Looking to head up to Colorado Next year when is the best time to go for some nice trout fishing?I’ve heard fall is very nice time to go.And is a 4weight good or should i go for a 6?
id stick with the 4, (lighter pres…) and the added benifit of protecting those tiny tippets. there are some good waters there…ive fished summer and fall, both have their benifits. the low water levels can be a problem, but just like low tides, it can keep their hidin places to a min. warm temps can kill the trout, so keep it to waters that are not threatened by risin temps. Hokiefly should chime in here soon i hope(he fishes there now) and knows alot more than I about CO trout. in my experience there, it was small nymphs and emergers that did the deed…the fish were much to smart for gold beads/etc where i was…it was technical water and loads of fun…5x-7x tippets.
I was stationed in the springs for 3 years… 11-Mile resivior, about an hour form the springs west, has a run off on the south end that is “Gold Medal” waters, catch and release only, fish are very spooky but VERY big… between 11-mile and Spinney is a diversion canal that is loaded with brownies, in the springs itself the only place I really fished was the AF Academy ponds… not sure if you can get on thre but it’s pond fishing for stocked fish, the creek that runs through the academy is full of brookies, fun as hell though, Stanly Canyon Resivior has some REAL nice cutties in it, I mean REAL nice, it’s on the waaaayyyy back side of Rampart res, full of lake trout and some bows in the back bays and near the beaver ponds… I always did good with orange in my flies… Orange ashers as a dropper ( didn;t know it was supposed to be a dry fly 
) always worked well for me… On the way out of town towards woodland park three are a few creeks that looked fishy, I never did though… Pikes peak has some lakes on the back side that hold fish and if you head south to Pueblo the river that runs through town, east of there is a good spot with wild browns… I think it’s the platt river… where ever you fish it will be technical and the fish are spooky… they get a lot of pressure… we had more fun findin an old creek and in the beaver ponds catchin brookies by the dozens 
“Paddle faster boys… I hear banjo music!”
SC Chapter Coordinator- Heroes on the Water
http://www.HeroesOnTheWater.org
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Tarpon 160os
Newcastle, what part of Colorado are you thinking of going?
I spent the summer guiding in Aspen and know a fair amount about the rivers around there (Roaring Fork, Frying Pan, Colorado). I’ve also done some on the Eagle near Vail and the Gunnison. Rod weight depends on the river you are fishing, for example 4’s are fun on the Pan because those fish are smaller. On the Fork you could catch fish on 4, but get a mean 17 inch brown and you wish you had a 5. And I’ve been undermanned on the Colorado with a 5 hooking into fish over 20" in some serious moving water when i needed a 6. I would recommend a 9 foot 5 wt for most situations, it provides the most versatility.
In terms of time of the year everything depends on snowmelt/water level. During runoff in late May/June the water is going to be much higher and faster which makes the fishing technically easier in my opinion. The water is less clear and the trout are eating big stone flies, san juan worms, princes, eggs and fished on 3x and 4x. You don’t have to be as precise with your drifting, just drift it through some slower water and chances are a hungry fish is there. When hooked they use the current to their advantage and you can think you have a lunker on and its only 11 inches long. But when you do get a big one on they pull like crazy. The positive is you can horse them around a little more with the heavier tippet. As the water level drops the green drakes and caddis come out and the fishing switches over to those new bugs. Dry fly fishing starts to take off at this point (early July) and a variety of hairs ear and caddis patterns will work all day long. The water starts to clear up so you’ve got to drop down to 5x. By mid August the caddis are basically gone and the weather is starting to turn to fall, the water is much much lower and clear as gin and you are fishing size 18 midges down to 24s on 6x flouro. I never fished 7x, you hardly have a shot at landing them but some guys do. I found if you get a good drift on the 6x flouro then you will hook your
We are going to be in the Colorado Springs area around where the Air force base is …My Aunt lives up there and wants us to come seee her…And while i’m there take her husband fly fishing and teach him a few things…But everything that you wrote Hokieflyguy sounds great that will get me started…
Sounds good Newcastle. Apparently I’m stupid and didn’t look at your post heading. I haven’t fished CO Springs but i’d recommend nymphing for the most part to have the most luck
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Tarpon 140
Knot the Reel World Fly Fishing LLC
Creeks yes… the ponds at teh AF Academy… size 10 Olive or black wooly bigger wiht bead chain eyes and a little red floss behind the eyes… 18" tippet tied to the bend of the WB and add a size 16 orange asher as the dropper… I had MANY MANY double hook ups on it… they started stocking browns in the Kettle lakes, Right by the south gate, brownies ate the bugger the big bows hit the asher… the other pattern that did me right EVERY TIME was a size 10 olive crawbugger… tie a olive WB but put the bead chain eyes near the bend, split the tail and drop a litte super glue at the base to keep them seperate but leave the ends free flowing and fish it… strip, strip, strip ( about 6-8"), let it sit for a 5 count and do it again… flat out destroyed them… use it along the rocks and the back shallow end of Kettle 2 and yer set. I am pretty sure you can get on there to fish… the fee was like $20 but I thnk they have day passes or soemthing…
“Paddle faster boys… I hear banjo music!”
SC Chapter Coordinator- Heroes on the Water
http://www.HeroesOnTheWater.org
Charleston Director- SCKayakfishing.com
Tarpon 160os
That sounds like a sweet bug! And easy to tie, I’m going to have to whip some of those up. Thanks for that tip.
1720 Key West Sportsman
115 Mercury 4 stroke
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1997 Honda Civic 200k+
My Own 2 Feet
I caught a FAT bow and when I turned him over to get the fly out he started pukin up these crawdads that were olive color and about an inch-an inch-and-a-half… I went home found a perfect sized hook and tied it up. The super glue keeps the tail seperated and makes it look like claws… I also used a LONG peice of Moose Mane for the antenna… with a small dropper this is a DEADLY fly… provided there are crawdads in the water
“Paddle faster boys… I hear banjo music!”
SC Chapter Coordinator- Heroes on the Water
http://www.HeroesOnTheWater.org
Charleston Director- SCKayakfishing.com
Tarpon 160os
looks great Ken!,ya seen the one in the latest Fly Tyer? uh uh is about all i can say
Dude thats one wicked looking fly. I’ll have to try that , that would be good just to have in the case…
No Scotty I didn’t… is it online?? I tied this one, actually this is THE first on I tied, I modified it a lot with antenna, different colors ( brown and orange work good for bass around here) and such… did this one up in the fall of 2002… BTW Scotty… we REELY need to fish SOOOOONNNNN!!!
“Paddle faster boys… I hear banjo music!”
SC Chapter Coordinator- Heroes on the Water
http://www.HeroesOnTheWater.org
Charleston Director- SCKayakfishing.com
Tarpon 160os