line off the water, while the flies drifted downstream, and I completed the maneuver with a lift. This action seemed to spur the interest of the fish.

Better Side

By 3PM the sparse hatch was over, and I once again endured a slump, so I exchanged the RS2 for a bright green caddis pupa. The caddis pupa and the mini chubby fooled a pair of fish, and I ended my day by 3:30PM with the count at twelve.

Nice Little Pool

After fishing the last pool, before I quit, I looked up and was a bit startled to encounter a young fly fisherman. He was playing a fish, and his rod was in a significant bend. He asked if I could net the fish for him, so I waded within range, but as I approached, the fish dove under a large exposed boulder. The young angler climbed on the rock and reached down and pulled the leader away from the rock and freed the fish. By now I was within range, and I could see that the fish was foul hooked, so I scooped it into my net. The young man thanked me and quickly announced that he forgot his net. He said that the fish hit the dry fly on the second cast, and it was his first trout landed in Colorado. I asked him where he lived, and he said Pennsylvania, and I told him I was also from Pa. He was from the western part of the state, and he was in Loveland, CO on a job and searched on line for a nearby stream. I was pretty happy for the young man and his early success.

Tuesday was a so-so day on the Big Thompson River. I managed to hit double digits, but the fish were small. Six of the landed fish were browns in the nine to eleven inch range, but the fish count also included a bunch of six and seven inch dinks. I was never able to find a consistently productive fly or combination. It seemed like the fish were not selective, but they also were not very hungry. I was pleased to record one more day with reasonable weather before the winter cold moves in.

Fish Landed: 12

Clear Creek – 09/27/2025

Time: 1:00PM – 3:30PM

Location: Clear Creek Canyon

Clear Creek 09/27/2025 Photo Album

What is it about Clear Creek that keeps pulling me back? The trout are small and fussy, and wading the rocks is like skating on marble. I suppose the redeeming quality that pulls me back is proximity. I can drive to the middle of the canyon in forty minutes, if traffic is normal. On an early fall Saturday in September the traffic was not normal. My Google maps app displayed three stretches of yellow and red highway. I was concerned that the bottleneck resulted from construction, but it was strictly attributable to volume. The canyon was alive with rock climbers, dog walkers, hikers, cyclists, leaf peepers and fishermen.

I arrived at a small parking lot at 12:45PM, and I immediately pulled on my waders and fit together my vintage Sage four weight. When I was ready, I hiked down to the creek and crossed to the bank across from the highway.

Nice Lighting

To begin I tied on an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, a beadhead hares ear and a salvation nymph. In the first thirty minutes I landed one small brown trout. I was disappointed with this result, so I replaced the hares ear with an olive perdigon in the top nymph position. This combination yielded another small brown trout, but the chubby was drawing interest in the form of refusals. The frequency of refusals was not that exciting, but it was still better than the avoidance of nymphs.

Prime Spot

I removed the dry/dropper and proceeded with a double dry approach. Initially I offered a peacock ice dub body hippie stomper and a size 16 light gray caddis. The caddis duped a fish, but the stomper attracted undue attention in the form of empty looks and refusals.

Love the Pattern

For the remainder of the afternoon I worked my way upstream to the next Peak to Plains bridge, and I increased the fish count to six. I cycled through the hippie stomper, a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis, a size 14 Jake’s gulp beetle, a parachute hopper, an olive stimulator, a Chernobyl ant and a size 14 olive deer hair caddis. The beetle was the only fly to account for multiple fish at two, and the stimulator notched one.

A Fish Emerged from Just Beyond the Wood Structure

It was a very lackluster day on Clear Creek on Saturday. I landed six small brown trout between six and nine inches in 2.5 hours of fishing, and it was a disappointment in my book. Only one other angler was in my zone, so that was a positive, and the return drive was devoid of stoppages. Of course, I was coming off three outstanding days of fishing from September 22 through 24, so Clear Creek was burdened with a tough comparison. I may not be able to fly fish again next week, so it was good to get on a stream.

Fish Landed: 6

Eagle River – 09/24/2025

Time: 11:15AM – 3:30PM

Location: Between Avon and Wolcott

Eagle River 09/24/2025 Photo Album

Wednesday was my day to return to Denver, so I decided to pay a visit to the Eagle River. On September 17, 2025 I spent a day on the freestone river near Vail and Avon, and I did pretty well, although it took me a while to solve fishing in relatively low flows. On Wednesday I was very anxious to apply my learnings.

Heck of a Start

After storms passed through on Tuesday night, the temperature dropped, and the weather forecast called for highs in the upper sixties. More relevant was the hourly forecast, which suggested that the temperature would be in the upper forties between 10:00AM and 11:00AM. I took my time. I arrived at a favorite pullout by 10:30AM, and by the time I pulled on my gear and assembled my Sage R8 four weight and hiked to the river, it was 11:15AM. The temperature was indeed 48 degrees, so I wore my Under Armour long sleeve shirt, my fishing shirt, my hooded fleece, and my raincoat. I swapped my usual broad brimmed hat for a billed cap with earflaps, and I showed respect for the chill by pulling up my fleece hood, I was cozy, but I never removed a layer throughout the day. The dashboard temperature, as I began my return drive to Denver was 65 degrees. Fall is imminent in the Rocky Mountains.

Top of Long Pool

I began my day at the forty yard long super pool that I love. After reading my blog post from 09/17/2025, I decided to copy the same lineup. I tied on a size 8 amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, an olive perdigon and a salvation nymph. Well, not exactly. I had a PMD supernova in my fleece with a leader attached, so I substituted it for the salvation, as they are quite similar in size and color scheme.

Another Eagle River Beast

Deep Trough

I began at the middle section of the long pool, and I lobbed long casts toward the center, where the river created a nice bubble line and seam. I planned to continue fanning casts across the river in this manner, until I reached the entering currents at the head of the pool, I followed this plan between 11:15AM and 11:45, and I was rewarded with two amazing trout. The first grabbed the perdigon near the midsection, and after a tough battle I netted a muscular fifteen inch brown trout. What a beginning!

Defined Stripe

Another Deep Pocket

I moved halfway up toward the faster run, and I slung a long cast across the river to a seam within eight feet of the far bank. As the flies began to swing away from the bank at the end of the drift, something grabbed the PMD supernova, and I immediately sensed a brute. The fish did not react instantly, but as soon as it realized that an annoying fake nymph was in its mouth, it went into escape mode. The brown thrashed and dove and streaked and rolled on the line, but my fly did its job, and I netted an eighteen inch brute. I was astonished. The fly was wedged in the lip of the big brown, and I was struggling to remove it with my fingers. I finally conceded that my fingers were not up to the task, and I pulled out my hemostat for more leverage. I succeeded in removing the fly, albeit in a bent state, but in the struggle, my prize brown finned away and robbed me of a photo. Despite the unfortunate failure to photograph the giant brown, my mind retains a vivid image.

Yikes. Fat Browns Continue Coming

On my September 17 outing I discovered that the most productive water existed, where the riverbed narrowed and thus created deeper runs, slots and pockets for the fish. I planned to apply this insight to my day on Wednesday, and this meant that I skipped around wide shallow sections and slow moving segments. After lunch I waded to the midsection of the large pool and made some up and across casts, where the river fanned out a bit from the faster and deeper top half. On one of the swings the chubby darted, and I set the hook, and I was once again attached to a freight train of a brown. Unfortunately it was foul hooked, but it was another example of the healthy fat brown trout in the Eagle River.

Foliage Changing

For the remainder of the afternoon I progressed east along the river. I  used the bike path as a highway and skipped the long wide riffle section above the long pool, and eventually clambered down a short steep bank to the river. I used the shoreline to continue to a stretch, where the river narrowed, and I found the type of structure that I was seeking. Huge exposed boulders were scattered about, and the faster current carved deep runs, pockets and slots among the rock garden.

Big Flapper

Trough Between the Two Exposed Rocks

I spent the remainder of my day casting to this type of water, and the results were outstanding. I landed twenty-two trout, and only six of the total catch were beneath twelve inches. All the others were twelve inches or greater, and the size was skewed toward the fourteen to fifteen inch range. Only four of the day’s catch were rainbows, but one made up for scarcity of species by measuring around sixteen inches. It was a gorgeous fish.

Lavender-Pink

A host of brown trout rounded out the numbers, and these were fish to be admired. All were well fed and apparently were putting on weight for the fall spawning season. The most effective technique was to cast across and allow the flies to swing at the end of the downstream drift. Quite a few respectable brown trout could not resist the escaping salvation nymph, which I substituted for the bent PMD supernova after lunch. The perdigon accounted for a few as well, but the real workhorse fly in the afternoon was the salvation.

Just Wow.

As I write this report I remain filled with euphoria. It was extremely gratifying to recognize the type of water that produced trout on September 17 and then adhere to a strategy that conformed to my September 17 observation. This was easily a top ten day for 2025 and perhaps top five. I am still marveling at the size and quality of the trout that visited my net. Hopefully I will have an opportunity to revisit the Eagle River again in 2025, before the weather gets too adverse.

Fish Landed: 22

Frying Pan River – 09/23/2025

Time: 10:30AM – 4:30PM

Location: Below Reudi Reservoir

Frying Pan River 09/23/2025 Photo Album

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

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

Perfection

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

Typical Frying Pan River

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

Nice Grip

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

Magnified Tail

Ribbon Along Bank Held a Big Fish

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

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

Cube Pool Again

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

Chunk of Butter

Bottom of Cube Pool

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

One of the Better Ones

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

Right of Rock Was Home

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

Fish Landed: 22

Beaver Creek – 09/22/2025

Time: 12:00PM – 3:00PM

Location: National Forest Land

Beaver Creek 09/22/2025 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.

I decided to pay daughter, Amy, another visit, as she lives in the heart of some excellent fishing destinations. I departed Denver on Monday morning and made the drive to the western slope. I arrived at my planned fishing destination and immediately prepared to fish. My casting tool was my Orvis Access four weight, since I was about to fish a relatively small mountain creek.

Once I was prepared, I completed a .8 mile hike in a constant ascent, and then I cut down the bank to a medium sized log, where I consumed my lunch. By the time I was prepared to fish, it was noon.

Lunch Spot

While I ate lunch, I overlooked a nice deep hole just below a small spillway over a log and above some overhanging branches. After lunch, just for kicks, I dropped a cast in the five foot by three foot space, and a nice eleven inch rainbow slammed the peacock hippie stomper.

Watched Me Eat Lunch

At the outset I prospected with a solo hippie stomper. For the first hour I moved steadily up the stream and built the fish count to seven. I experienced refusals and temporary hookups, but when I encountered a spot with decent depth and moderate current, I generally interacted with a fish. Toward the end of this time frame, however, the refusals became more frequent, and I felt like prime spots were not delivering as expected.

So Colorful

I paused and added an ultra zug bug on a one foot dropper to the stomper. The change worked miracles, and suddenly decent rainbows began to materialize from the better locations, as most snatched the ultra zug bug.

Ooh. What a Hole.

By 1:30PM a dark gray cloud floated overhead, and I quickly waded to an open spot on the shore and extracted my raincoat and pulled it on. I was outfitted with my rain shell just as the rain intensified, and for a brief amount of time I was pelted with tiny white ice pellets the size of a pea.

Parr Markings Visible

I weathered the brief storm and continued to compile netted fish. I got above a small tributary, and the stream narrowed, while the gradient increased. My catch rate slowed, as there were fewer prime fish holding spots. I boosted the fish count to twenty-eight, and once again the sky darkened. In this instance the blackness was accompanied by thunder and a couple visible streaks of lightning. I climbed the bank and found a large evergreen with dry soil beneath it. I crowded under the tree to wait out the storm.

Another Hot Spot

By now it was 2:50PM, and by 3:00PM the rain intensified. The temperature dropped significantly, and the rain created small streams of run off on the trail. I decided to abandon thoughts of resuming my day of fishing, and I marched back to the parking lot.

Some Length Here

Monday was a numbers day. My largest fish may have reached twelve inches, and of course the count include a bunch of six and seven inch dinks, but there were enough ten to eleven inch feisty ‘bows to maintain my interest. I love the surprise of a take by a wild rainbow in a small stream regardless of the size.

Fish Landed: 28

South Platte River – 09/19/2025

Time: 10:30AM – 3:15PM

Location: Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte River 09/19/2025 Photo Album

After a decent day on Wednesday, I had an open calendar on Friday, and the weather report was very favorable, so I logged a second day of fly fishing during the third week of September. I reviewed the usual options and settled on the South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon. The high at Lake George was projected to be in the low seventies, and the flows were steady at 123 CFS. The heavy rush hour traffic lengthened my drive a bit, but I arrived at a pullout next to the river by 10:00AM.

What Lies Ahead

I quickly geared up including my Sage R8 four weight, and I shuffled down the road a short distance to begin my day of fly fishing. After walking less than .1 mile, I encountered a young man sitting next to the road, and he appeared to be waiting for another fisherman. I surveyed the river farther downstream, and I spotted the wide-brimmed hat of another angler, so I reversed direction and cut down a short bank almost directly across from my car.

Another View

Hit That Slick

To begin my search for trout I selected an amber ice dub body chubby Chernobyl, an olive perdigon and a classic RS2. The total length of my offering from the chubby to the RS2 was around three feet. I began prospecting the deep pockets and runs around a series of exposed boulders, and it was not long before I connected with trout. I steadily worked my way upstream, while prospecting the seams and deep slides, and by the time I broke for lunch at 11:45AM, the fish count rose to eight. Two of the eight were quite robust rainbows in the thirteen to fourteen inch range, and the best of the two mashed the chubby Chernobyl. Unfortunately in the process of attempting an escape, the angry rainbow broke off the two trailing nymphs including my valuable olive perdigon. It is valuable because the tungsten beads are expensive and because I have a limited backup supply to last through the remainder of the season.

Aiming Back

Productive Section

After lunch I persisted with the dry/dropper, and I managed to boost the fish count to ten, but the difficulty factor ratcheted up. The two fish landed in the early afternoon also crushed the chubby Chernobyl, and for some reason it seemed like the fish turned away from nymphs in favor of surface feeding. One of the rainbows was the longest of the day at around fifteen inches, but it barely fought and appeared to be in a sad state of health. It was very slender, and I feared that it would not recover, but eventually it slapped its tail and returned to the faster water in the river. In addition to the landed trout, the chubby also attracted quite a few refusals,

Lovely Colors

After fifteen minutes of futile casting, I decided to take a cue from the trout, and I converted to a double dry configuration. I removed the three fly dry/dropper combination, and I tied on a peacock hippie stomper and a size 14 olive body deer hair caddis. The move paid instant dividends, as I temporarily hooked up with a fish on a downstream drift through a deep trough, and then a brown trout attacked the caddis.

Submerging

I continued my upstream progression with the double dry and increased the fish count from eleven to fifteen. Another very healthy rainbow trout of fourteen inches was among these catches, and it crushed the caddis almost before it landed on the water. I was feeling pretty smug about my switch to the double dries, but then a wave of refusals took over followed by an hour of no action. During the period when the caddis was taking fish, I noticed a sparse number of very small mayflies, likely blue wing olives, but the fish never responded with rises. The thin hatch did, however, coincide with the period of effectiveness of the olive caddis. I am not sure there was a connection other than the fact that the trout were tuned into food availability on the surface.

Some Attractive Slicks

Caddis Smacked Here

The one hour of futility convinced me that it was time to call it a day. I considered reverting to the dry/dropper, but I concluded it was too late in the day to undertake the conversion. Friday was a fun day. The section that I fished was delightful, as I prospected the many likely fish holding spots and met with reasonable success until the last hour. The weather was gorgeous. and after the initial encounter, I never met another angler. Three respectable rainbows highlighted the day, but I also netted three brown trout in the twelve inch range. It was a success on a late summer day in September.

Fish Landed: 15

Eagle River – 09/17/2025

Time: 11:15AM – 3:30PM

Location: Between Avon and Edwards

Eagle River 09/17/2025 Photo Album

Yes, I was spoiled by my four day stay in the Flattops. I was concerned about how I might adjust to tougher trout and reduced fish counts. I spent September 12 – 14 at a condominium at Bachelor Gulch celebrating Jane’s 70th birthday, but on Sunday morning, before we all went our separate ways, my entire family completed a hike. Guess where we hiked? We walked along the concrete pathway that borders the Eagle River in Avon. With a five year old and 20 month old we did not progress very far, but it was enough for me to get a good look at the Eagle River.

By Wednesday, September 17 my cold symptoms subsided enough for me to entertain the idea of a day of fishing, and after checking the flows of several options, I decided to make the drive to the Eagle River. First hand knowledge of conditions is always information to be taken seriously.

Large Pool

I left Denver by 8:15AM and unusually heavy traffic on Interstate 70 prompted me to utilize the express toll lane. I made it through the Floyd Hill and Idaho Springs construction zones without any stoppages, and I arrived at a favorite pullout above the Eagle River by 10:30AM. The temperature on the dashboard was 51 degrees, so I pulled on my fleece hoodie and rain shell, before I removed my Sage One five weight rod from its narrow tube.

Decent Catch

A brief hike placed me next to one of my favorite spots, but a young man was flicking sticks to the middle of the long pool and urging his German shepherd to retrieve them. I decided that I could fish the entering run, while this dog play took place, since the man and canine were a decent distance below me. Numerous recent reports have mentioned outstanding streamer fishing, so I knotted an articulated brown and olive conehead monstrosity to my line and spent fifteen minutes stripping it across the entering run and downstream riffles. I exercised my arm, but other than that, my streamer efforts were not rewarded.

Another Nice Netted Rainbow

I concluded that Wednesday was not a streamer day, or I was using the wrong lure, so I re-rigged with an amber ice dub body hopper and trailed a 20 incher and salvation nymph. I moved upstream to a series of pockets in an area where the river was rather wide, and I prospected through this section, until I paused for lunch at 11:45AM. During this brief morning session I managed a temporary hook up with a fish, and then I connected with what appeared to be a decent fish, but in a short amount of time it escaped. When I stripped in the line, I discovered that the trout somehow broke off the 20 incher and salvation. I suspect a bad knot was the cause.

Nice Pose

I returned to the large pool for lunch and carefully observed the area. I saw some very sporadic rises, and after lunch I rigged anew with an amber ice dub body size 8 chubby chernobyl, a salvation nymph and an RS2. I gambled that the sporadic rises were generated by some early hatching blue wing olives, and this theory prompted the RS2. I covered the upper one-third of the pool, where faster water entered, with the dry/dropper, but I never provoked a look or refusal.

Nice Riffle

I was beginning to regret my choice of fishing destination, and I began to plan a relocation, but I decided to commit another 1.5 hour to the area, before I abandoned the Eagle River. I exited the large pool and hiked upstream on the bike path, until I reached the place, where I exited for lunch. I returned to the river, but I was once again in a stretch that featured a wide streambed and relatively shallow slicks and riffles. I worked my way through the area quickly, but I probably should have skipped it entirely. The salvation and RS2 were not generating an ounce of interest, so I swapped the RS2 for a beadhead hares ear to provide more weight and hence deeper drifts.

Respectable

Finally I landed a pair of rainbows that measured around ten and eleven inches, and I was on the scoreboard. I paused to consider my lackluster results, and I decided to seek out faster and deeper sections of the river, since the trout needed cover for protection, thus, depth; and faster water translated to more oxygen. My idea suggested that previous heat waves placed a premium on oxygenated water.

Prime Water

Sure enough, the strategy paid off. I advanced to a section where the streambed narrowed, and this in turn resulted in a preponderance of deep runs, pockets and riffles. Trout began to snatch my nymphs, and the fish count blossomed to five. All three fish were respectable trout in the thirteen inch range, and one was a chunky rainbow, while the other two were brown trout. I also foul hooked a couple decent trout, and a couple of long distance releases added to the action.

Another Hungry Brown Trout

I was getting into a nice rhythm by 1:30PM, when I encountered a long, slow moving pool. I was about to skip to the head of the pool and the faster entering current, when I began to see some fairly consistent surface feeding. At least ten fish were showing themselves between the midsection and the tail. I was reluctant to remove my dry/dropper set up, but I relented and snipped off the three flies. I began my dry fly quest with a CDC blue wing olive, although I had not seen a natural. The size 12 CDC olive generated one splashy refusal, but it was otherwise ignored in favor of some other tiny natural morsels.

Productive

I paused and gazed at the river, and within a few minutes I spotted a tiny blue wing olive, as it attempted to become airborne. Surely this was the cause of the surface action in the pool. For the next hour I cycled through the CDC BWO, a soft hackle emerger fished as a dry, and a Klinkhammer emerger. I was disappointed to get shutout by the snooty trout of the Eagle River.

I finally surrendered and reverted to the dry/dropper, however, in this case I used the salvation combined with another RS2. I advanced to the fast entering run with the thought that perhaps the trout could not see the surface flies as easily and, therefore, focused on the nymphs. This theory was quickly debunked, and I replaced the RS2 with a beadhead hares ear nymph and eventually an olive perdigon.

All was not lost. For the remainder of the day I prospected some very nice pocket water and deep troughs and slots, and the salvation and perdigon combination clicked to yield four more trout. Two were small and barely above the count threshold, but two brown trout in the thirteen inch range caused me to smile in appreciation.

I persisted on the Eagle River on Wednesday and managed to register nine trout. Once I determined the type of river structure that produced fish, I gained modest success. Hopefully I can apply this knowledge gained to a future effort on the Eagle. I learned that the blue wings are already active, but I was unsuccessful in finding the key to unlocking that puzzle. Had I not broken off a couple fish and landed a higher percentage of my connections, I would have easily exceeded double digits. Wednesday was quite a retreat from the halcyon days of the Flatttops, but it was a success in my book.

Fish Landed: 9

North Fork of the White River – 09/12/2025

Time: 10:15AM – 1:15PM

Location: Between Trappers Lake and Buford

North Fork of the White River 09/12/2025 Photo Album

Friday was my getaway day, as I departed from Ute Lodge and drove to Bachelor Gulch, where the rest of my family was gathered for Jane’s special birthday celebration. Because of the Derby Creek wildfire, I was unable to take the usual direct route to Avon. I was forced to drive west to Meeker and then south to Rifle and then east to Avon. For this reason I logged a shorter than normal day of fishing in the Flattops. I did, however, witness the sad aftermath of the Lee fire, as I drove south from Meeker to Rifle. All the hillsides were charred, and I sympathize with the ranchers, who lost immense amounts of grazing land.

Bankside Slot

I packed up my belongings at the Pine Cabin and made the relatively short drive to the chosen section of the North Fork. The temperature was in the upper fifties, so I pulled on my fleece hoodie, and I assembled my Loomis two piece five weight. By 10:15AM I found myself perched along the stream with a peacock hippie stomper trailing a salvation nymph. I read my posts from a year ago for this same section of the stream, and I learned that the stomper and salvation performed quite well.

Very Large for a Small Stream

Alas, after ample time prospecting with the two flies, I failed to notice any sign of a fish, so I shifted directions and deployed a tan size 8 pool toy hopper, a beadhead hares ear, and a salvation nymph. These flies remained on my line for the remainder of my time on the North Fork.

Home of Brook Trout

Before I took my lunch break at 11:45AM, I accumulated fourteen trout. The first hour included a high gradient stretch, and I probably devoted too much time to short pockets. Once I encountered more favorable stream structure, the fish count grew rapidly. Among my morning catch were some chunky fourteen inch rainbows and a wide slab of an orange bellied brook trout.

Orange Dominates

Little Eddy

After lunch I continued upstream for another hour. I was more selective about my target spots, and the approach paid off, as I notched another twelve landed trout to boost the fish count to twenty-six. Two more brilliant brook trout in the twelve inch range rested in my net, and four cutbows and rainbows of twelve to fourteen inches were much appreciated.

Amazing Deep Charcoal Color

By 1:15PM I reached my planned exit point, so I hustled up a steep bank and climbed over deadfalls to return to the car. The return drive by way of Meeker and Rifle took nearly three hours.

Friday was another rewarding day in the Flattops. Twenty-six trout in three hours netted some fairly fast action. There were some locations, however, that historically produced, that shut me out on this go round. Nevertheless, it was a solid day on the North Fork of the White River, and I will most likely miss the beauty and remoteness until next year. I never encountered another angler during my four days of fly fishing, and I love solitude.

Fish Landed: 26

North Fork of the White River – 09/11/2025

Time: 10:15AM – 4:40PM

Location: Between Buford and Trappers Lake

North Fork of the White River 09/11/2025 Photo Album

What can I say? After a relatively tough day on the South Fork, Thursday on the North Fork could not have been any more different. The most obvious deviation was the weather. The sky was covered with huge gray clouds much of the day including a thirty minute downpour at lunch time. Fortunately I pulled on my rain shell in the nick of time and huddled under a dense cluster of deciduous trees. The temperature took a major dive from the low sixties, and I was pleased to be wearing my fleece hoodie and raincoat.

What Colors!

I chose the section of the North Fork to fish on Thursday, because I had the entire day, and I hoped to progress farther than previous visits. My mission was accomplished. For casting, I chose my Loomis two piece five weight, because I like the slow action and shorter length on the smaller stream.

Small Stream Beast

Long Pocket

From 10:15AM until lunch at 11:45AM I tallied fourteen trout. I was deploying a tan pool toy hopper and a beadhead hares ear much of this phase of my day, and both flies delivered outstanding results. Two splendid cutbows of thirteen inches were part of the morning haul.

Best Brook Trout of the Trip

After lunch and waiting out the storm, I resumed with a peacock ice dub hippie stomper and a salvation nymph. The combination produced with most of the action on the hippie stomper, but the salvation was mostly ignored. I decided I needed a larger nymph, so I swapped the salvation for a prince nymph. The change improved results, and the fish count climbed to twenty=six.

Another Colorful Masterpiece

Small Productive Pool

At this point, which was around 2:00PM, I weathered a slow phase, and I decided to test a double dry, since the nymph was attracting minimal interest. I snipped off the prince and replaced it with a size 14 light gray deer hair caddis. This double dry combination was magical, and the fish count mounted from twenty-six to forty-three. Both flies generated takes, but the caddis seemed more effective. Although the double dry yielded a steady stream of trout, I felt that the size of the fish was not as large as earlier catches. Some of this related to a higher proportion of brook trout.

Splendid

Sweet Spot

What a day! I covered a mile of the North Fork and racked up forty-three trout. Wading was difficult among the high gradient stream, and I was rather selective regarding targeted spots. It seemed that the ratio of twelve to fourteen inch rainbows and cutbows was lower than last year, but that could simply be fading memory. I will not nitpick over a forty-three fish day.

Fish Landed: 43

Another Pallet of Colors

Rare Open Area to Cast

South Fork of the White River – 09/10/2025

Time: 11:15AM – 4:20PM

Location: Upstream from South Fork Campground

South Fork of the White River 09/10/2025 Photo Album

Not all days can be like Tuesday, September 9, and Wednesday on the South Fork was certainly different. The weather was perfect but maybe a bit too bright and sunny for fish.

I hiked a decent distance from the South Fork Campground and began fly fishing at 11:15AM. The temperature in the parking lot was 55 degrees, so I tied a fleece around my waist beneath my wader bibs, but I never gave a thought to pulling it out. Once again I deployed a Sage One five weight in case of muscular catches.

Definition of Plump

Over the course of the day I covered .8 mile. I attempted to be very strategic with my casts, but I suspect I needed even more discipline to effectively fish the South Fork. After today’s outing I concluded that one needs to hike a good distance and look for sections, where the stream bed narrows. Wide and shallow riffles should be circumvented entirely.

Cannot Wait to Cast

On the day I landed ten trout, and all were rainbows. Two silver bullets in the fifteen to sixteen inch range made my day, and they displayed amazing fighting spirits. I added three bows in the twelve inch range. and the remainder were small fish within six to eight inches. Yes, it was a paltry catch considering I fished for nearly five hours and covered .8 mile.

Better View

Rather Nondescript Lie

I broke for lunch at 11:45AM after thirty minutes of fishing with nary a refusal to report. After lunch, I fooled three small rainbows, but even this meager fish count necessitated a couple hours of casting. After 2PM the action picked up a bit, but I am not sure whether to attribute the improvement to the water temperature warming or being in a more attractive section of the river. I moved the fish count from three to ten between 2:00PM and 4:20PM, and this included the two prizes of the day. I also experienced four hookups with powerful fish that I failed to land. Isn’t that always the case?

Another Fine Catch

Depth and Moderate Current

Wednesday was a fairly strenuous day with moderate results. It was a struggle to get to double digits. I lost quite a few flies due to breakoffs. The scenery was spectacular, the weather was marvelous, and I battled two respectable rainbows. Life is good.

Fish Landed: 10