south boulder creek fishing report

Of course, the largest fish on the day only extended the tape measure to twelve to thirteen inches, and I landed around eight in this dimension range. Unfortunately the easy dry fly fishing did not endure, and I suffered through an extended dry spell. A few to check out are listed below. The "South Boulder Creek Kayak Run" parking lot provides the easiest access. I pulled out another brand new paradrake, and it generated a few fish, but the interval between landed fish extended. The access to this section is fairly easy taking visitors up and over Flagstaff Mountain, onto a dirt road, and into the wilderness. The fish seemed interested in surface food, but my hopper was not exactly to their liking. SOUTH PLATTE BASIN Fishing Report View Report. Copyright 2023 DIY Fly Fishing, all rights reserved. This site, formerly known as Jumbo Mountain Picnic Ground, has interpretive signs about local history and new picnic tables. I put together my Orvis Access four weight and began my descent of the steep trail to the South Boulder Creek canyon. This fly generated a couple of takes, but it was refused five times for each time a fish consumed it. Detail reports are provided for all Stations. Were green drakes still hatching, and could the canyon tailwater deliver similar results on August 30, 2021? Gross Reservoir's South Boulder Creek Trail is mainly for fishing access. Headwater fishing is decent, and there is a fair amount of public land up here, but as always be on the lookout for posted signs as you make your way along the banks. Turn West on Hwy 72 to Gross Dam Road. FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER $50, SHOP Hours: Mon Fri 9 AM 6 PM | Sat 9 AM 5 PM | Sun 10 AM-4 PM. The best time of year to fish South Boulder Creek is the summer and fall. Jane had waited for him earlier in the week, so in fairness to our relationship, it was my turn to forego other activities. Surprisingly nary a curse word was uttered, as I was depressed with the news, that I broke my second Sage rod of the season. I noticed the public section of South Boulder Creek on our several trips to and from the East Portal to hike the popular trail. After a banner day on South Boulder Creek on 08/03/2022, I was aching to return. High gray clouds blocked the sun throughout the morning, and when a breeze commenced, I felt very uncomfortable. After hiking a moderate distance I positioned myself along the edge of South Boulder Creek and pondered my fly choices. The fish count rocketed from thirteen at lunch to fifty-two on the day. The canyon is beautiful below Gross Reservoir and with no roads following the stream it gives you a feel of isolation once you drop in. I waded downstream for fifty yards and surveyed the rocks on both banks and attempted to remember my last photo shoot. Set includes 40 high quality, hand-tied flies (see list below) and waterproof fly box. South Boulder Creek We are proud to offer guided fly-fishing trips on South Boulder Creek. South Boulder Creek has to be one of the most scenic rivers within a half hour of downtown Boulder. After about 4.5 miles youll make a right on Gross Dam Road to which youll find parking via the Walker Ranch Open Space. The DWR graph eventually settled at 11.1 CFS and remained at that level Wednesday through Thursday. At a Glance General Information Rocky Mountain Anglers. Remarks: It's a beauty and a beast. The comparadun then became a high maintenance fly, as the waterlogged abdomen and thorax required constant drying and frequent application of floatant. This is a very popular area for birding, hiking, and mountain biking, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. On Wednesday, August 3, 2022 I found myself once again perched along South Boulder Creek, but in this case I was gripping a brand new Sage nine foot, four weight R8 rod. So grab your favorite fly fishing rod and reel, and head out to South Boulder Creek. The low floating bug duped a pair of nice fish, but it also floated unmolested through some very attractive smooth pools. The tailwater is home to a variety of trout species. South Platte Area Rivers South Platte Explore river levels and compare water years. That being said, much of the river freezes over in the winter leaving fewer fishable locations. Access to the tailwater section is via the Walker Ranch Open Space. The creek itself meanders through a beautiful canyon and is detached from the road. The river heads east through some public and private water before dumping into Eldorado Canyon State park. I strung my Orvis Access four weight and descended the steep path to the edge of the creek; and, sure enough, the stream was flowing along at a reduced level from what I became accustomed to. In the middle section of the creek I encountered three senior fishermen with backpacks, as they congregated along the path, and that was the extent of human presence on my inbound hike. 3581 Gap Rd , Black Hawk, CO 80422 is a single-family home listed for-sale at $995,500. Otherwise, the nymph rig with searchers, attractors or imitative nymphs will treat you well all year. Between 11AM and noon I landed one spunky eleven inch rainbow trout that rose and smashed the hippie stomper in some riffles of moderate depth. Monitoring location 06730200 is associated with a STREAM in BOULDER COUNTY, COLORADO. Dont forget to check out local vacation rental listings as well, since many offer deals during the slow season to the flexible traveling angler. Once again I considered a change, and this time I reverted to the parachute style fly. When I shifted my grip back toward the handle, the top of the rod elevated, and the current grabbed the reel and butt end and forced them beneath the branch, and before I could release, the rod snapped in the second section below the tip. This spooked me, because at the time of my decision on a fishing destination, the downward spiral on the graph was at 65 CFS, and I was uncertain how low it would go. Since I hiked a decent distance from the car, I had no backup with me, and climbing the steep hill to retrieve another rod, and then returning to the creek only to make the hill climb a second time was out of the question. I decided to revert to a dry fly approach and attached the hippie stomper to my line. Far and away the typical landed brown trout was in the nine to eleven inch range. I used these factors as an excuse to exit, and I hiked back to the parking lot. I checked other Front Range possibilities, but this action was simply an exercise in thoroughness, because 86 CFS is near my ideal range, and I was sold on a trip to the small tailwater almost immediately. You cant go wrong with the dry dropper set-up. In many cases the hippie stomper generated a look or refusal, but persistent casting eventually fooled a trout into snatching the nymph particularly at the tail of a pocket or pool or in a riffle with over two to three feet of depth. July 29 was a bit early for drakes, but I suspected some early emergers could be on the creek. For more information, see Colorado Fishing guide. It possessed a white McFlylon wing and a clump of body-length moose mane tail fibers. Why the beetle? facebook. Anglers should also be aware that walking along the train tracks is considered trespassing on Amtrak land, and passenger and freight trains pass by throughout the day. I actually enjoyed double digit days in both instances, and this encouraged me to make the drive to South Boulder Creek on Friday morning. Searchers and attractor patterns like a Copper John, Flashback PT, Hare's Ear, Rainbow Warrior or San Juan Worm will make for great lead flies. My fishing session ended after one hour and fifteen minutes and nine fish, and I felt I was on the verge of some outstanding action. South Boulder Creek 09/21/2022 Photo Album. Mang Iings on June 21, 2020 June 21, 2020. As such, it is in your best interest to fish the warmest hours of the day. After lunch I shifted gears and removed the three fly set and opted for a peacock hippie stomper. Otherwise, a heavy nymph rig with a yarn indicator is a good fall back option. Recent Reports. Elk Hair Caddis, Amys Ants and Chubby Chernobyls all make for great point flies. Five cars were ahead of me in the kayak lot. See current fishing conditions, free Colorado hatch chart and blog with our best fishing tips from local guides. ! South; Carol South; Carol Sullivan; carolina moreno; Carpet; carpet care; carpet cleaning; Carrie Waeldin; . The weather remained quite summerlike up until Wednesday, so it was worth a shot. South Boulder Creek. By 12:30PM I spied a pair of natural green drakes, so in spite of enjoying a decent catch rate, I took the plunge and removed the dry/dropper arrangement and migrated to a parachute green drake. I began my day with an ice dub olive hippie stomper, prince nymph and salvation nymph. The dry spell was temporarily broken, when a twelve inch rainbow snapped up the super nova, but this proved to be an aberration, and eventually I returned to a dry fly approach with a moodah poodah and a pheasant tail on a short eighteen inch dropper. A snowstorm swept into Colorado and brought single digit temperatures on October 25 and 26. All Rights Reserved. I made many more casts to each prospective holding lie, and many quality spots failed to produce, but if I persisted, I could dupe a trout here and there. Watch out for the area just below the reservoir though as access is restricted. I knotted the same fly to my line that produced twenty-two fish on Friday, and the fun began. Apparently green drakes were not present long enough to create the hoped for intuitive response to an imitation outside the emergence period. I landed thirty-four gorgeous wild trout. The Boulder Creek watershed starts at the Continental Divide in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. The move paid quick dividends, and I landed five more trout to elevate the fish count to ten, as I found a nice flat rock on the south bank and chowed down with my lunch. Free delivery for many products! The pace slowed measurably from 2:00PM until 3:00PM, but I did manage to sag my net seven additional times to reach forty-seven. Fish are stocked annually by CPW at Gross Reservoir. The fishing is not easy, but the spot itself is worth the effort and it's a beautiful location to draw up rainbows on dry flies or cast a tenkara rod. Later when I removed my waders in the parking lot, I noticed a strand of monofilament above my wading boot, and I was pleased to discover the long lost paradrake hooked into my wader cuff! Were my expectations too high? Subscribe to fly fishing's most informative email list and receive news, events and special offers! I began with a peacock hippie stomper, but other than a brief refusal, surface feeding did not appear to be prevalent. The gray stimulator and hippie stomper enabled me to increase the fish count by a few fish, but once again looks and refusals outnumbered takes. I estimate that at least fifty fish were in a feeding frenzy. Once again moderate riffles and the tail of pockets and pools were the home to trout feeders. By 2:30PM the sun was bright above and the heat in the canyon was oppressive. I opted for my Loomis two piece five weight, because I enjoyed it on two days of fly fishing small streams in the Flattops. With my workhorse fly out of commission I dug into my green drake fly box and extracted another parachute green drake. During the winter I tied some parachute green drakes with moose mane tails and poly wings. fechar. I was concerned that the fish would gravitate to the large surface offerings and ignore the small ant, but this was not the case. South Boulder Creek originates in the Front Range, west of Rollinsville. Each fly delivered a trout to my net during this early phase of my day. Fridays success required adjustments, as the day progressed. While flows in the spring, late summer and fall are fairly stable, this stretch is particularly prone to run-off from feeder creeks. Tenants will be required to obtain Renters insurance that includes $300,000 of liability . Cutthroat trout; Lake information. The ultra zug bug became a hot commodity, as it registered the final four fish of the afternoon to bring the count to thirteen. In short, I had a blast working my way upstream and prospecting with the confidence-building green drake. These two flies allowed the fish count to mushroom to double digits, but I was not convinced that I was optimizing my time on the usually productive creek. South Boulder Creek 11/02/2020 Photo Album. The origins of the name of their tribe draw from the name of their tribal language: Hokan. South Boulder Creek Access - GO HIKE COLORADO. Twenty-eight trout in 4.5 hours of fly fishing was appreciated by this avid angler. . Friday was a bittersweet day. On Saturday I made the trip from my home in Denver to Charlies Fly Box with the intention of buying a relatively inexpensive backup four weight fly rod to serve my needs for the remainder of the summer, while my old dependable Sage LL got repaired. I did not pay much attention, but within five minutes a young man clad in a navy blue uniform approached and asked to inspect my license. I was very anxious to pay a visit to the small tailwater northwest of Denver, but the water managers closed the taps to a trickle of 5 CFS for several weeks in October. I decided it was time to convert to a green drake. DISTANCES ARE ONE-WAY. The fish were all wild gems with brilliant and vivid coloration. A few random rises appeared, and I interpreted these as a sign to tie on a PMD comparadun. South Platte River - 11 Mile Canyon. The number of looks were also spaced out causing my catch rate to plummet. The aquatic insect activity in this part of the creek is incredible, it sees hatches of Caddis, BWOs, PMDs, Midges and great Terrestrial fishing. Portions of the creek flow through forest lands. Fresh paint throughout. I tied a solitary size 14 parachute green drake to my line, and in short order I was netting rainbow and brown trout from the creek. While in a celebratory mood, I munched some pretzels and sipped a Red Bull on my drive home. Mar. South Boulder Creek 09/10/2021 Photo Album. When I returned home, I immediately filed a repair claim with Far Bank (the company that now owns Sage), and then I printed the QR code and address and packed up the broken rod to ship for repair. Thursday was another adventure on heretofore never fished water in Colorado. I checked the flows upon our return from camping early in the week, and the releases dropped the outflow from 125 CFS to 105 CFS. Quite a few times I cast the dry/dropper to the top of some very clear shallow riffles, and near the tail I spotted a swirl and set the hook under the assumption that the trout grabbed the surface fly only to discover an ant embedded in the lip. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is a nationally recognized leader in conservation, outdoor recreation and wildlife management. I was pleased with the confidence shown by the resident trout, and my optimism soared with the hope, that I discovered yet another mountain stream destination. If you live in Black Canyon City you're less than 10 miles from Boulder Creek. Possession limits may apply. This was the torrid green drake fishing that I recalled from previous Augusts, and I was thrilled to be the benefactor of the sparse emergence. DIY Guide to Fly Fishing South Boulder Creek in Colorado, DIY Guide to the Best Fly Fishing in Colorado, DIY Guide to Fly Fishing Bear Creek in Colorado, DIY Guide to Fly Fishing Spinney Mountain Reservoir in Colorado, DIY Guide to Fly Fishing the Big Thompson River in Colorado, DIY Guide to Fly Fishing the Upper Rio Grande River in Colorado, CDC Loopwing Quill Emerger (Dark #16,18,22), Micro streamer (white, black, yellow, green #8). On my return hike I stopped at several of my favorite hotspots, and I picked up three more drake eaters to move the count to forty-eight. I was hopeful that this would seal in my body warmth and block the wind and cold and eventually rain. The trout density was amazing, and a first cast to prime water nearly always elicited a strike. Fish: Boulder Creek (1/2 day) Boulder Creek is one of the most beloved fly-fishing waterways in Colorado. Whew! Flood mitigation studies have looked at several locations along the creek and through extensive public feedback and analysis, found the best location for flood detention was near US-36 on property owned by the University of Colorado-Boulder. That said, you can still manage to catch fish during this time. or watch for signs so that you are sure to be on public This creek starts up in the Indian Peaks near the Moffat Tunnel and gains momentum on its journey towards the cool deep waters of Gross Reservoir. This area is the most popular section of the creek due to the great hatches and consistent flows through the summer months. I spotted my first natural western green drake at 12:35PM, and their sporadic emergence continued until 3:00PM, when I reached my intended exit point. As I reviewed flows on the DWR web site prior to my trips to Boulder Creek and the Cache la Poudre River, I noted that the water managers reduced the releases from Gross Reservoir to the 168 CFS range. Unlike the previous Mr. Boulder Ridge Elementary School; Boulder-Ridge-Middle-School; boundaries; boundary changes; Bouris family; boutique; . At 1:30 I somehow lost the prince nymph in a tangle that resulted from a landed fish, and I used this pause in action to reconfigure. Winter fishing is possible, but the intense cold and frozen river flow in places may be too much for some. In a testimony to how durable my fly was, I landed twenty-two trout, before I deemed it too ragged to continue presenting. Last Conditions Report for Gross Reservoir: 12.21.22 Gross Reservoir on FishExplorer has 643 historic conditions reports, 295 historic water temperature updates, 319 historic status updates, 380 historic water level updates, available to subscribers. I began with terrestrials and then shifted to yellow sallies and eventually settled on green drakes and sunken ants. Or perhaps they were late, and I would not meet them on August 13. Instead of a cheap temporary replacement rod, I lightened my wallet to procure the latest top of the line Sage rod. Large hatches of Baetis are common during this time of year on the middle section between the headwaters and the reservoir. I regard 80 CFS as perfect, but 105 CFS is quite favorable. Below the reservoir is the tailwater, which flows through the Walker Ranch Open Space. A guide and two customers were gathered behind one of the cars, so I hustled to beat them to the trail. Why does the parachute style work early and the comparadun late? I was not surprised to find a size 20 blue winged olive with perky upright wings, and this explained the scene in front of me. Snagging kokanee permitted Oct. 1 to Dec.1 only. Perhaps the trout were keying on green drake or pale morning dun nymphs? Could this be a hot menu item? Of course, the forty-eight trout were on the small side, but I estimate that at least ten stretched to the twelve to thirteen inch range. All Rights Reserved. The turkey flat version duped one trout, and then a wave of refusals ensued. I replaced the productive parachute fly with another, but it seemed larger, and the trout were much more tentative as exemplified by a significant increase in the number of refusals. The star of my fly fishing outing on September 10, 2021 on South Boulder Creek was the sunk ant. During those day I simply knotted a green drake pattern to my line and enjoyed the outstanding success. South Boulder Creek is fairly forgiving and a viable option for anglers of all skill sets. Eldorado Canyon (Eldo) V+: 27cfs-2cfs/hr : 01h01m : Boulder Creek [CO] 01. The area in which it occupied is now taken over by urban sprawl from Colorado Springs. Carol J. Explore this 2.5-mile out-and-back trail near Boulder, Colorado. There is a designated fishing area that stretches for about a mile along the bottom of the canyon. Thank you! The air temperature upon my arrival in the parking lot was 71 degrees, and I was tempted to pull on my wet wading pants and wading socks; however, historically me feet get numb at the small tailwater, even when I wear my waders, so I adhered to the wader approach, even though I knew I was in for a hot hike. Toggle navigation. After lunch I decided to revert to the poly wing parachute that yielded ten trout in the morning, and this move proved to be a winner. When I arrived at the Kayak Parking Lot only one vehicle was present, and while I prepared to fish another car arrived. This fly was difficult to track, and it never produced as much as a look, so it was quickly returned to the green drake fly box. See More > Follow Us. I liked the visibility of the green drake, so I left it on my line and added a size 16 gray caddis on a one foot dropper. Could the South Boulder Creek trout still respond to green drakes? I rolled up the short sleeved undershirt and fishing shirt and stuffed them in the backpack in place of the raincoat and Under Armour. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. I returned to the hippie stomper after the green drake experiment, and it accounted for four eats, but the real star of the show was the sunk ant. When it comes to, Crystal Mill, 11520 Co Rd 3, Carbondale, CO 81623, USA, "Dearfi Prepare for success with accurate data about the type of fish that are caugh in South Boulder Creek, learn what baits are used, and fish smarter with weather forecasts. Beware of the posted notices marking private property lines on South Boulder Creek, as the public access state land is directly adjacent to many ranches and other private properties. In several instances an above average trout attacked the ant, almost as soon as it entered the water, and this reaction always surprises me. South Boulder Creek Trail (#900) Length: East Portal Trailhead (TH) to: Heart Lake - 4.2 miles; Rogers Pass - 4.6 miles. I estimate that two rainbows and three brown trout stretched to the twelve to thirteen inch range, and the remainder were beneath the one foot cut off. Even though it was cooler than Denver, it was clearly going to be a warm day even in the shaded canyon tailwater. Near Boulder Conditions Report Conditions reports for this lake are available when logged in. Stream flows below Gross Reservoir have been nice and high around 80 cfs allowing for good pools with lots of fish. As one might expect, I was quite pleased to only encounter five other fishermen in spite of six cars in the parking lot. Fly fishing SouthBoulder Creeknear Walk Ranch in Colorado. We take a number of different data points to make our fishing recommendation. The dashboard registered sixty degrees, as I prepared to fish, so I wore my Under Armour long sleeve insulated shirt and a fleece hoodie, This created comfort during the morning and early afternoon, but eventually I concluded, that I was overdressed. Each green drake produced a few trout, but the South Boulder Creek cold water trout were not locked into green drakes with the same fervor that they displayed on my three prior trips. Game on. The wing portrayed more bulk, and the tail was apparently a significant keying characteristic, because the trout responded in a major way to the new parachute green drake.

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south boulder creek fishing report