Still Water, Colorado Style

There's not much lake fishing for trout in Connecticut. In fact, aside from a few stocked ponds on opening day of the trout season I don't think there are any lakes that allow for trout fly fishing straight through the season. Generally lakes around here get too warm in the summer. Any trout go deep and the quarry are warm water species; bass and such.

Arriving in Estes Park, Colorado and locating a trout lake I found myself in an alien landscape. Standing knee deep in cool water I saw trout cruising and rising all about me; the antithesis of a trout stream. I had been cautioned not to chase trout but instead to watch the patterns of their wanderings and cast to where I hoped a trout would come by. So I did just that.

And it worked.

The particular lake that I was fishing was full of Greenback Cutthroats. I'm a big native species angler so I was excited to come and fish for this threatened species.

The existence of the Greenback is somewhat of a miracle. It's the most eastern variety of cutthroats and exists solely in the South Platte and Arkansas River basins. Between water diversions, mining pollutants, and other human activity it resides in less than 1% of its historic range. In fact, before the 1930s it was thought to be extinct. Fortunately, a remnant population was found in the Big Thompson River and subsequent efforts have repopulated it to other areas including the lake I fished.

At the finish.

This particular lake is chock full of bugs. Weed beds covered about 20% of its surface and seemed to be bug factories. I saw caddis, small mayflies, scuds, and damsel flies. One angler I spoke to said that the fish were longer and fatter this year due to the low snowpack and the longer feeding season. That all sounded good to me.

Cruising the edge of the weed beds

The catching was not epic, but it was good. It took me a while to figure out the technique, figure out where the fish were cruising and then what they were eating. I had a variety of local patterns on me but to my surprise the most effective pattern was an Adams Rabbits Foot Emerger; a pattern I use often on my home waters.

The Greenback

Not only was the fishing good but the location was spectacular. Located in a basin between several large peaks one couldn't ask for a more inspiring locale. Every evening a sunset wedged itself between two spires providing a golden light by which to fish.

Rises in the Sunset

I didn't get to fish any rivers while I was in Colorado which if you asked me before the trip would have been a huge disappointment. But discovering the joys for fishing for trout in still waters was more than compensation for standing in a stream casting to all the usual places.

Best fishing; end of day.

First cast, fish on.