[garaffer]

As a retired Air Force officer, I understand the saying: "Flexibility is the key to Air Power!" Well, on my last trip, my brother and I learned that "Flexibility was the key to successful fly-fishing in the Rocky Mountains in April!"

Original plan:

Fish 1/2 day Gore Creek...then 1/2 day Eagle River...then 1/2 day Colorado River...then full day Roaring Fork...full day Fryingpan River...mornings and evenings outside our cabin on the Crystal River.

However, due to snow and rain the week prior to our arrival, the main rivers were muddied and unfishable! So we changed plans and fished:

Clear Creek above Idaho Springs. Good pocket-water nymphing for pan-sized browns and a few rainbows (unfishable above Georgetown Lake). The stretch in and below Idaho Springs was devastated by a mining sludge spill. Hopefully a good run-off will save the insects and the fish.

Deep Creek outside of Dotsero. Beautiful but sterile canyon water for some small browns...we were told of Cutts a few miles up the canyon (tough hike-in, though).

Brush Creek outside of Eagle. Stocked fish in town, and fun (but challenging) pocket-picking by dapping and bow & arrow casts to small browns in brushy lairs in the National Forest stretch.

Two full days on the Fryingpan River upstream from Basalt. Many fish caught in the 14 - 19 inch range on a variety of nymphs. Two top flies in the hog holes: size 22 dark midges (biots and brassies) and sz 18 red midges (with peacock heads and silver or copper ribbing). Two top flies in the middle river: sz 16 Prince and sz 18 Pheasant Tail. Top flies in the lower canyon: sz 6 BH Wooly Bugger and sz 16 Copper John (both brass and red wire bodies).

Two side highlights: 1) a picture safari on the upper Crystal River near Redstone and Marble, with two roadside waterfalls and snow-capped peaks in the background, and 2) the "fish of the week" (a 20-inch Brown) on the Roaring Fork below Basalt on the last day (took a BH Kaufman Golden Stone) against the bank.

My brother and I plan to return in Fall 2010 to hit the bigger waters when they are more clear and the trees are turning gold. Tight Lines,

GR