Upon our arrival, we started simple. It was early and I knew the dry fly bite wouldn't be crazy, but figured we would make it happen anyways. We had to keep it pretty fresh, changing up often for the first hour or so. After about 9:00 or so, the trout started to move around a bit and were chomping on our caddis and stimulators. We threw some smaller attractors, and even some smaller midge and mayfly nymphs patterns, but they really seemed to be looking up.
Starting off in the morning, just below the falls.
The guys were getting several bites early on after tying on the stimulators and caddis, but it slowed around 10:30. Having a couple trout already landed, we left and headed up stream, again staying below the falls a bit.
The next stretch of water, I recommended trying my own hand tied beadhead wire prince nymphs. Sometimes, but not always, you just know. I knew. Something about this fly in this roughly quarter mile stretch of water just nails it! I find stones on the rocks here, obviously, but also in other stretches where this fly may not be as effective. Intriguing!
Either way, it worked great, especially after recommending to one of the guys that he take off his bb weight that he had added and then showed them both how to approach these larger boulder plunge pools. Don't stand on the rocks I tell people. Stand behind them and stalk the trout like John Rambo. I would even go as far as recommending camouflage for your face and a headband too. Hey, if it helps right?
One of the clients taking on "Rambo Style" for the first time, minus the face paint and headband, of course. Successful Mission!
After painting our faces and playing with our survival knife toys, we decided to go eat some of our delicious prey: Oscar Meyer turkey sandwiches served with cold 90 Schillings, courtesy of the 9-16-12 trip clients, the Olson's. Thanks, they were great. Only three left now. What a great lunch though. We ate right next to Barker Reservoir in Ned and it was just gorgeous. No wind unless you were down next to the water submarine-ing Schillings.
After lunch, we headed up towards Eldora for some small time creek fishing. I told the guys that the grand slam was a definite possibility, and it excited them as they were true fly fisherman. Just my kind of crowd.
Good to be back in this neck of woods! There is usually snow everywhere when I'm up in this area.
We went with the same set up as before, as I knew there was a slight chance of catching on the same set up as well. Also, they were feeling it so I just wanted to get them fishing again as soon as possible.
Sure enough, right in the first hole they caught a brook trout, on the Amy's Ant. No surprise, as summer time brookies love big and ugly terrestrials. Immediately, I reminded them of the grand slam.
The first hole we hit in Eldora, with the brook trout coming just below where the client is standing and the rainbow came just above the bridge; which is on the right of the blue spruce, which is also pictured on the right.
One of the gentleman proceeded to leap frog the other and now ended up above the bridge that was splitting the huge pocket water above from the long flat pool below. The guy I was standing next to got another bite and I told him I was the going to go tie on the other client a san juan worm. Well right when I walked up on him, I noticed a heavily arched over rod. I ran to net it and he had just landed the nicest rainbow trout. It was pretty. I can't stress how gorgeous this trout was. It was pushing 11 or 12 inches, which is huge for this section of stream, had a bright pink stripe down the side, a dark drake colored back and the most perfect spotting. I shook his hand and told him that he had actually just made my day. Any day you get to see a trout like that is a great day for me. I asked what he got him on and he said "the one was slow so I tied on a san juan, pink". I just smiled and told him "great minds think alike".
I tied on a san juan for the other gentleman and again, reminded him of the grand slam and told them that if they needed to get it between the two of them, that works. They continued to work upstream, trying to stay in the sun as it seemed to be producing better results. The temperature was 60 degrees, which made it a good 8-12 degrees warmer than below the dam, but bug activity was sparse none the less.
We continued fishing for another hour or so and did see a ton of flying ants on a beach at one point, and even saw a (one only) trout rise to a decent caddis hatch after that. But after tying on a flying ant, Elk hair caddis and both a caddis emerger and larva without luck we decided to get going.
Working a small meadow between our 'in' and the town of Eldora.
Nice looking stream, huh? I would say so myself.
It was a great day out and although the client fell just a cutthroat shy of a grand slam, they were happy. They had caught trout in all 3 sections and I felt like coming to Boulder Creek really paid off. And even though we weren't in the park, we were treated to some great scenery none the less.
Having drove their own vehicle so they could venture to Lyons afterwards, I was free to do whatever. I fished, but wasn't feeling it so quit after maybe five minutes or so. Just didn't feel it. I did however get this great, semi-genius idea of taking a couple of really clever pictures. So here they are; pictures of my office, from my other office. Keep in mind that I was shooting straight into the sun so the picture quality is not great but...look at where I work in the summer (foreground) and in the winter (background). Can't beat that!!!
"Office, meet office." I'll say it again, you can't beat that!
Looking west towards La Cerveca Mas Fina
Barker Reservoir on the way home. My summer office is located behind where I am standing, in front of me and pretty much all over the place. Crazy. The winter office? That is in the mountains right in the middle of this picture. Awesome!!
Tight Lines-
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