Introduction
It began on the golf course about a year ago. My golf partner – Duane – and I scheduled a tee time at Green Valley Ranch Golf Course and Steve Block joined us as a single.
Since then, Steve has become a regular reader of my blog. In his words, he was enthralled with my stories and a short time ago he invited me and Brian to his cabin near Basalt to fish the Pan. The only hitch was that we’d have to share some of our “expertise” with him. He wanted to learn more about setting up a nymphing rig, reading the river, fly choices – things like that.
Not heavy stuff – but neither of us are guides – and I was hoping that we’d meet his expectations. I’ve fished the Pan – as the Frying Pan River is known - a couple of times in the past. One time was with my sons and a couple of guides, and the other time was so long ago it’s a bit hazy. My only memories were pulling off at different locations and landing a lunker in the Toilet Bowl.
The canyon walls of the Seven Castles. (Brian in the river fishing the chute).
The scenery. That was the other thing I remember. A red-rocked canyon and red colored soil set against the deep green of the pine forest and a lush valley with a crystal clear, wild looking river running through it. It’s a beautiful setting – no doubt.
The Pan stretches for 14 miles from the Ruedi dam to its confluence with the Roaring Fork River in Basalt – all of it Gold Medal water.
A lot of people wonder how the Pan got its name and there are various folklore tales about how it did. According to the Roaring Fork Conservatory the most colorful one is that “a group of prospectors who fled hostile Utes only to run into another encampment where upon one prospector said they had come out of the frying pan and into the fire”.
Another tale quoted from Uncover Colorado says “After being attacked by the natives, and leaving his wounded friend behind to seek out help, the trapper left a frying pan in a nearby tree as a landmark, thus leading to the name Fryingpan River”.
Evidently how it got its name is up for debate, but it seems that all the folklore tales portray a time long ago with mountain men an native Indians living in the wild Rocky Mountains.
A river scene near Mile Marker 5.
Even though I’ve fished the Pan before I’m not very familiar with it and as such I did as much research and planning as I could to prepare for the four-day adventure.
In my research before the trip, I couldn’t find any specific guidance except for the Toilet Bowl and about a ¼ mile below it. The information was more general on the rest of the river. The fly shops split the river into two sections – the “Lower Pan” – from its confluence with the Roaring Fork River upstream to Mile Marker 8 and the “Upper Pan” from Mile Marker 8 upstream to the dam. I found out from Steve that the locals refer to the river upstream of the Ruedi Reservoir as the “Upper Pan”.
The only other information given was what to expect hatch wise. For this time of year – BWOs, midges, and Mysis shrimp on the Upper Pan (Mysis only in the Toilet Bowl), and BWOs, midges, caddisflies, and stoneflies in the Lower Pan.
My high-level plan was to cover as much of both parts of the river as possible, so we’d get a perspective of the river - and the Toilet Bowl. Steve mentioned that he had a few nice holes near his place above the reservoir that we could try so we incorporated that into the plan too.
An approaching storm.
The Toilet Bowl. It’s famous for holding big, football shaped trout. Fishermen come from all over the world to fish it. At one time the Colorado Parks and Wildlife introduced Kokanee Salmon into the Ruedi Reservoir for sport fishing. Then they introduced Mysis shrimp as a food source for the Kokanee. The only problem was that the Kokanee have bad eyesight and can’t see the tiny, translucent shrimp. But the trout can.
The shrimp are swept out of the reservoir at the base of the dam and flow into a big, deep pool below it that someone named the Toilet Bowl. In this deep pool directly beneath the dam, the trout – brownies, rainbows and cutbows - gorge themselves on the shrimp growing big and fat with bright coloration.
We’d start day 2 and 3 at the Toilet Bowl. The fly of choice there is a Mysis shrimp imitation and they are present all day long so we wouldn’t have to worry about timing a hatch. After that we’d move downstream and pull off at fishy locations, covering as much of the river as possible allowing time to fish the Upper-upper Pan (as I’ve coined it), near Steve’s place.
The Eagle River flows along I-70 to its confluence with the Colorado River and as we were driving along it to Glenwood Springs, Brian and I came up with an idea of fishing it on the way back. We never fished it before, so we’d have a chance of fishing yet another new river. We weren’t sure how Day 4 would play out – so it was kind of on the back burner.
This would be an adventurous trip.
Day 1
April 29, 2024
Settling In
The Frying Pan River – Mile Marker 4 ¾ (Seven Castles) – The Castle Run.
Flows: 204 cfs.
Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous (88% illumination).
Water Temp: 40F @ 11:30a.
Water clarity: Crystal clear.
Air Temp: 47F @11:30a – mid-50sF @ 4p.
Hatches: Midge: In the air about noon, then dying off. BWOs: 12N to 4p.
Spawning: No redds or spawning activity observed.
Flies: : #20 BWO Sparkle Dun, #20 BWO Dry, #20 Mercury Pheasant Tail, #20 Cripple, #18 Prince Nymph, #20 Grey Sparkle Wing RS2, #16 Royal Wullf, #18 Klinkhammer, #20 Parachute BWO, #20 Pheasant Tail, #22 Sparkle Dun, #20 Mercury Baetis, #16 Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear, #24 Cripple.
Top producers: Cripple, Sparkle Wing RS2, Sparkle Dun, Prince Nymph, Pheasant Tail, Mercury Pheasant Tail, Cripple.
We planned to meet Steve at the Frying Pan Anglers fly shop at 11:30a in the town of Basalt, then fish the Pan in the afternoon. Steve had to renew his fishing license so that made it a convenient meeting place.
Brian changing flies in the Castle Run.
Before leaving Denver I gave Steve a job to do. I wanted him to do some recon on the river as he drove down the canyon from his home in Meredith. Check the crowds – get a feel on what was open. Even in the winter the Pan can get crowded – although not like in the summertime. The river covers fourteen miles from Basalt to the dam, so there is a lot of river to fish and I wasn’t too concerned, but if the Upper Pan was crowded then we’d look for a place on the lower section – or vice-a-versa.
Brian and I arrived fifteen minutes early which gave us time to make an important stop at the liquor store and we even had time to eat our lunch before Steve arrived.
Once he got his fishing license squared away, Steve reported sparse crowds – the river was open the whole way. Wow – that was good news. Our plan was to drive back up the canyon and we’d pull off at the first fishy spot, give it a try, then move on to the next one.
Steve with a nice rainbow in hand.
We made it almost to Mile Marker 5. Just before it – at the Seven Castles – there was a fishy looking spot. It had a glassy pool at the top of the run that fed into a sort of a chute that emptied into another pool below. There was an island at the end of the bottom pool with riffled water running around it.
We pulled off – it looked promising.
Brian went one way – Steve and I the other. It was about noon, and as we approached the river the midges were still coming off and there were a few BWOs coming off too.
I rigged up Steve’s nymphing rig and was surprised to find out he never fished one before. He always fished a Dry/Dropper – the same setup his dad used to fish. I tied on a #18 Red Copper John as the lead fly and followed it with a #22 Candy Cane Midge and a #20 Grey Sparkle Wing RS-2.
One of Brian's rainbows.
Brian Kenney.
With his gear set up, I instructed Steve to wade across the glassy pool and fish a seam of fast water flowing along the far bank – river-left. That’s the first thing I learned about the Pan. The water is much deeper than it looks. What looked like ankle-deep water was actually hip deep. The clarity of the water was throwing me off.
As Steve fished the far bank, I tied up my nymphing rig. A Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear in the lead position followed by a #20 Mercury Baetis and a #22 Flashback Black Beauty. There was a large pine tree that fell into the river and now was lying across the top of the glassy pool. My plan was to cast into a few of the small seams that flowed below it where I thought I might find a big brownie.
The wind was moderately blowing – just enough that you had to be careful with your cast, especially when targeting a little seam of water close to a huge, downed pine tree. I knew it was risky, but nothing ventured – nothing gained. Right?
A small brownie I got in the Castle Run.
Well, it didn’t take me long to get my flies wrapped up on one of the bare branches sticking out of the pine tree. They were just out of reach, and I cautiously stepped forward trying to reach them – not wanting to break them off. I was about waist deep in the water – way deeper than I like – when they were finally within reach, and I was able to release them from the branch. What I didn’t realize at the time was that my pack was taking on water and getting almost all of my flies soaked.
With enough of that I headed into the chute below the glassy pool where Brian joined me. Me on one side – him on the other. We could easily see into the crystal-clear water and we couldn’t see any fish. Even though – we covered it and ended up at the pool below.
Brian then went down below the island, and I went back up to the glassy pool to retrieve my backpack and spare rod. I let Steve know that I was headed downstream to fish the river-left spoke of the river flowing around the island. He said he was going to move downstream too.
A nice rainbow taken on a dry fly in the Castle Run.
I was covering the riffles moving downstream around the island and when I got to the end of it I found Steve fishing at the point. Brian was now further downstream and none of us had even a sniff.
While I was chatting with Steve, Brian showed up on the bank. With all of us empty handed we decided that we’d move on to the next spot. Steve and Brain headed toward the car as I waded upstream on the river-right side of the island. It was in a small, slow pool that I spotted the first fish of the day. Steve was on the bank beside me, and I said I was going to try for him.
After a few casts the fish swam off – obviously not impressed with my presentations! Then as I moved a bit farther upstream I noticed a few fish in the upper column just below the island – and there was a guy casting to them. I would later find out his name was Simon, and he was from England. As I walked by Simon on the bank I spotted a few more just upstream of him. They too were feeding in the upper column.
Baetis (BWOs) that Brian extracted from one of his brownies.
Brian Kenney.
I asked Simon if he would mind if I went after the fish upstream of him and he said have at it. I lost track of Brian and Steve as I casted to the fish. A short time later the BWOs were coming off in full force and the fish were rising to eat them off the surface. As this was happening, Simon had to leave. For what, I don’t know – but I now had the whole place to myself.
With the steadily rising fish, I grabbed my dry fly setup and began casting to them. I had on a #18 Parachute BWO as my lead fly and followed it with a #22 BWO Sparkle Dun. After several attempts with no takes, I tied a #18 Pheasant Tail off my Sparkle Dun on as a “Dropper”. It wasn’t long after that change and I had my first fish of the day – a 14” brownie. He took the Pheasant Tail.
Steve came up just as I was releasing the brownie and quickly joined me. He was casting his Dry/Dropper rig that was set up with a #18 Royal Wulff as his Dry and a #18 Prince Nymph as his Dropper. A bit later he had a nice 17” rainbow in the net. It took his Prince Nymph.
Releasing a rainbow back into the Castle Run.
Now more fish were rising and we were going full bore focusing on them. Brian was nowhere in sight, and I was wondering what happened to him – but not concerned enough to take my attention off the rising fish. I had a feeling he would show up sooner than later.
Sure enough as short time later Brian walked down to see what was keeping us. After telling him both Steve and I had one in the net and seeing the rising fish, Brian grabbed his gear and joined us. He was fishing his nymphing rig and soon landed a nice 16” brownie.
We stayed in that run – which I named the Castle Run – for the rest of the afternoon. Each changing up flies and trying different techniques and landing several 17” brownies and rainbows, and one nice cutbow. Brian got most of his on his Mole Fly and Steve got the rest of his on the #22 Grey Sparkle Wing RS2 that he was fishing as a Dropper. I got mine on a combination of the Mole Fly, BWO Klinkhammer, and BWO Sparkle Dun.
A nice brown Brian caught in the Castle Run.
Brian Kenney.
As Brian and Steve fished the pool just upstream of the island, I moved upstream to a point where the water just dropped off into the pool. My casts were either across and downstream or directly downstream. Not an ideal way of presenting your flies – but I did get a couple that way. They basically hooked themselves.
I missed several as I casted to the far side of the pool. It required a long cast and line management became an issue. With so much line out, I was having trouble with my sets.
Then just like that – as it often happens - the rising stopped, and the fish were gone. It was about that time, and we soon followed.
Got this brownie in the Castle Run on a Sparkle Dun.
What a day. Nailing fish on the rise in a crystal-clear river with the red canyon walls of the Seven Castles looming over us.
Day 2
April 30, 2024
The Royal Flush
The Frying Pan River – Toilet Bowl, below the bridge, MM 10, and the No Name Hole.
Flows: 203 cfs below the dam & 155 above it.
Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous (61% illumination).
Water Temp: 40F @ 9a at base of dam.
Water clarity: Crystal clear.
Air Temp: 44F @ 8:30a – 57F @ 4p.
Hatches: Midge: 8:30a to 11a. BWOs: 12N to 4:30p. Caddis: All afternoon – heavier late afternoon.
Spawning: No redds or spawning activity observed.
Flies: #18 and #20 Mysis Shrimp, #22 Sparkle Dun BWO, #18 Parachute BWO, #20 Parachute Adams, #24 Cripple, Guide Choice Hare’s Ear, #16 Tabou Caddis, #18 Green Caddis Larva, #20 Grey Sparkle Wing RS2, #20 Flashback Pheasant Tail.
Top producers: Mysis Shrimp, Caddis Larva, Cripple, Cripple, Tabou Caddis.
The famed Toilet Bowl.
(Brian on the right - Simon on the left - both in Position A).
We got an early start hoping to be first there.
Our destination, the Toilet Bowl.
We were after those large, football shaped trout. Rainbows, cutbows, and browns. We were on the Frying Pan River and I’ve heard from some fishing reports that brook trout also reside in the river but only in the Lower Pan.
We would end up one fish short of the Royal Flush. We needed to land a brookie.
The last time I caught one was a number of years ago while fishing the private water of the Boxwood Gulch. It was a beauty. Nineteen inches – which is very big for a brookie. They actually feed the fish there for the enjoyment of the paying customers. They are called Brook Trout, but they are actually in the char family. A family of fish that reside in both fresh and salt water. And there’s something about them. Their spots? Their coloration? I don’t know what it is – maybe it’s just me – but I’m always thrilled when I catch one.
Brian left Steve’s cabin early to see if he could get there first and claim our spot at the Bowl. Steve and I would soon follow. Simon – the Brit we met the day earlier in the Castle Run – was there when Brian arrived. They were in Position A and there wasn’t room for Steve and I.
Steve casting into the pool from the far side of the Toilet Bowl.
A few years ago my sons and I hired a couple of guides and fished the Pan. Harry – the guide Vince and I had – took us to the Toilet Bowl in hopes of landing one of those big, fat trout. Position A was taken then too – but Harry wasn’t too concerned. We waded across the river and took up a position on the opposite side of the pool. There we both landed two nice rainbows – at the same time!
That’s where Steve and I headed. The only problem was there was a strong wind – gale force at times – blowing directly in our face. I rigged up Steve’s nymphing setup tying on a #16 Hare’s Ear followed by a #20 “dead” Mysis shrimp and a #20 “live” Mysis shrimp.
I didn’t rig up – just hung out and tried to help Steve. After a bit we could see the trout in the mid-to-upper column, similar to the last time I fished it. I had tied on the Hare’s Ear to give the rig some weight hoping it would get the flies down where the fish were. But they weren’t down on the bottom – so I changed out the Hare’s Ear for a Pheasant Tail. That should do the trick.
Me and Vince on the other side of the Toilet Bowl in 2015.
We found that fighting the wind was next to impossible. At one point it would blow Steve’s flies to the left, then to the right, and sometimes right back at us. Even with the lighter rig we were having issues. The casts, drifts, mending, wind knots – it was becoming unmanageable.
Meanwhile, Brian was nailing a handful of fish over in position A. I didn’t think he would mind sharing the wealth so I hollered over to him and asked if he would mind if we came over and joined him. Both Brian and Simon responded – that’s the kind of guy Simon was – and both said come over, they’d make room.
We headed back across the river. Once we got there Steve realized that somehow the tip of his rod broke. Dang it! Neither of us understood how that had happened. Both sides of the Toilet Bowl are lined with huge, jagged boulders. A perfect place to break a rod. Even though we didn’t remember getting his rod hung up on anything.
One of Brian's big brownies.
Brian Kenney.
Both Brian and I offed to lend him one of our 4-weights, but Steve opted to drive back to his cabin and get his spare rod. It’s about twenty minutes to and twenty minutes back. Steve would be gone for the better part of an hour, so I rigged up my rod and began to fish. Simon and Brian were to my left, and I was fishing the tailout of the bowl.
We could see the fish in the upper column – big, and bright. Occasionally one would rise and take something off the surface. I wasn’t sure what they were eating on the surface. Was it midges? Or Mysis floating in the film?
The natural inclination is to fish deep in the pool – that’s where the fish usually hang out. But the dam is a bottom release dam and churns the water in this hole, causing what’s ever on the bottom to swirl to the top and you will find fish at various depths.
The Ruedi dam has an secondary outlet river-left of the main dam outlet.
I eventually took off all my weight – and leaving only my Mysis shrimp tied on. I had on a #18 “dead” and “live” imitations, and a #20 “dead” one on. The dead Mysis are white in color while the live ones are more translucent. Brian and I tied up a bunch of each in preparation for fishing this hole.
As my flies drifted in the swift current I let them swing to the top at the end of my drift and BAM! Fish on!
It was a nice brownie about 16” and took one of my live shrimp imitations. Actually it was one that Brian tied up. He tied it as instructed by Charlie Craven a well-known fly-fishing guru. We would find out that it was the most productive of the different Mysis shrimp imitations that we tied up.
A thick rainbow.
Brian Kenney.
Steve showed up just as I was releasing the brownie with his spare 4-weight rod. I mentioned that he was going to be in for a treat when he hooked up one of those monsters with such a light rod.
We ended up spending more time than planned in the hole. We just couldn’t pull ourselves away when we were hooking up such nice fish. It didn’t help that you could clearly see them feeding either. It was about noon when we pulled up stakes – Simon too, leaving the hole for the next guy.
All of us had several fish in the net – 17” brownies, 17” and 18” rainbows and cutbows – and all but the one Brian landed earlier on his caddis larva were on one variety or another of the Mysis shrimp pattern.
Me with a rather ugly cutbow.
Brian Kenney.
The most memorable – and biggest – one for me was the big cutbow I hooked up in the tailout of the hole. I could see him feeding in what looked like four feet of water just before it flows into a riffled section of the river. My cast wasn’t on point, but I saw him bolt toward my flies and viciously take one of them. A loud thrashing immediately followed, and the fight was on!
After eating lunch we headed downstream to a hole that Steve fished before with a guide. I was thinking if a guide took him there it must be good, so we headed to it. It’s just downstream of the bridge that crosses the river below the Toilet Bowl. We pulled off at a spot where the river bends to the right. We found a nice pool at the bend and spotted a fish rising in it. Then we spotted several more.
Wow – this would be fun picking these guys off one at a time. The only problem was that there was only room for one fisherman. Brian moved downstream and I set Steve up to fish the pool. Dry flies – a #20 Parachute BWO and a #20 Sparkle Dun. The water was slow and clear, and these fish were picky. At one point I changed out the Sparkle Dun for a #24 Cripple.
Steve enticed this 14" brownie to take his Cripple.
Steve casted it into the pool and as it floated down through it a fish came up to inspect it – finally deciding that he didn’t want it. I told Steve to keep the drift going and another fish came up – this time taking it!
It was a flash – he watched it then attacked it. BAM!
Steve set and soon had a 14” brownie in the net. Nice work!
It was my turn – and I spent the better part of an hour trying to fool those fish. Just one. That’s all I wanted. Brian and Steve patiently stood by while I casted time and again into the pool. I had some lookers but no takers. Finally, I gave up and we moved on.
Brian with one of his rainbows he got in the No Name Hole.
Later, Steve would say he couldn’t believe I wasted all that time chasing what he thought were ugly, little fish! Well, I agree they were smallish – but I didn’t think they were ugly. And I explained that it wasn’t unusual for me to do just that. Stubborn? Maybe, but I like to chase fish. I like to say I’m persistent.
We moved downstream to a pull out that looked fishy – but we found that it was a very difficult place to navigate. The fishy spots were next to impossible to get to, but we gave it a good go.
No hits, no runs, no errors.
Time to move on.
Our next stop was a secret spot in the Upper-upper Pan – close to Steve’s place. We stopped to take a look at it on the way home yesterday and it looked like it would hold fish for sure. Steve said he had caught a few in it and they were big and fought gamely.
A view of the Upper-upper Pan from Steve's deck.
Here the river is truly wild. It flows like a big stream with lots of white water and big, round boulders – some 6’ and others even bigger - that look like huge river rocks. Downed trees lay across the river and the forest lines the banks. You get the feel that you are in a deep forest away from it all. My kind of place!
Steve was fishing the upper part of the hole where fast water gives way to a nice pool. I was just below him fishing a chute and some pocket water closer to shore. Brian was below us casting into a glassy spot below the chute and above some boulder that have a small waterfall flowing over them.
Brian found the honey hole. A few casts into the river and I hear him call out as he fights a 17” rainbow. I wasn’t really close to him but I could see he had netted a healthy fighter. He got it on his #16 Tabou – and he would get a handful more – all taking the Tabou in the same hole.
A run downstream of the bridge below the Toilet Bowl.
The Tabou Caddis is an emerging caddis fly imitation designed by Steve Schweitzer. Steve is well known and active in the fly-fishing community, and lives in Colorado. A year or so ago he advertised for needing fly tiers. Brian got in touch with him and ended up tying somewhere near 500 Tabou Caddis flies for Steve.
It works. That’s all I can say. I tied some myself and even though I didn’t have the right material – they worked too.
It can be tied with a bead head to make it weightier when fishing in high, swift water – but it is intended to be fished as an emerging caddis in the upper column. The say to swing it at the end of the drift or use the Leisenring Lift to bring the fly up to the surface at the end of the drift to imitate an emerging caddisfly.
The Upper-upper Pan near the No Name Hole.
It was getting towards dinner time, and I still hadn’t gotten into one of those wild rainbows. I was hoping to get just one so that I could feel the fight in it, but it wasn’t meant to be.
It was a good day – no, it was a great day. We got to fish different waters, catch a bunch of fish – and came up one short of the Royal Flush.
Day 3
May 1, 2024
A Spring Day in the High Country
The Frying Pan River – Toilet Bowl, Upper Pan & Upper-upper Pan (above Ruedi Reservoir).
Flows: 201 cfs below the dam and 175 cfs in the Upper-upper Pan.
Moon Phase: Last Quarter (50% illumination).
Water Temp: 40F @ 8:30a @ Toilet Bowl.
Water clarity: Clear at Toilet Bowl, running brown in the Upper-upper Pan.
Air Temp: 44F @ 8:30a – 39F @ 4p.
Hatches: Midge: Blanket hatch in early morning. BWOs: 11:30a to 3:30p. Caddis: Some fluttering in the air late-morning into late-afternoon.
Spawning: Redds observed below dam, but no spawning activity seen.
Flies: #20 Crystal Mysis, #20 Charlie Craven Mysis, #20 Kleis’ Mysis, #20 Stalcup, #16 Tabou Caddis.
Top producers: Mysis Shrimp, Stalcup Baetis.
A run on the Upper-upper Pan.
We were the first to arrive.
Me and Brian. Steve had to make a run into town for gas. He would join us in a bit.
As I sat on the huge, broken, red boulders that look like big pieces of slag tying on Mysis shrimp - Brian casted into the pool that is the Toilet Bowl.
BAM!
First cast – fish on! Oh yeah this was going to be fun. That was my thoughts as I watched Brian fight a nice rainbow to his net.
We were both casting nothing but Mysis shrimp into the bowl – and we were getting hooked up pretty regularly. Rainbows, cutbows, and brownies. They were all in the 16” to 17” range and both Brian and I would land an 18 incher.
Me and Steve working to release one his rainbows.
Brian Kenney.
They all were fat with big girths, and I think that is why they fought above their weight. Lot’s a fun fighting those guys to net.
We were fishing the top of the water. Letting our Mysis shrimp float in the film and it was BAM! You’d see a swirl in the water – or it would be a splashy take and you’d just hold on.
After about an hour into it Steve arrived and I gave him my spot next to the fast water coming out of the dam. I rigged him up with three different Mysis shrimp patterns and had him cast into the fast water – letting the flies drift on the surface toward the foam lines.
Steve soon had on his first brownie – a nice 16” fighter. There would be more of the same – both brownies and rainbows using the same technique.
A beauty of a rainbow.
Brian Kenney.
I was sitting high on the bank scouting for Steve. From the high vantage point I could see where the fish were lying and directed him to where to end his drift. There were also big fish close in near the shore – maybe a foot into the water.
On one of his drifts, Steve let his flies drift into that zone and BAM!
BIG fish on! It was fun to watch – Steve had all he could handle and was excited to be fighting that big, bad boy. After a brief fight though the fish was able to break off.
Wow – the excitement. However brief – or not so brief, it’s hard to explain the feeling but it’s what keeps us coming back.
Releasing one of my rainbows.
The weather was calm and on the chilly side as we fished the bowl. When it got to about 11a we decided to try something else. We had our fill – and it was fun and exciting – but it was time to move on. Let someone else have a go at the big shrimp fed monsters.
We moved downstream about a ¼ of a mile. Here the river is very wide and looks shallow from the road that sits above it, but I would find out there are some thigh deep troughs and hip deep pockets scattered about. This was dry fly or Dry/Dropper fishing. Too many boulders just beneath the surface and a little slow for nymphing.
After a brief recon in the river, I waded back to the car to get my dry fly rod and rigged it as a Dry/Dropper. As I was wading back into the river Brian was wading out of it – far enough downstream of me that we couldn’t hear each other. He was walking along the road toward the car and when he got across from where I was, he yelled down and told me what he was doing – but I can’t remember what he said!
A beautiful setting on the Upper-upper Pan.
Whatever it was – he and Steve were out of the river as I explored it. Covering one pocket after another – then finding a trough and drifting my flies through it. I was about ¾ of the way across the river when it hit. It came out of nowhere.
A blast – nearly knocking me over. I had to step back to brace myself and my foot landed on one of those slippery, perfectly round rocks – somehow, I was able to regain my balance. Now I had to wade to the other side of the river with gale force wind whipping one way, then the other. I had one of those moments where it was like “get out of this river now” – kind of moments.
After making it unscathed to the other side – I found Brian and Steve at the car eating their lunch. Jeez – they’re sitting here eating a leisurely lunch while I’m struggling for my life out in the river? Na – it was quite that bad, but the weather sure did make a turn for the worse.
A colorful rainbow.
Brian Kenney.
High wind. Cold. It began to rain. Then sleet and snow. What were we going to do?
I suggested that we go downstream and see if we could find a spot sheltered from the storm. Steve had a better idea. We could go to his place and wait until the storm passed – then hit some spots near his cabin. That sounded better – and we climbed into the cars and drove up the mountain.
I was riding with Steve in his truck – Brian was following in his - and when we got close to his house, Steve mentioned that he wanted to show me a place that he’s fished in the past. It wasn’t real productive but he liked the spot. After getting out of the truck and inspecting the run – I suggested that we give it a try.
It was a pretty wide part of the river and like every other spot on the Upper-upper Pan – it was very hard to navigate. It was filled with small and large pockets, pools, and seams. My strategy was to fish one pocket, then move to next. If there was a fish in one of the pockets – it was probably the only one.
The top of the No Name Hole.
I set Steve up on the near-side bank – river-right – where he could cover a few pockets and a nice pool. Brian was just upstream of him. I walked across the bridge and setup on the other side of the river. Again, I found the water was deeper than it looked. The troughs were maybe hip deep, I say maybe because I didn’t venture into them. The water was pretty fast with big river rocks, submerged tree branches and other debris making wading very difficult.
Before going in Steve said would buy a drink for the first guy to get a fish. He said whoever that was would be the best fisherman. I tacked on “or the luckiest”. So there was something on the line now. Senses heightened - more acute. A sense of urgency.
I had tied on a #16 Red Copper John as my lead fly and followed it with a #20 Stalcup Baetis and a #20 Black Zebra Midge. It was about 12:30p and spitting snow. I could see that a sparse midge and BWO hatch was in progress.
Got this rainbow early in the Toilet Bowl.
I first covered a couple of troughs then cautiously waded upstream. This is the type of water that you have to be very careful in. Dangerous stuff. I wasn’t even sure that I should try to move upstream but I gave it a shot. Once in place I began to cast into small braids with foam lines created by submerged boulders. It was softer water, nearer to shore than the main current of the river.
My thought was “that’s where the fish should be”. It was an upstream cast and my attempts were into the foam lines. After covering one I’d cast into the other. Then I’d let out more line and cast farther upstream. After about my fifth cast or so – BAM!
Indicator paused and I set the hook. Fish on – first one of the group. I was thinking free drink as I netted the 6” brownie! He took my Stalcup Baetis which almost filled his small mouth.
Steve with a nice rainbow.
While I was working that side of the river Steve continued to cover the pockets and pools with no interest. Brian was having one of those times when everything falls apart. Snags, wind knots, etc, etc.
After releasing my little brownie we decided to head somewhere else. After surveying a couple of places we ended up back at the No Name Hole. It’s a secret spot that only Steve – and now Brian and I - know of. The place we fished yesterday.
After parking I walked straight to the run where Brian landed all those beauties – making no apologies. I wanted to feel the fight.
Steve setup at the top in the same place he fished yesterday, and Brian was downstream of me.
Looking downstream from the No Name Hole.
(Old coke ovens in the background).
After several casts into the pool I added some weight to what I though was an already heavy setup. Then I added a bit more. Then BAM – BAM!
Oh yeah baby – I was feeling the fight. No way I was going to lose this bad boy – well, I was doing everything I could not to. And I didn’t. Netting a beautiful – athletic 17” rainbow. He took my #18 Stalcup Baetis. After releasing him I gave way to Brian inviting him to take a shot.
He moved upstream closer, but still not in the hole. There was room for me, so I began to cover the hole again. We’d time our drifts, lifts, and casts so that we did cross our lines. Symmetry.
After a few more 17” beauties – all hitting the Stalcup – and I invited Steve to come over to cover the hole. Meanwhile Brian had landed a few too.
A plaque with a brief history of Thomasville - a small town on the Upper-upper Pan.
Brian Kenney.
The cast and drift into the hole were a bit difficult. The cast required an immediate upstream mend. Then depending on where your indicator was you had to use a downstream mend and sometimes an S mend. I worked with Steve on his casting mechanics and after a while he was casting into the zone. Next was his mending – and after several tries, he mastered that too.
After getting his cast on target and his mending in order, Steve had a couple of nice fish hooked up. They both were able to break off. Even though I could tell he was enjoying himself and I was too – just watching his progress and the fun he was having.
By this time it was snowing pretty heavy and it was cold. Brian was out of the water watching me and Steve. As I was helping Steve, I’d come to his side to show him something or demonstrate – then I’d retreat to stand underneath a big pine tree that sheltered me from the snow.
Netting a fish in the No Name Hole.
Brian Kenney.
We were cold and wet as we walked to the car.
Another great day fly fishing in a typical Colorado spring day.
Day 4
May 2, 2024
My Rod
The Eagle River – The Preserve.
Flows: 487 cfs at 11a – dropping to 459 cfs bey 3p.
Moon Phase: Waning Crescent (39% illumination).
Water Temp: DNM.
Water clarity: Murky.
Air Temp: Mid-40sF @ 10:30a – Mid-50sF @ 3:30p.
Hatches: Midge: In the air when we arrived. BWOs: 12:30a to 3:30p. Caddis: Some fluttering in throughout the time we were there.
Spawning: No redds or spawning activity seen.
Flies: #16 Purple Prince, #16 Red Copper John, #12 Cranefly larva, #18 Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear, #20 Stalcup Baetis, #16 Beadhaed Tabou Caddis, #20 Flashback Black Beauty, #16 Beadhead Caddis Larva, #20 Grey Sparkle Wing RS2.
Top producers: Tabou caddis, Stalcup Baetis.
A run at the Preserve.
(I got my rainbow in the rocks to the left of the white water).
Day 4 – moving day.
We left Steve’s cabin bright and early. Our plan was to stop on the way home and fish the Eagle River for a half day. A river we haven’t fished before.
A while ago a guide at a local shop in Lone Tree had told me the Eagle was a river that I should try. I can’t remember how we got into the discussion, but he convinced me that it was worth the drive, and I was planning to give it a shot. But that never happened.
As we got close we were trying to figure out where to fish. That’s when I gave Tyler – the guide at Minturn Anglers – a call. He advised going above Wolcott to avoid the run-off from a couple of feeder creeks that made the river a chocolate brown color. He recommended fishing in Eagle – specifically the Preserve or the Boat Launch.
One of Brian's rainbows.
Brian Kenney.
As we entered the town of Eagle, Brian saw the sign for the Preserve and pulled in. The Preserve is a multi-use park with hiking and biking trails – and fly fishing. We saw lots of people out and about – jogging, walking, and walking their dog as we geared up in the parking lot.
A new river. An adventure. You will find fish in the typical places – in pockets behind boulders, in seams and soft riffles, pools, etc. Fish will be in places where they can eat while expending as little energy as possible.
As we walked up to the river we found a nice pool with seams on either side of it – out of the main current. There had to be fish in there. Brian went in – and as he set up, I moved downstream where I found a small pool up against the bank on a bend. Below me was another small pool and then braided water.
This beauty took my Tabou caddis.
The river was running a bit high and was off color except in the sheltered pools and soft water in protected areas. I had checked the flows before we left, and they were below their historic average – but the current was swift. This river is similar to the Upper-upper Pan. Lots of big, round boulders, and smaller round boulders. Some of the bigger boulders are 5’ to 6’ in circumference. Ones you have to wade around – or just leave the river and walk around. There is also lots of downed trees in the river and lots of slippery branches. A dangerous river.
I had a #16 Red Copper John tied on as my lead fly and followed it with a #20 Stalcup Baetis and a #16 Beadhead Tabou Caddis. After covering the small pools I carefully waded downstream and set up with braided water below me. The braids were out of the main current of the river – slower water – created by submerged rocks or boulders. There were soft spots behind the rocks and boulders and seams around them.
My technique was a bit adlib. I couldn’t get into position across from the braids as I normally would do and cast across and down. Too many things in the way making for dangerous wading, so I casted to the side of the braids and used the current to pull my flies into the zone. Then I’d let them sit and swing them a bit in the current. I wanted my Tabou caddis to come up to the surface – and skittered it at times.
A caddis larva that Brian somehow hooked up on one of his flies.
Brian Kenney.
I was thinking that even if I could get a fish to hit – it would be difficult to get a good set and just as difficult to bring him upstream to my net. No way I was going to chase him downstream. I was stationary.
After about my fifth drift into the braids as I let my flies sit and float to the surface a fish hit. BAM! Feeling the hit, I raised my rod, and the fish was on. He hit the Tabou aggressively and hooked himself. Now I had to lead him upstream to me – not an easy thing to do. Fighting him and the current with all kinds of stuff for him to snag me up on along the way.
But I got him. A nice 15”/16” rainbow. He took the Beadhead Tabou – the one they don’t recommend. Brian had tied them the night before and used a bead because of the fast current of the Upper-upper Pan. This river was the same – and since that’s all he had, that’s what we used.
Fifteen minutes into it and one in the net. This would be fun.
Brian working a hole where he netted a couple of rainbows.
Brian watched as I fought the rainbow to net, then he signaled to me that he was heading downstream. I tried the braids a few more times to see if there was another rainbow in there. I couldn’t find any – or get one to hit – and pulled up, following Brian downstream.
The river winds its way through a dense forest, and I soon lost sight of Brian. As I walked along the path I would stop at the various pockets and pools – likely spots to find fish. As I got farther downstream I began to think that maybe Brian had circled back and headed upstream. He was nowhere in sight.
As I walked along the path I ran into another fisherman who was walking from downstream. I described Brian and asked if he saw someone that resembled him. He said he did and thought the guy had headed upstream. Then I remembered that we had cell service and I called Brian.
A cutbow in the net.
Brian Kenney.
Even though he was just downstream of me I couldn’t see him through the dense forest where he found a nice pool and landed a couple of 17” rainbows. I headed that way.
I found Brian in the pool and there wasn’t room for two, so I fished a pocket upstream of him. He said he got his rainbows on the Beadhead Tabou.
That fly works.
Later we agreed to split the cost of a Chickabou cape – the feathers that are used to make the Tabou Caddis. Brian thinks with one cape we could tie up about 100 flies each. That should last us a while – that is if we don’t lose them like we did on the Eagle.
A river scene on the Eagle.
That’s one thing about the Eagle River - at least at the flows that we fished it. You will lose a lot – no, a ton – of flies. Under rocks, on tree branches in the river, or fish breaking them off – and I’m sure there are other ways to lose your flies on this river.
We took turns fishing that hole for a while. Similar to the Upper-upper Pan, I found that I had to add more weight to my already heavy rig. After adding what seemed to me to be too much mud – I finally had a fish hit. I drifted my flies near one of those huge boulders and a fish hit.
The boulder was near the shore and when he took my fly he headed straight out to the fast water and downstream of me. I had to lift my rod over the boulder and tried to move quickly downstream to follow him. But I stumbled on a smaller boulder, almost falling. In order to gain my balance, I lifted my arms up and when I did the fish broke off.
Jeez! That was irritating.
I would get another one to hit out in the pool and he broke off too.
Those rocks to the left of Brian are what I tripped over while trying to move downriver chasing after a rainbow.
In the meantime, I’ve lost a couple of complete rigs. Brian had somehow caught a caddis larva and showed me a picture of it. After seeing that I tied on several of my beadhead green caddis larva is sizes #16 and #18. That was the fly the fish were hitting.
Brian was having a similar experience losing his rig and was sitting on a bench near the pool while I covered it. Right at the end of the pool – BANG BANG! Big fish on.
There was no way I was going to lose this guy and I was able to lead upstream into the soft water where he proceeded to go on the other side of that same huge boulder. I attempted to lead him out from behind it and in doing so he had enough leash to get into the fast current.
Uh-oh!
I lost control of him, and he headed over the small spillway and into a pool below it. I had to move fast because one of those big, downed trees was laying across the river just downstream of him. If he went in there, I would lose him for sure. I moved quickly – stumbled over a couple of smaller boulders – and fell into the river.
I fell face forward and instinctively threw my rod to my side. Luckily the water wasn’t deep, and I was able to get my hands out in front of me so only my forearms got wet. But I had a fish on and my rod wasn’t in my hands! It was slowly being pulled downstream – Holy Hell!
Now I wasn’t worried about getting that fish – I was worried about getting my rod back. I was able to reach it – luckily – and the fish had now swum under that damn tree. Fly gone – fish gone!
But I had my rod.
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