July 7, 2020
Flows: N/A
Water Temp: 40F @ 10a.
Water clarity: Crystal clear.
Air Temp: mid-50s @ 9a – low 80s @ 4p.
Hatches: Midges, BWO, and spotty Caddis
Looking to try something different and for a chance to catch some wild Greenback Cutthroats – the Colorado State fish – Brian and I decided to take a trip up to the Loveland Ski area to fish the Beaver Ponds. The plan was to fish them in the morning and then hit Clear Creek for some brownies in the afternoon.
A view of one of the Beaver Ponds.
Fishing the Beaver Ponds is much different than fishing in the rivers and streams. The ponds are crystal clear and the water doesn’t move very fast – really only a slight drift, driven mostly by the wind. So the fish have a lot of time and get a very good view of your offering. And they were very selective. Meaning that they where picky as to what they would take.
It is also somewhat difficult to get your files to the fish, as there is lots of trees – both downed by the beavers and growing in and along the banks of the ponds. We both must have lost our entire rig at least 5 times. Wading into the ponds is very tricky too. The water is so clear that you can’t judge the depth and the bottom is very slippery and muddy. So if you’re not careful you can slip into a deep hole and be in trouble.
Given all this it was still a fun and learning experience. The ponds were broken up into three distinct areas. Our first course of business was to scout them to see if we could spot rising fish. Brian led the way and came upon several feeding fish. We could easily see them in the clear water feeding on surface bugs.
As I was rigging up – Brian landed a nice Greenback. It was a nice size one too – about 8”. These fish don’t get very big and range in size from 5” to 8”, maybe 9” at the most. Brian got it to take a #18 Parachute Adams. I was surprised that the fish would hit such a large fly, but he did. Probably trying to take advantage of a nice meal with one strike!
Brian's 1st Greenback - a beautiful fish! Taken on a #18 Parachute Adams.
Brian landed his fish within the first 10 minutes – and I was thinking this was going to be one of those days where we would land a fish with every 3 or 4 casts. But I was wrong. Even though I hooked up a Greenback quickly after getting set up – he jumped off the hook as I was lifting him to the net – the fish became less inclined to take our flies. I had a #18 Puterbaugh Caddis as an attractor and a #20 Matt’s Midge tied on and was getting a lot of lookers – and some false takes. This was surprising to me as I was sure they were eating midges. Also midges like slow moving, muddy water – so it seemed like a no brainer to present small midge patterns.
We observed midges, BWOs, and some caddis hatching throughout the morning. And tied on our flies accordingly to match them.
Another view from the Ponds.
After losing my rig, I tied on a #20 Parachute BWO and a #22 Matt’s Midge. This worked to some degree as I was able to land a couple – both were in the 6” range. One hit the parachute and the other hit the midge. Then after losing this rig and a few more – I stumbled upon the right fly. It was a #20 Improved Sparkle Dun BWO. I had several misses and several fish on this fly. After a bit, the fly was getting pretty beat up, to the point that all the deer hair had fallen out and the only thing left was the emerger yarn. But they kept hitting it!
Here's one of mine - about a 6" Greenback.
Meanwhile Brian landed a nice cutbow. I think it was the largest one of the day – in the 9” range. We had found that it helped to fish in the shadowy areas – as the darker water helped to conceal the flies. And Brian landed this one in one of the shadowy spots. He didn’t see the fish rising until it took his #18 Purple Haze.
Brian's Cutbow with a Purple Haze. This one was about 9".
The last fish that I caught before lunch was the most rewarding. It was a spot both Brian and I had fished earlier in the morning and it wasn’t concealed by any shadows. There was a nice Greenback that kept circling into a feeding area where he would take a fly then circle back. I tried to catch him for some time earlier with no luck. This time I remembered a tip in one of Pat Dorsey’s books. He says to watch the feeding cycle and time your cast so your fly is in sync with it and lands in front of where he is feeding at the right time. So that is what I did – and on the 3rd try I was able to get a perfect cast and he hit it immediately. It was a nice 8” Greenback.
8" Greenback.
After lunch we were deciding on fishing on Clear Creek which flows right past the Beaver Ponds or to drive down to Empire and try the West Fork of Clear Creek. The flows on Clear Creek main were in the 300 cfs range and the flows on the West Fork were about 165 cfs, which a guide I spoke with said would be ideal.
So we decided to go to the West Fork and give it a try. It turned out to be very difficult – at least in the spot we tried. The water was very fast for the narrow creek and we didn't spot any fish. And didn't get any takes in the usual lies. Casting was also difficult with the brush and trees lining and overhanging the creek.
It takes a while to learn new water – and this is the 1st time that either Brian or I have fished it. It doesn’t help that you have to drive from one place to the next – as the creek is not very walkable. This is so because the creek is flowing at a pretty steep angle. So you have to look for a place that is relatively flat and try it. If it’s not producing, you have to get in you car and drive to another spot that looks good. This is not conducive to quick learning!
So after trying a spot that didn’t work out – we drove to another spot that I had heard was good. But it wasn’t – at least at these flows. So we called it an early day.
Another 8" Greenback.
The afternoon did not turn out as planned – but the morning was spot on. Catching Greenbacks on dries with light tackle in an alpine surrounding. Doesn’t get much better!
Comments