Time: 10:00AM – 3:00PM

Location: Town of Steamboat Springs

Yampa River 06/09/2021 Photo Album

Wednesday was my day to fish. We broke camp at Steamboat Lake State Park and loaded the Santa Fe in such a way that made my fishing gear accessible, and then we completed the thirty minute drive to Steamboat Springs. The flows dropped precipitously from the 1,000 CFS mark to the 650 – 700 CFS range for Wednesday. The reduction was quite noticeable, and it made quite a few stretches of the river in town more accessible to a wading angler.

As usual, we parked at the Howelsen Hill recreation area, and we immediately noted a group of young women under the gazebo listening to a long-winded speech from a man apparently knowledgeable about women’s softball scholarships. We concluded that a Triple Crown softball tournament was in progress, and college scouts were present for the showcase event. Jane planned to go for a walk before lunch and then cycle the Yampa Trail afterward.

A Bit More Space to Fish

I quickly pulled on my waders and fishing gear and assembled my Sage One five weight. The air temperature was close to eighty degrees, and Wednesday evolved into a bright sunny, warm day. I hiked downstream for .2 miles and then dropped down a steep rocky bank to the river and began my quest for trout. After four separate sessions of lake fishing on Tuesday  with only a momentary connection as a result, I was very eager to once again revel in the throb of my rod. The river remained high, but it was obvious that it receded quite a bit from the previous Tuesday and Wednesday, as I could wade along the edge more easily, and a few decent pockets and riffles existed beyond the narrow edge of the river.

Pleased with This Beauty

During the morning I utilized a tan pool toy hopper, 20 incher and iron Sally in the early going, and when the 20 incher failed to produce, I shifted the iron Sally to the top nymph position and cycled through a hares ear nymph and salvation nymph on the point. Two rainbows nabbed the iron sally and a brown trout grabbed the hares ear in the first hour. Fish numbers four and five were brown trout, and they each favored the salvation nymph.

Number five was the last fish of the morning and one of the better catches of the day. A fourteen inch brown trout emerged from a skinny run along the bank that could not have been more than two feet deep. It was rewarding to land such a fine specimen after casting to a marginal lie. I halted my fly fishing progress at noon and hoofed it back to the car, where Jane had already begun her lunch. I relaxed at a picnic table next to the softball field, and listened to Jane’s recount of her morning activities.

Nice Girth

After lunch I decided to progress upstream through a section that I mostly avoided the previous week. At higher flows it is very difficult to access, because dense vegetation grows tight to the bank of the river, and the swift current makes it nearly impossible to move upstream along the edge of the river. The flows on Wednesday made such an approach possible although still quite challenging.

Respectable

My decision proved sound, and I increased the fish count from five to eleven, before I quit at 3:00PM. Several nice brown trout in the thirteen and fourteen inch range were part of the afternoon catch as well as a chunky thirteen inch rainbow. Number eleven was the highlight of the day, as a fat fifteen inch cutbow nipped a sparkle wing RS2 at the very top of a short pocket that bordered the bank. I was very excited with this development on a warm late spring day in June.

A Favorite Spot Ahead

I attributed my moderate catch rate on June 1 to the lack of significant insect activity, and my observation on June 9 supported that theory. When I first began in the morning a squadron of lime-colored Sallies fluttered up from the vegetation and stream. After lunch I began to notice quite a few small blue winged olive mayflies along with a couple pale morning duns. The denser population of small mayflies prompted me to substitute a sparkle wing RS2 for the salvation, and it was that fly that sparked the relatively rapid action between 1PM and 2:30PM. In addition to the six landed fish, I tangled with a couple escapees that seemed to be of above average size. It seemed that the uptick in mayfly emergence activity spurred the appetites of the Yampa River trout.

Cutbow Was Last and Best of the Day

Wednesday was a fine day by this angler’s standards. The catch rate was a bit low, but I achieved double figures, and four of my netted trout were in the thirteen to fifteen inch range. The pace of action improved in the early afternoon after the appearance of a decent number of blue winged olives. The weather was a bit warm, but after the chilly spring of 2021, I welcomed a bit of heat. In a week or so the pale morning duns should make an appearance, and I am contemplating a return visit to the Yampa. Stay tuned.

Fish Landed: 11