Late Summer Fly Fishing - Alma SWA - Middle Fork of the South Platte River

Upstream from the cities of Fairplay and Alma, Colorado, the Middle Fork of the South Platte River can be accessed just off of Highway 9 before it climbs Hoosier Pass on its way to Breckenridge at the Alma State Wildlife Area.  The stream is narrow and a healthy beaver population is evident from the numerous beaver ponds.  There also appears to be a healthy population of brook trout as well based on a few hours of fishing one fine late summer morning.

At first, I wanted to have success on the CDC Pheasant Tails I had recently tied, but after a few half hearted takes and misses in a beaver pond, I switched to CDC and Elks and produced fish for the rest of the morning on the surface, probably because these little bugs were around.

A quick coffee break under a beautiful blue sky energized me and kept me going through the morning.

A wonderful small stream, I wish I had more time to fish it and I would definitely return given the chance.  A little further away than my usual fishing spot and the Denver metro area, the pressure is most assuredly less than I'm used to.  I would love to investigate more of this nice Colorado brook trout stream and see what else it has to offer.

I hope that your late summer fishing adventures went well.  Today is the first day of fall, soon it will be winter and we will only have the memories of this season's fishing days to hold us over until next spring.  If you have the chance, go and make a few more memories while you can on new water or an old favorite.

Fly Tying - CDC Pheasant Tail

This week, I will get the chance to fish the Middle Fork of the South Platte River in South Park, Colorado.  No, I won't be fishing with Kyle, Stan or Cartman, but we will be in Fairplay, which was formerly known as South Park City, the site of a historic gold rush in the 1800's.

Reports indicate that the river is starting to fish well with larger brown trout on the move. One report included a recommendation for CDC Pheasant Tails, so I tied a few up to add to the fly box.

Off to the fly shop I went to pick up some hooks, smaller red thread and some new beads.  It's always fun to have an excuse to hit the fly shop.

The CDC and Elk flies were my first fly using CDC and I was impressed by how they fished.  I am interested to see how it works for nymphs.

After the trip, I will let you know how these did.  Hopefully, they produce a few nice fish.