Axioms

August 4, 2021 – Deckers (The Road Hole to the Mini-Canyon)

Flows: 353 cfs.

Water Temp: 45F at 8:15a.

Water clarity: ~ 4’.

Air Temp: 55F @ 7:45a, mid-70s @ 4p.

Hatches: Midge: 7:45a – 11a. PMDs: Spotty 11a – 3:30p, Caddis: Spotty 12N-4p.

During heavy storms granite pebbles get washed down the steep canyon walls - like this one - into the river below.

This granite slab sits above the Top Secret Hole.

Flies: #10 Pat’s Rubber Leg, #18 Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear, #20 Black Beauty, #20 & #22 Top Secret Midge, #22 Olive Zebra Midge, #20 PMD Barr Emerger, #10 Chubby Chernobyl, #20 PMD Pheasant Tail, #20 Purple Zebra Midge, #10 Beaded Pig Sticker, # 18 BH Pheasant Tail, #22 BH Black Midge Emerger.

Top producers: PMD Pheasant Tail, PMD Barr Emerger, Black Beauty, Top Secret Midge, Chubby Chernobyl, Purple Zebra Midge, Beaded Pig Sticker (aka The Impaler), BH Pheasant Tail, BH Black Midge Emerger (aka The Mystery Midge).

We fly fishermen, we all hear and read about axioms of the sport. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, an axiom is “a statement or principle that is generally accepted to be true”.

Looking into Between the Islands Run - with the high flows most of the boulders are submerged.

For example, trout will not eat when full, it takes trout 24 to 48 hours to acclimate after a flow increase, etc, etc, etc. The more you read and research the more knowledge you gain regarding the tricky application of fly fishing. It is very worthwhile and gives you a wider and deeper perspective of the sport.

Nothing beats experience though. Being on the river. Checking the water temperature. Getting flow info. Observing the hatches. Watching the fish. Catching them. Seeing what they’re eating. And sooner or later the fly fisherman will experience something that contradicts the axioms of the sport.

A 17" brownie Brian caught on the north side of the Mini-canyon inlet on his modified Pig Sticker.

Brian Kenney.

I have first hand experience on this. It can be humbling in one respect – and enlightening in another. As far as fly fishing is concerned, I’ve found that you have to except axioms in generalities. Most of the time – they are true, but not always. There are exceptions.

As I researched the flows planning a destination for our outing this week, every river within two hours or so of the metro area were on the rise. If it wasn’t from increased releases from the reservoirs – it was from recent heavy rain. There were multiple flash flood warning in the central and southern mountains the night before we were to head out.

My 1st catch taken in the fast water near the Top Secret Hole.

My original plan was to go to the Dream Stream or the Canyon. It’s a hike from Denver to get to the Dream Stream and it’s literally a hike to get into the Canyon. But the fishing can be lights out in both places – making the trek to the Dream Stream and the physical exertion to get in and out of the Canyon worthwhile adventures.

The old axiom of when the flows are on the rise – the fishing is off for 24 to 48 hours soured me on both of those plans. I didn’t want to put in the time to drive to the Dream Stream or the effort into hiking into the Canyon to encounter mediocre conditions. In fact I was not optimistic to find good fishing in any of the rivers and was somewhat downbeat when Brian arrived. I pretty much said “the fishing is going to be off no matter where we go – so let’s stay close and go to Deckers”. I said it in such a way that Brian’s response was “why don’t we just stay home and tie flies then?”

I took that as a reminder to be more positive. That always helps in any endeavor.

A close up of Brian's Pig Sticker. Good imagination using beads for the body - and a bonus. The fish like it!

Brian Kenney.

So off we went to Deckers. Picking it as a last resort is almost sacrilegious. It is known nationally as a fly fishing mecca. But with the flows up – even it will have a bad day. So says me – according to a known truth.

As we drove along River Road leading into Deckers the water clarity didn’t seem that bad. It was flowing high for sure but it wasn’t off color and murky. Hmm. That could be a good sign. We decided to start out near the end of public access on the YMCA road.

Another brownie caught in the fast water near the Top Secret Hole.

The first spot we hit was Between the Islands Run. I was pretty sure that we would have a tough day and thought if anything, the fish would be holding along the shore in the rocks – which were now submerged in the deeper water. Perfect for a Hopper/Dropper setup.

Brian was fishing the middle of the run when I walked up to the river. I went downstream of him a bit and looked into the water to see what I could see. And sure enough I spotted a fish no more than five feet off the shore in the rocks.

One of my rods was already setup as a nymph rig with a Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear, followed by a beatis and a midge. Thinking that might work, I gave it a shot. But after a few casts I spooked him. I'm pretty sure getting my flies caught up on one of the rocks scared him off. Probably should have taken the extra time to rig up my Hopper/Dropper.

An interesting shot of a rainbow Brian caught in Mark's Run.

Brian Kenney.

As I headed upstream, Brian moved downstream into the Top Secret Hole. That’s where we caught several fish the week before. As I looked downstream to see how he was doing, I thought it was weird that he was standing in the area where the fish normally hold in that hole. I also noticed that the recent heavy rains washed a bunch of granite pebbles into the river where I was standing. The rains and resulting erosion changed the sides of the river. I would find out later – the Top Secret Hole fished entirely different now due to the large sandbar like pile of granite pebbles that got washed in.

It was pretty amazing to see.

A view from the Top Secret Hole - looking upstream - Lower Island to the middle-left.

After spooking that fish – I couldn’t see anymore and decided to take the time to change my rig to a Hopper/Dropper setup. With that complete, I fished the Upper Island Run and back down into Between the Islands Run. No action. Yep with the flow increase --- the fishing was going to be off - I was sure of it.

I walked down to see how Brian was doing and was happy to hear he had a couple hooked up. They had broke free – but it was still a good sign. It was then that I noticed the huge sandbar of granite pebbles. The hole was almost entirely filled with them.

When Brian decided to leave I gave it a try. Conventional knowledge would lead you to fish the slower water near the banks not the faster water in the middle of the river. So that’s what I initially did. Then I worked my way out to the faster water. This part of the river has large submerged boulders that form small pockets and seams and I was surprised to find fish in it.

A female rainbow - one of a dozen or so Brian pulled out of Mark's Run.

Brian Kenney.

They should be in the slower water along the bank – but they were in the faster water. OK. I was able to hook up several but was only able to net a few of them. Nice rainbows and brownies in the 16” to 18” range. One fish hit my fly and took off. Before I new it, line was streaming out of my reel. Then the fish took a leap out of the water and I could see he was a big rainbow. I had him firmly hooked up but somehow he was able to spit the fly. Geez - that was a fun few minutes.

Somehow I foul hooked a big brownie. I say somehow because I got him at the end of my drift and was only lifting my rod to start a retrieve. Initially, I wasn’t sure that I foul hooked him and continued to try to bring him to net. Unable to get his head up, he was able to take a bunch of line out. Once I was sure he was fouled – I tightened my drag thinking I would either bring him in and release him – or my line will break and he will be free. Albeit with my fly embedded in his side.

The line broke.

I tied on another fly and continued to fish the faster water. Not long after that, I had on a nice rainbow. I had this guy on for quite awhile. As I was fighting him, I was wondering why he wasn’t taking any line out. I could see him and he was definitely big enough and there was a lot of tension on the line. I was beginning to think too much – and just then he broke free. Then it donned on me. I didn’t reset my drag and it was too tight. Little mistakes!

Another female rainbow Brian caught in Mark's Run.

Brian Kenney.

While I was having fun in the fast water, Brian was netting some nice fish along the opposite bank at the entrance to the Mini-canyon. They were brownies in the 16” to 17” range and hit the #22 Top Secret Midge and the #10 Beaded Pig Sticker.

The Pig Sticker is known as the Impaler in Wyoming - Pig Sticker in Colorado. Brian tied some for our trip to Wyoming earlier in the year. He likes to experiment with different kinds of materials when he ties flies and created a "beaded" version. He used colored glass beads for the body. Quite imaginative - and it's effective!

Earlier when Brian was fishing the Top Secret Hole, he got snagged on a branch and lost his entire rig. Later, when I was fishing it – I got snagged up on something but was able to free my line. When I got it in I noticed that there were some other flies caught up in mine. Upon inspection I new they were Brian’s. The distinctive Pig Sticker was the lead fly!

Having enough of the fast water at the Top Secret Hole – I decided to move on. It was getting close to lunchtime and I was considering crossing the river to fish near Brian – but I noticed another guy there. So I headed upstream and ran into fishermen and women in every spot. Among the fishermen were two young couples fishing. One of the guys was carrying a baby on his back while he was fishing. Never seen that before.

A friendly fly fisherman named Bill - fishing the top of Mark's Run. I caught a couple of big brownies in the shallow water that can be seen in the bottom of the picture.

So with all the spots taken, I decided to break for an early lunch. I was at the top of the hill overlooking the river as I ate and was taking in all the action. One of the spots I wanted to try out was Mark’s Run. There was a guy fishing it when we arrived and I could see that he was still in there. He had now moved to the top of the run and there was room to fish the bottom of it. That’s exactly where I wanted to fish it.

After finishing my lunch I headed to Mark’s Run. I was happy that no one got there before me and it was open. I started in at the middle of the run. The water is shallow there and I knew from past experience that fish sometime sit there in the slow water and feed. So I entered as stealthily as I could – looking into the water for fish.

There was a nice one no more than 10 feet off the bank. I still had my Hopper/Dropper setup tied on. Perfect. My 1st cast was on target above him and as the flies drifted into the zone I saw him dart toward the middle of the river. Instinctively, I set the hook. He had taken my fly – a #20 PMD Pheasant Tail - and began to run. I had him securely hooked up and after a good fight including leaps out of the water – yes brownies do jump – I had him in the net.

This brownie was so full - he had various nymphs and worms coming out of his mouth.

Axioms. Your first cast is your best cast. Yes – that held true. Fish don’t feed if they’re full. That one did not. This 18” brownie was so full he had an assortment of nymphs and worms in his throat and actually hanging out of his mouth.

Last week I had hypothesized that the fish would not hit my flies because they were full from an earlier hatch. Landon Mayer, a renown and well respected fly fisherman and author says the fishing is off the day after a full moon because the light of the moon enables the fish to feed throughout the night. And therefore, they aren’t inclined to eat the next day.

This was one full brownie!

Hmm. This guy didn't get the memo. He was obviously full – to the brink – and he still hit. I'm sure it's true that the fishing could be off due to fish being full, but it's not a certainty. It depends.

Experience – nothing like it.

After releasing that brownie – I began my search again. A few minutes later I noticed another large brownie in the shallows. Was it the one I just released? I wasn’t sure. I was busy cleaning my flies and didn’t see where he went after I released him.

Only one way to find out.

After a few drifts he hit. I might have been distracted as he did because the first thing I noticed was the fish leaping out of the water. That’s when I set the hook. A little late I must say. But he had hooked himself good and I was able to bring him to the net - a nice 19” brownie. He took the Top Secret Midge.

A beauty - caught by Brian in Mark's Run.

After that I couldn’t spot anymore fish in the shallows so I began to work my way further into the river. The guy at the head of the run – later introduced as Bill – was hooking up fish pretty regularly. Once as he was adjusting his indicator – his trailing fly in the water near his feet – a rainbow hit it. He was able to land the fish – somewhere around 15”. Never seen that before.

As I continued to fish the seam of faster water and slower water I was again distracted – or really just not paying attention to my drift. And a fish hit and began to fight to free himself. Without me getting a good hook set – he did just that. Simple mistakes.

After a bit, Bill was getting ready to take a break and offered his spot to me. I was interested in taking a look as he had pretty good success. The fish weren’t evident in the run. I couldn’t see any – then I thought I spotted one. After drifting my flies to what I thought was a fish – I kept my eyes on the “fish” to see if there was any movement when my flies drifted by. On one of my drifts – the flies drifted by the “fish” and then I felt a fish running off with one of my flies.

Releasing an 18" rainbow that I caught in the Road Hole.

It ended up what I thought was a fish was a rock – and there was a fish which I couldn’t see downstream of it – and I missed the take. So after a brief struggle he was gone. It felt like a nice one too. Pretty disappointing. After that I was able to land a small brownie – he took the PMD Pheasant Tail.

After releasing the small brownie, I was thinking of heading upstream. Just then Brian showed up and within a few minutes landed a 12” rainbow. So I stayed a bit longer – but didn’t have any success. So I left the run to Brian and headed upstream to the Road Hole.

I like fishing the Road Hole because you can usually sight fish – stalking fish, my favorite way to roll! I walked along the road peering into the river to see if I could spot any fish. Right in the middle of the hole there was a nice rainbow. After gently setting my backpack and spare rod down, I walked downstream of the hole and entered the water. Then I waded back upstream careful not to spook the fish. Sneak attack!

Releasing another beauty taken out of the Road Hole.

I got to the hole without spooking him. My cast was upstream – was a risky one. If the flies land too hard or near the fish - it will spook him. I was able to get a few casts without spooking him and as I watched him and my flies, I noticed that he was feeding in a column more near the surface than where my flies were. So I took off my #6 split shot that I had on between my last fly and the second to the last one.

He hit on my next drift. He took me back downstream putting on quite an aerial display. I followed trying to get behind him. It wasn’t easy as there were larger boulders, tree stumps and other obstructions along the way. But I finally netted him – an 18” rainbow. That was fun!

After releasing him, I spotted a fish in a seam about 5’ from me. Again I thought, is that the fish I just released? Then I saw another fish swim up next to him. They were feeding. So I got myself into position as best I could without spooking them. I started my flies upstream of them and let them drift into their feeding lane.

Got this in the Road Hole. It was a fun afternoon stalking the rainbows found along it.

This time I noticed that my flies were above them – these ones were feeding more near the bottom. So I added my #6 split shot back on – and on my next drift he hit. This guy was a real aggressive rainbow - and big. Bigger than the one I just released. More aerial acrobatics. He took me downstream – then across the river and somehow he was able to spit the fly. But it was fun while it lasted.

I continued to wade upstream and downstream along the 100 yard or so run. At one time as I was wading up I spotted a rainbow feeding near the bank. As my flies drifted toward him he came up and inspected my Chubby – but refused it. I thought there was no way he would take it now – but then thought of the fish at 11 Mile that refused, then took it on the same drift.

Then the fish went in tight to the bank. I liked that because the water was a bit slower and I thought I could get a better drift in it. My second cast to him - in tight to the bank - was on target and sure enough he came up and ate the Chubby. What fun. I love to catch fish on dries! After another good fight, I had him – another 18” rainbow - in the net.

Later, I was able to land another rainbow – yet another 18 incher. This one was in the main hole and was very picky. It took me more than several casts to get him to hit. In fact it was the last cast I was going to make to him! No aerial acrobatics this time, but another fight taking me 100 yards back downstream. After releasing him, I headed back to Marks' Run to see how Brian was making out.

Got this one on the PMD Pheasant Tail in the Road Hole. The PMDs were hatching most of the afternoon and it was a hot fly for me.

Brian was still at the top of Mark’s Run when I came up to him – just downstream where the riffled water leads into a seam. He said he had landed about 12 fish. 12 fish! I was surprised. All were in the 12” range except for one 17 incher. Wow – quite impressive!

He caught a lot of fish on a black midge emerger pattern that neither of us recognized. I did some research later to see if I could find out who tied it and what it was named. But couldn't find any references. So it's a mystery. But an effective pattern. Maybe one I will copy!

By then I was exhausted. Brian wanted to get a bit more fishing in and try Between the Islands before we left – then changed his mind and we agreed to call it a day.

And what a day it was.

Axioms. When the flows are increased the fishing is off for 24 to 48 hours.

Generally a true statement - but not today.