Colorado on the Fly: June 2008

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Upper Bear Creek

Fish up in the Mount Evans State Wildlife Area today and did really good. Nothing huge but ended up with around 20 brookies, missed more. Hopper with a bead head prince was the key. Pretty fun place up there. Sections of it remind me a lot of placed I have fished back in NC.

Bear Creek

Took Kate out a few weeks ago and she caught her first fish on a fly rod. We mainly caught browns but we did land one small rainbow. It's so nice having a great fishery so close to home.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Clear Creek and Deckers

My dad was in town for a few days and we fished a few spots on Clear Creek and the South Platte. Caught some nice chunky, caddis filled browns and rainbows on the Platte and some cutthroat in the head waters of Clear Creek. Looking forward to heading back to CC and looking for some more cutts, I think there may be some greenbacks in there.

Clear Creek Cutty

Another Cutty

Nice platte river brown

Platte Rainbow

Hooked up!!!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Secret Spot - June 14

Most of you know the spot but I don't want to say. Brendan and I decided it should now be referred to as the dream lake. The spawn is about to happen up in the high lakes of Colorado. Fished from 8:30 to around 12:15 and saw quite a few fish. Fish pushing 20 inches ignoring everything we threw. I did land 2 nice ones. Only have a photo of the bigger one. I'm starting to think these are big Greenback Cutts but I'm not sure. My DOW friends will have to confirm with the fish guy.

More photos of some of these awesome cutthroats to come in the next few weeks....I hope!!!

16" Female (she was full of eggs)

The release...

Fishing Report

2009
Clear Creek - April 25
All I have to say is Blue Wing Olives! Fishing is great right now on CC if you can catch the BWO hatch. Best patterns would be Barrs Emergers (#16-20) (11am-12:30) right before the bugs start flying and then (12:30am-2:30) BWO dries (#16-#20). Smaller the better I think. Fish were rising very consistantly for about 2 hours.

2008
Bear Creek - Sept 14
Fished BC through town and fishing was pretty good. The browns are getting there spawning colors and are starting to be aggressive. Move a few fish on a black streamer. SJ worms, eggs, and any attractor patterns are the go to now. Find a hole with some browns and you can bet there will be some fish holding below them munching on eggs.

Upper Bear Creek - June 28th
Mt Evans SWA brookies are out and about. Fishing was pretty good as long as you don't spook the holes. Dry dropper rigs are the ticket. Tie on a bead head prince and hang on, ha.

Upper Clear Creek - June 27th
Fished up above Bakerville in the afternoon. Took some fish on an elk hair caddis. There are some nice cutts in this stretch so catch them, admire them, and let them go. I need to have some pics looked at because some of them could be greenbacks but who knows they may be hybrids.

South Platte - June 23th
Spent around 3 hours in the Trumbull area and caught some fat caddis fed trout. Caught all trout on elk hair caddis. Flows were low and clear but they are coming up now.

Bear Creek - May 26th
Fishing was pretty good. Run off has been delayed due to the cool weather we had over the holiday weekend. BC will probably continue to fish pretty well until the run off really starts. There's a lot of snow on Evans so when it starts it's going to be blown out for quite a few days. San juan worms and Jujubaetis are the go to flies right now.

South Platte (Cheesman/Deckers) - May 23rd
The river was at perfect flows and clear. Fish were stacked in feeding lanes and eating a lot. Had one fish move 24 inches for a Jujubaetis which was pretty crazy. Anyway fishing with worms, scuds, and some baetis nymphs will do well.

Dream Stream - May 3rd
Hard fishing at the DS this weekend. Flows were around 200 which wasn't that bad but there were not many fish to be found. Walked around 3-4 miles of river and saw probably 5 fish, they were 5 pounders or better though. Four hook ups between me and a buddy. Eggs with a buckskin got us the hook ups. Probably when the flows stabilize things will get a little better.

Bear Creek - April 30th
BC was barely off color this afternoon. Landed a few fish in the downtown Evergreen stretch. Creek should stay pretty clear until saturday when the snow from thursday starts melting up towards Mount Evans. San juan worm with a copper john is still the ticket. I did see a few caddis but not enough to get the fish looking up yet. It's going to be dry dropper time soon on the home creek.

Bear Creek - April 24th
Creek is still a little off color but should stay that way the next few days. Temps at night in Evergreen are still only going to be in upper 20's and 30's the next few days so things will not be melting up high. I wouldn't expect runoff to be in full swing until the first few weeks of May. BC fished well using a variety of flies; san juan worms (pink everyones favorite color), copper johns, small streamers and caddis pupa.

Clear Creek - April 24th
Creek is running just a little off color. Looks like the next week runoff will get started. Did pretty good on my lunch break down at the Hidden Valley Exit. Browns are starting to look up as a few caddis are hatching. Elk hair caddis with a chartreuse copper john dropper was the go to pattern.

Buchanan Ponds - April 19th
Fished both ponds and did pretty good. Caught some nice ones in the lower pond as usual. Go to patterns were tan scuds #14 - #18, #14 flash tail eggs, and #14 chartreuse copper johns.

Bear Creek - April 20th
Creek is becoming off color due to run off but that doesn't mean you can't catch them. Caught around 10 with one being a nice 16" rainbow, right below the Evergreen Lake dam. Go to patterns were a san juan worm with a copper john dropped off of that. Use quite a bit of weight to get the flies down to the fish.

Colorado on the Fly