Fly Fishing Eleven Mile Canyon

Canyon fishing was on fire this weekend.  I headed down there mid-morning and fished from about 11:30am to 4:00pm.  I could see a lot of small browns surfacing taking BWOs, however; the real action was deep within the countless pools that lay along that section the South Platte.  I started nymphing with a prince (size 14) and jujubaetis (size 18) casting into the riffles and allowing the rig to drop into the center of the pools… Strike after strike after strike! J I hooked up with some really nice fish Saturday, the largest of which was a 17 inch rainbow.  What was even more fun that day was watching Alyssa connect with a few trout herself.  Fishing with her is always entertaining because shortly after the hook-set comes frantic screaming and confusion as to what to do next.  She’s getting better, and with every new trout on her line, so does her interest in fly fishing!   

Fly Fishing the Big Thompson

Conditions were marginal today, but getting on the river before the front hit the area was the right thing to do.  Right away, the trout were in a frenzy as they appeared to strike at anything that may have even seemed slightly edible.  I was fishing with BWOs, pheasant tails, caddis, and baetis patterns, and all worked just fine.  We arrived around 9:30am, while it was still 60 degrees, and fished well into the temperature drop to 30.  While most of the activity did drop off as the snowfall thickened, we still got a few nice browns to the net before we determined that a cold beer and a plate of Texas brisket was becoming a bit more interesting than standing in the middle of an ice cold river.  Overall, we both had a great time and look forward to the summer months of fly fishing!

Fly Fishing Eldorado Canyon

The weather could not have been better today.  There was a light wind, the sun was out, and it was finally too warm to wear even a thin jacket.  Due to these conditions, the fam and I decided to check out Eldorado Canyon State Park today as we have only mildly used our yearly park pass and we wanted to do anything but stay indoors on such a nice day.  After arriving at the visitor’s center, I started to take a walk near the stream’s edge in order to look for surface activity and to get an idea of the current water conditions.  While I did not see any trout slurping the surface, I did see many jetting in and out of the small currents no doubt feasting on a variety of midges, presumably baetis this time of year.  Needless to say, out came the fly rod!  At first I attempted to nymph, but soon realized that there was just too much muck on the bottom to make this an effective approach.  I switched to a dry-dropper running a small mosquito pattern at the surface and a jujubaetis at the rear about 12 inches down.  This quickly provided some action.  Nothing was too large today, not surprisingly,   but it was nice to be back on the river again after a long winter huddled over my vise at the tying bench.  Game on!

The baetis are among us!

Clear Creek is looking very good. So good in fact that it was hard not to rush back home, grab the fly rod, and head back out into the wild. Instead, I decided to take a few water samples and explore the micro-chasm that governs the type of fly fishing day that we will all have in the area. This is really my first time doing this so early in the season and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect this time of year.


After reviewing my water samples, I can attest that the baetis are among us! I took eight small water samples total. Together, the baetis numbered over 100 with the only variation being size and not species. Based on what I was able to collect, I would recommend hook sizes between 20 and 16 with brown and olive variations being the focus.

Baetis Bicaudatus

The Rojo Midge

The Rojo Midge was created by Greg Garcia. At this point, this is the smallest fly that I have attempted to tie at size 22. I have fished this pattern many times in the past and would add that I have had more luck with it in early spring than during any other time of year.  You can fish it alone, but I have typically used this pattern to follow a more predominant nymph like a prince or stone pattern.  I have also had a lot of success including this as the trailing midge behind a dry or hopper pattern.   In reality, it’s a great fly and one that can be very effective in all kinds of water conditions, especially during those slower days when the trout seem reluctant to bite.

The Caddis Pupa

The caddis fly is one that all fly anglers should be familiar with. It is a staple for many trout streams and when the season is right, there are very few patterns that can beat it. However, I feel that many of us often fail to take full advantage of this insect and its lifecycle. We typically find ourselves only tying one on when we see visible adults in the area that the trout are currently responding to. In reality, trout are often willing to take pupa and larva stages even more voraciously than the adults.


How can you tell if you are in an area that has caddis pupa or larva if you see no visible signs of adults? I do this by scanning the shallows and looking for their rock-like casings, as I find these the easiest to spot.

The picture below is what you need to be looking for along the streambed to determine the presence of caddis.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

As far as tying these patterns, there is a huge range of possibilities.  I have seen some that involve nothing more than some rubber ribbing, dubbing, and a small black bead.  Others have ranged from CDC feathers to improve swimming action to leather strapping to simulate body texture and color.  The choices are limitless.  The most important fact is that you have to use what works best for you and keep casting.

My Simple Caddis Pupa  -

Here is a more complex version that I started tying this weekend - Charlie's Caddistrophic Pupa

Fish Explorer

I was just introduced to this fishing resource today by my new friend Aaron Russell. So far, I have been impressed with the content and usability of the site. It looks as if you can get information regarding fishing reports, water conditions, best locations, maps, reviews, recommended flies, etc… I am going to add it here as one of the tools that you will be able to find and utilize when planning your fly fishing adventures!

http://www.fishexplorer.com/