South Boulder Creek

My home water, South Boulder Creek, is very low...hardly a trickle, but the last few days have been so warm and beautiful it has been impossible to stay indoors and labor away at tying or writing projects. Nothing seems more important than being outside with a rod in hand. So Erin and I saddled up and hit the creek for a few hours in the afternoon. In the truck and past Carl's Corner and the canyon liquor store...down the bumpy red-dirt road and on to to the creek. There were a few others down on the water, but is did not deter us as it sometimes has in the past. We were just "glad to be out" as people say. (People we usually make fun of.) Midges were hatching and there were a few trout rising to them...but we took all of our fish below the surface, on small stuff like beadhead Juju's and a fly Erin calls the "Queen E". It was a good day.

Little Brown Stones

Little brown stone flies...I should say. You already know the local trout streams are practically littered with...oh nevermind.  So, as spring progresses and the creeks start to open up farther and farther you will begin to see more diversity in the active bug life. Midges will still be the prime activity, but you are almost certain to see some tiny stoneflies crawling on your shirt collar. These bugs will be smaller than some of the smallest caddis you will see later in the year, but they will act as teasers to the resident trout who have had nothing to chase all winter. You will find that larger dry flies will begin to work consistently, as well as larger nymphs. Use a size 14 hairwing dry with a size 16 bead-head nymph dropped off behind.

Boulder Creek Opening Up

Boulder Creek is opening up farther and farther into the canyon with every warm day. As of yesterday the creek was open and free of too much snow well past the tunnel. The water is still low and there will be some shelf ice to contend with but the deeper pools--where all the trout will be holding--are wide open. Use small subsurface flies such as Poison Tungs and Zebra Midges for best results. By the way...the 2012 fishing licences are on sale now. Your 2011 one is still good until the end of the month, but you may as well pop into your local fly shop to get the new one. Randy or myself at Rocky Mountain Anglers will gladly print you a new license if you are passing through Boulder. We are the last fly shop in town that still does fishing licences (our competitor lost their licensing privileges for the next two years for attempting to defraud the Colorado Division of Wildlife...aw, snap!) So, stop in and get licensed up...pick up a few flies and have our experienced staff check out your gear before heading out. I promise you will get help from a real live fly fisherman...not just an unpaid intern! Awwww...double snap!

Was It Worth It?

I have always been a slow learner. Ask any of my grade-school teachers. Or my first platoon sergeant. But I get by…just takes a few attempts to get it right. Late season canyon fishing, among other things falls right in line. It always takes me over a month to grasp the reality that “the best time to be there is mid-day” means THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY! The tall rock walls make that mid-day window of winter sunshine very narrow. It took me over an hour to trudge down to a remote stretch of river the other day…an area I knew I would not have to share. I only intended to spend two or three hours down there in the canyon, and I knew to hit it mid-day. But I pissed around at the house too long, miscalculated the drive time in the snow…and ended up on the water by 2:00 PM. Too late. Nothing but shadow. And cold. And no bugs around. I caught three very small brown trout on small midge pupa sunk to the bottom of pools with split shot. After an hour I could not feel any part of my hands. Then I trudged back up through the snow pack. It took twice as long going up hill. I arrived back at the truck well after dark and my back was killing me. For three 7 inch trout. Was it worth it? I leaned back, stretched my aching back, fumbled for my truck keys in the dark… Nope. Not worth it.

But I’ll do it again tomorrow.

Hungry Fish!

As cooler weather and colder water set in to stay, most local fly fishers make the seasonal switch to nothing but tiny flies. This is logical...the bugs that are out and getting eaten are all midges and the smaller of the Blue Wing Olive mayflies. I will often still use some bigger stuff, especially when searching a creek I haven't been on for awhile. I like to use a bigger, bushier hair wing dry (such as a Stimulator or Clown Shoe) with a midge pupa imitation (#20 Zebra Midge or Poison Tung) hanging off the hook bend about 12 to 18 inches. Most of the trout willingly take the subsurface midge, but every now and again one of the big boys (relative term, of course) will inhale the dry!

I like this type of fishing because the big dry is always easy to spot on the water and is always nicer to cast than a strike indicator.

There May Be Some Sketch Involved

That is how he prefaced the trip once I had agreed to join him. There may be some sketch involved. Well…I ain’t scared a no ghost. I eat sketch for breakfast—I convinced myself. So, my friend Peter successfully convinced me to go on a wild goose chase of sorts. Parking along a road in a non-descript, but very particular, gravel pull-off and bush whacking strait down into a narrow canyon. There was a stream down below and if it held trout they could be big and plentiful and untouched. You know…could be. I could not pass on the opportunity. I had known Peter for over a year and never fished with him. Long time coming. Besides, he was a long-time Nederander and I am a recent Coal Creek Canyon Dweller. I felt like this invite had something to do with that. We were neighbors now. I was finally one of the cool kids shivering and smoking cigarettes out behind the BFI dumpster. I had to go. Sketch and all. Bring it.

True to plan, I met Peter at a pre-designated mountain bar and he jumped into my truck with an arm-load of fishing gear. “How many rods ya bringin’?”

“Just the one. A three weight?” I said.

“Cool. We good? Lets go!”

Sweet. Let’s do it!

And there was, no kidding, some sketch involved. A drive-by:  yeah, that was the spot! Swingin’ a u-ey on a mountain highway. Skidding to a halt on a narrow gravel shoulder. Dashing across previously mentioned highway in half-donned waders and clutching rod parts. And then an Apollo 13-esk descent down an un-trailed rocky gorge into the promised land. Yes…plenty of delicious sketch. And the stream below was, also, as Peter had promised. There was hardly sign of any others before us, the trout were plentiful/good-sized/ gullible (they loved a #12 Banksia Bug!) and we each were able to get our fill…our fix…with still enough time to turn back and hike out before dark.

Then, back at the mountain bar we came to the realization that neither one of us had our wallets with us. I had a check book (bar don’t take checks…sorry) and Peter had his AmEx (Visa or MC only…sorry). So we scrounged our vehicles and came up with a five spot and some change. What’s yer cheapest beer? PBR? $2.50 each? Sweet! Even got enough for a tip! And we nursed those two and tried to guess how many trout we had landed…

October on Boulder Creek (A Fall Fishing Report)

In October the stream flow on Boulder Creek will be 20 to 35 cubic feet per second (It is 24cfs as I write this) and the water temperature will be 42 to 52 degrees. On sunny days the water will start out cold and warm up fast. At 10:00 in the morning the stream temperature can be 43 degrees and by 2:00 in the afternoon it can be up to 48 degrees. The mornings can be downright slow fishing, but the afternoons can be fantastic!

You will see small BWO mayflies hatching in the early afternoons on the creek...and many of the trout will be eating them off the surface, but the most productive method is still going to be the dry/dropper rig using a #16 caddis dry (Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulator or Clown Shoe Caddis) with a #18 weighted nymph hanging off the bend of the dry about 12 inches. Use a BWO Tungsten Micro-Mayfly nymph or a Poison Tung.

The brown trout in Boulder Creek will begin spawning the second week of October and will go at it approximately three weeks. Sometime around the 6th or 7th of the month you will see the trout messing around with each other and acting funny. You will not have to adjust the way you are fishing, just move slower and try to make longer casts upstream, because the browns will be holding in very shallow water over loose gravel.

By mid October the leaves will start falling in earnest. The leaves will clutter up the pools and eddies and create an annoying obstacle. Many will be bright yellow in color and will make seeing your dry fly or indicator very difficult. They will continually get snagged on your flies as well. This is very irritating, especially during breezy days when there are a lot of new leaves being added to the mix. To overcome this I use a Clown Shoe Caddis dry fly tied with a fluorescent cerise tuft of McFly yarn on the top. You will be able to pick out this color easily amongst all the yellow leaves.

And don't forget to eat some Creek Apples!

Autumn on Boulder Creek

Autumn on Boulder Creek is such a great time...maybe the best! The trout are hungry and the water levels are low. Perfect fishing conditions. One suggestion, though...plan your fishing for later in the day. The nights are getting colder (dropping water temps) so the fish may not be very active in the mornings. Between 1pm and about 4:30 is the best time to be on Boulder Creek in the Fall. Trout will be looking up, so bring dries!

What are the best flies for Boulder Creek?

When are the best times to fish Boulder Creek?

A voice for small trout and home waters

I love small creeks and small trout. I have no shame. And I spend more time on Boulder Creek than any other trout stream.
I grew up reading dusty, old fishing literature where the author inevitably wrote the best and truest essays and anecdotes about their Home Water. As a child reader I always wished to have a worthy home water...some cozy creek or nondescript lake that no one else ever fished. But, the best I ever had was a cow pasture creek with little chubs or a farm pond with more cattails than water.
But, now I have Boulder Creek! I know it like I know the cracks in my trucks windshield! So, let me propose this: GET TO KNOW YOUR HOME WATER BETTER! You should know the pond or creek near your home better than anywhere. Take advantage of living in a place like this! Just think...you could be living in Oklahoma!

Boulder Creek Is Givin' It Up!

Boulder Creek has finally dropped below 300cfs! This still means high-water tactics are called for (streamers and big nymphs on the sides) but it does allow for some great fishing for those of you not afraid to do a bit of battle with current. These trout have not seen an artificial fly in so long they are acting like fat freshman girls at the free dining hall. Eatin' it up, man. Once the water drops to under 200cfs all the Boulder riff raff will appear out of nowhere with a rubber tube. So check the flows grab your big-bug box and your nymphing rod and I'll see ya down there!

Boulder Creek Fishing Report

Big water season is here. Runoff has started. Blaaah. The Big Thompson has breeched 300cfs two days ago, the Poudre is raging, South Boulder is over 250cfs and Clear Creek…well, a bit of an oxymoron. But good ol’ Boulder Creek is still holding her own! The only game in town, actually. The flows lower in the canyon and in town Boulder have been fairly steady the last few days at about 65 cubic feet per second. This means you will have to be a confident wader to fish the creek properly and need to be willing to remove your strike indicator and high-stick a pair of heavy nymphs.

Cody Burgdorff and I spent a few hours on Boulder Creek yesterday afternoon. The current was swift and a tad off-color…just the right concoction to scare away the feeble-kneed and fair-water types. We fished for almost four hours and never saw another fisherman. Excellent. Just the way we prefer it!

I fished a set of big Banksia Bugs on a 4x leader…and took plenty of fish. Cody used a variety of big nymphs, to include Girdle Bugs, Czech Nymphs and big Hair’s Ears. They all took trout—almost at will. There were size 18 Blue-Winged Olives hatching periodically all day, but it was the larger crane fly larvae and stonefly nymphs that the local browns were pouncing on. With the escalated flows and slightly dirty water, these juicy morsels get swept out from under their rocks. They are bigger and fatter than little BWO nymphs…easier to see.

April Fools on South Boulder Creek

We were not the first ones to the gravel pull off, Erin and I. A late start, a stop for coffee and one wrong turn up a dirt road. Oh well. The two guys ahead of us looked decent enough—two fellow fly fishers—not a couple of turds who would likely camp out on fish or high hole us. I’ll get back to this. They were already wadered up and about to hit the trail down to the South Boulder Creek tailwater. I was going to give a good luck wave and see ya down there, but before any of those niceties could be exchanged a big pickup truck lurched into the pull-out next to us. As the dust was settling a big man in a tight “I Once Went to Sturgis” T-shirt rolled out of the cab with his scraggly haired son. He strolled over to us somehow coming across as a condescending jackass and a hapless oaf all in the same greeting. “Looks like ya’ll goin’ brookie fishin’!” (To me.) “Hey there, kiddo.” (To Erin.) He slung his beefy arms over the gunnels of my truck bed, his boy lingering sketchily behind him like that crazy pet-like-thing-on-a-chain in Jabba’s palace.

“Hope ya don’t mind us as ya’lls competition! We’re goin’ down do some worm fishin’!”

I looked up from my knot tying and totally strait-faced him though polarized sunglasses. “Yeah, about that...this stream is strictly catch and release, flies and lures only.” Verbiage regurgitated right out of the Fish & Game pamphlet…albeit for another river entirely.

The Hut reared back and yelled at his squirrely, blonde-haired pet, “Hey! We can’t fish here!” The pet opened its beak and made some strange, disappointed gurgling. “All we got’s worms!” yelled The Hut.

And, as the over-sized four-wheeled palace lurched dustily back off of our own little patch of Tattooine I heard him ask, “Now ya wouldn’t just be tellin’ us that to be rid a the competition, would ya?”

Who me? The walk down the trail was steep and twisted, but we were down to the bank of South Boulder sooner than I would have liked. It was one of the first really hot days of the year and I was enjoying the walk and the company. Erin and I were having a good chuckle over the encounter in the parking area. I was finding every opportunity to call her “kiddo”. I had my 3wt rod rigged with a two-fly nymph set-up—a #20 midge pupa and a BWO emerger—same rig that was working so well for me on the Big Thompson just the other day. But, the trout on SBC were not interested in either bug this day. It took me swiping at several annoying insects crawling up my jacket collar before I had the sense to look down and focus on what they were. Stoneflies! Tons of ‘em. Everywhere. Crawling on rocks, up our waders, onto our ears and into our hair. And the trout were ambushing them in the pocket water as they sputtered about on the flat surfaces of water behind rocks. Bugs were moving! Trout were feeding! Erin and I held onto each others wading belts and moved up the middle of the fast-moving creek, taking turns casting into pockets and pools as we made our way up to them. The best match I had in my fly box was a #12 Clown Shoe Caddis dry fly and a slightly smaller Banksia Bug as a dropper. But they worked perfectly! Fish were turning in the current to chase down the big, high-vis dry fly. Then the two fly fishermen from earlier appeared out from behind a large boulder. They looked down at us in the creek, didn’t even offer a nod or wave…just promptly high holed us. Turds. They dropped down and fished the big pool directly upstream. The craggy hole just below a short water fall that Erin and I had been diligently working our way up to. I sputtered and swore to myself, but did my best not to show it. I didn't want to ruin the perfect day that was unfolding. But the turds only made a few poorly-positioned drifts through the pool and then gave up, fishless. I then quickly moved into the violated pool and hooked a decent brown. And laughed out of sheer smug spite! Then I clambered farther into the craggy nest of boulders...in deeper than most fishermen are willing to go. It felt a bit like a miniature Cheesman Canyon. And on the third drift a fat rainbow ate the Banksia Bug dropper. Best one of the day.

Boulder Creek in Town

Boulder feels like it has turned the corner...into spring. Sure, anyone who has lived on the Front Range of Colorado for more than a couple years knows that it is all just an illusion...we are gonna get DUMPED on at any time! Then we will all snivel and whine. So enjoy the sunny side of March! And enjoy the extra hours of light at the end of the day! I can walk out behind the fly shop at lunch and catch a few browns any given day, now. Right here in town. The flows are really low (about 15cfs) Check current Boulder Creek Flows . I have seen some rising fish every day. Mainly midge adults on top, but an occasional BWO mayfly. But small. The best producing fly for me this past week (while fishing in town) has been an old BC standard...#20 black Zebra Midge pupa.

Best times to fish Boulder Creek

Best flies to use on Boulder Creek

Best 5 Flies for Boulder Creek

In my opinion! These are the only flies I feel that I need. I have spent many countless hours and days on my home water and have been very discerning about the flies I carry and use. Confidence and productivity. And these are the five flies I would have no problem restricting myself to on Boulder Creek...Year-Round. However, I am only one of many local trout bums and fly fishing guides in this town who feel that Boulder Creek is theirs and that they know her best. And every one of these guys is passionate and adamant about what the best five flies are. I found this out when I asked a handful of the guys around the fly shop. What was really interesting was that although every list was different, there were definitely some reoccurring themes and fly names. And, as I looked closer, I realized all the lists were essentially the same...just differently named.

These are the some of the best fishermen on the creek...the guys who land twelve trout in the time it takes most mortals to string a 4wt. If you notice the same fly showing up several times, best bet is to add it to your arsenal. So, here are a few of the opinions from the opinionated...mine first!
Jay Zimmerman
(1) #20 Black Zebra Midge pupa
(2) #22 Para Adams dry fly
(3) #18 BH Flashback Pheasant Tail nymph
(4) #14 Clown Shoe Caddis dry fly
(5) #10 Black Pine Squirrel Leech

Brian Harris(1) #10 Black Woolly Bugger
(2) #20 Black Tungsten-bead Zebra Midge pupa
(3) #14 Yellow Stimulator dry fly
(4) #16 Pink San Juan Worm
(5) #20 Blue Poison Tung

Phil Iwane(1) #20 Parachute Adams dry
(2) #20 Flashback Pheasant Tail nymph
(3) #22 RS2
(4) #16 Elk Hair Caddis
(5) #18 Buckskin

Randy Hicks(1) #16 Parachute Adams dry
(2) #14 Peacock PMX dry
(3) #16 Black Foam Beetle
(4) #18 Rainbow Worrier
(5) #12 Black Pine Squirrel Leech

Will Beggs(1) #16 Para Adams dry
(2) #20 Rainbow Warrior
(3) #14 Pink San Juan Worm
(4) #10 Royal PMX dry
(5) #20 Black Zebra Midge

What are the best times to fish Boulder Creek?

Back to Boulder Creek!

Boulder Creek is low and clear (about 18cfs) but fishing very well! The water has gotten to about 40 degrees and the midges are out almost every day. The trout are feeding and often looking up! I have been doing well with a #20 midge pupa dropped about 18 inches behind a #18 Bluewing Olive dry fly. If the glare on the water is to severe, I keep the same dropper, but switch to a larger, more visible dry...such as a #16 Caddis Variant or #18 Clown Shoe Caddis dry. Most of my fish caught in town are on the pupa. Because the water is so low, be cautious and look for fish to be stacked up in the deeper water.

Spring on Boulder Creek

In mid March when the water temperature reaches 40 degrees the trout will move out of their winter holding lies, spread out in the creek and begin feeding more actively. From this point on the water temperature will continue to rise. Once the temperature reaches the mid 40’s and the flows are still low (25-35 cfs) the “spring window” officially opens…expect great fishing!
During the spring window on Boulder Creek there can be some very good fishing, but it can be fickle. The fishing can shut down or turn on at any moment during the course of the day. Even the slightest fluctuation in water temperature can affect the trout. The fishing will improve noticeably for every increase in temperature from 44 degrees up to 47 degrees. On sunny days the water temperature will steadily increase and so will the quality of fishing. You can use this knowledge to plan the time you begin your day on the creek, or where on the creek you choose to fish. If the fishing is slow, take a temp and if it is still in the lower forties you can relocate farther downstream where the water may be a few degrees warmer. This can be the case if you follow the creek downstream until it levels out, or a diversion canal removes some of the water.

One year the spring window opened a week late, because the March flows were high so the temperatures didn’t rise as quickly as they usually do. The fishing was crazy good the entire first week of April…then we had two days of freezing rain followed by a day of snow. The water temperature dropped from 45 degrees down to 32 degrees and the trout tried to bury themselves under the gravel! But one hot, sunny day later the creek was all the way up to 49 degrees. The unfortunate part of this antidote is that by the time all the trout recovered enough to return the fishing to its former glory the pre-runoff began (the steady increase that precedes the spring runoff) and the fishing didn’t get that good again for another three months.

Boulder Canyon is Waking Up!

Spring is slow coming in the high country...but, with these beautiful sunny days the creeks are beginning to wake up early this year! If you decide to drive up your nearest canyon creek this weekend, take warm clothes and some small, weighted nymphs. The trout on Boulder Creek seem to be keyed in on midges and small mayflies... Find some open pocket water and run a two-fly nymph rig though it. A #20 black bead-head Zebra midge pupa with a #22 black or purple JuJu Baetis behind it will do the trick. Go during the middle of the day for best chances at feeding fish.

Boulder Creek Report (October 2010)

On Tuesday this week I had only an hour to fish the creek…and I was having severe motivation issues as well. Took me awhile to crawl out of bed. And the lack of drive continued once I was up in the canyon. The last thing I wanted to do was don my already cold, damp waders... I was reminded of what an old friend used to say, "Waders make you look like you're serious." And I didn't feel serious. I just wanted to see the creek and maybe catch a trout or two. So I left my jeans on and hopped from dry rock to dry rock doing my best to stay dry. The creek is so low right now that I could easily get away with it. But I couldn't get in the right positions to make the proper casts and presentations. I was left to attempt casts I haven't tried in years...40 foot roll casts (with a 3 wt) and big slack casts aimed up at a 45 degree angle to allow all the line and leader to collapse back on the water in long, lazy curves. These are designed to absorb all the conflicting currents between you and your fly. And I looked like a tool...until trout ate my fly one after another. Took a half dozen small browns on a #20 Adams. Then I went home.

Low Water on Boulder Creek

Yesterday morning I met up with Cody Burgdorff and we fished Boulder Canyon. It was the first weekend day I have been out of the fly shop in years. Was kinda weird. Felt like a paroled convict stepping back onto the streets of his old home town. But Cody had gotten his hands on a couple Denver Broncos tickets. He assured me they were great seats, too! So I took off the entire day. Planned to fish the creek ‘till noon, then head over to the Park-N-Ride and get a lift to Invesco Field. Great plan. But the creek was way low…19 CFS. And we were there in the morning…before the sun had a chance to get on the water. So, fishing was a bit slow. (If you go, be stealthy and go in the afternoon.) I do feel obligated to mention that Cody out fished me 5 to 1 using a “Frenchie” Nymph…one of Lance Egan’s patterns.
Oh, and Payton Manning made our defense look like donkeys in the second half…and I got to witness it from great seats.

I'm Gonna Get You, Sucka!

If you happen to hook and land what may appear to be an odd-looking fish...something you have never seen in your local trout stream before, don't panic! No, it is not some exotic snake head hickey fish...or some new half marsupial half carp Frankenstein fish secretly introduced to Colorado streams by a mentally unstable Australian ichthyologist. It is a white sucker. And they may, in fact, be the only truly native fish you have ever caught in your favorite local stream. So treat it with respect!

I caught this sucker out of Boulder Creek the other day. When I hooked it I thought it must be a very nice-sized brown...nope! Guess that is what I get for fishing bait (i.e. San Juan Worm).