My escape from suburbia was delayed by the typical holiday exodus, although, the path to my destination diverged from the crowds headed further into the hills. This front range creek is barely on the edge of suburbia, but can feel so far away and refreshing.
Soon, I was sharing a run with this friendly fellow-river user.
Clouds of midges hung close over the water, swirling in the low angle of the orange evening light.
Tying on a home-tied midge pattern and casting upstream, letting the pattern sink in the still swollen flow. On the third or fourth cast, I felt weight and came tight on this pretty, healthy rainbow.
Nymphing in the summertime, however, is a last resort, and I prefer to take trout on the top. So I tied on an elk-hair caddis and targeted the edges of the flow, casting and watching my fly float along the seams.
I mostly only caught brown trout after the switch to dries. But they were all extremely fun to fool as there were not many natural rises. There is nothing better than catching fish on dries when, otherwise, the fish are not hitting the surface regularly.
I am sure the weekend got busy and the stream and fish got pounded. This evening, there wasn't another person on this stretch of water and I couldn't help but think that I had somehow, finally, done something right. It is not often that you can go fishing on a holiday weekend and not step into a crowd of other fisherman and get at least a few stink eyes.
I congratulated myself and had another celebration beer on the water (like I needed an excuse).
Although cut short by nightfall, the evening was relaxing and a great way to start the holiday weekend. The fish are hungry, the bugs are active and as long as the river is not crowded, the fishing can be very enjoyable and rewarding. I hope everyone had a chance to get out and enjoy some time on the water.
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