Some Dry Fly Fishing Tips and Reflections on my First Three Years in Colorado

After my previous post I have been thinking more about my dry fly fishing successes and failures since I moved to Colorado.  I'm approaching my 3rd full year out here (July 1st is the anniversary of my arrival) and so I decided to post a few "older" fish, where I caught them, how I caught them, and then finally some tips for us all to remember when dry fly fishing.  Enjoy.

Below was the first fish I caught in Colorado on a dry fly.  This Deckers rainbow ate a hopper behind a huge rock and I literally jumped when he crushed my fly.  Thanks amigo.

I caught this fish on a bwo dry in a back eddy up in El Dorado Canyon.  Its beauty surprised me and I have gone on to catch more beautiful rainbows in creeks and rivers throughout the state.

I continued to explore in 2015 and a guide in Idaho Springs pointed me in the direction of cutthroat trout on upper Clear Creek.  There is a lot of water to explore up there and I recommend to check it out.  I caught fish like the gorgeous specimen below all day on a parachute adams that needed to be retired by days end.

This brook trout was caught out of a hole I will probably never find again.  Sometimes exploring a place for the first time can be bittersweet because then that spot will never be new again.  Either way, I saw this guy sipping midges in a hole no bigger than your kitchen table and he obliged once I got my fly on his nose.  I'm ready to hunt for some more brookies this summer!

This was the first big brown trout I caught in Colorado back in 2015.  My heart was racing when I saw him taking dries down at Deckers tucked right up against a rock.  He also ate a Parachute Adams, which I hardly ever fish anymore because I don't tie them.  The battle for this fish was epic and landing him was a special moment.

This big rainbow also ate a tiny dry on my first trip to the Yampa River up in Steamboat Springs.  The guys at the shop told me to nymph so proving them wrong was also a treat.  I have had success up there since then, especially last March when my buddy Darren visited and we caught a lot of fish up below Stagecoach.

I caught all of these fish on my first day up in Elevenmile Canyon on bwo dries.  I went with my work friend Josh and the entire ride I was excitedly hoping that there would be some rising fish.  That was one of the best days I have ever had up there.  I swear every fish in the river was eating bwo's that day.

This beast took a Griffith's gnat on the Dream Stream when my friend Jared was out visiting.  He was eating Trico's like it was his last day on Earth and I was able to hook, play, and land him.  Since that day I have purchased a bigger net. ;)

*SOME DRY FLY FISHING TIPS TO REMEMBER*

1) Have some stealth. (I see too many people wade too quickly, disturb the water, and smack their fly line on the surface.)  Stealth leads to success.

2) Make a plan. (Think about what's going to happen if you hook the fish you are casting toward.  What's below that fish?)  Trust me, I have learned the hard way on this one.

3) Get above your target. (Not everyone will agree with me, but I still think the best way to hook wary trout is with a perfect, downstream drift.)  Ask that big rainbow from the Dream...

4) Get close, but not too close. (Casts from 40 miles away can lessen your chance of hooking a big fish so get a little closer and see what happens.  Some of the biggest fish I have hooked in Colorado on dry flies have been fish rising 5 feet from me.)  Try it, trust me.

5) Be aware of the sun.  (Fish don't like shadows.)  Adjust where you're casting from if the sun is an issue.

6) Watch out for micro drag. (The best fish know a perfect drift from a near perfect one.)  Get closer!

7) Think small.  (If you're not getting takes, perhaps your fly is too big.  Look at the naturals floating by and see how your fly stacks up.  I often times watch one natural for awhile and see if it gets chomped down or not.) Then I adjust accordingly.

8) Tippet down.  (I know that heavier tippet makes it easier to haul in a monster, but if it's sunny and the fish see your tippet, forget about that epic battle you're hoping for.  Some fish require 6-7x depending on the clarity of the water, the weather, and how long they've been alive.)  Tippet down.

9) Use emergers and cripples.  (Smart/wild fish know what a big honking (fake) dry fly looks like.)  Try something that looks as natural as the naturals and see what happens.

10) Applaud and move on.  (Some fish aren't meant to be hooked on that given day.  My Delaware buddy (Nixie) and I once fished to a single brown trout for over an hour.  He was eating everything but our flies and the previous 9 tips didn't seem to make a difference for him.  Once we conceded defeat, I stood up and clapped; what a fish.)  Who knows, maybe he'll be there when I visit in June...

There is nothing quite like dry fly fishing.  Whether I'm throwing massive hoppers during the summer months or size 26 midges in January, it's always exciting.  Colorado has shown me the beauty of a 6 inch brook trout or a football sized tailwater rainbow.  They all have their place in our ecosystem and at times, they will be eating dry flies.  I hope you're in that money spot when the BIG fish are rising...Good luck!


Until next time, tight lines my friends.