Monday, August 20, 2018

The Dumbest Brook Trout in CO

Before Yellowstone I visited my brother in law in Denver. It was my first time there and I found it hard to believe that a decent trout stream would be anywhere near a large metropolitan city. To my amazement there is a ton of trout water with in forty minutes of downtown Denver. You can have it all small stealth stream fishing, trophy monster hunting, and everything in between. I fished a canyon that had some of the most beautiful water I had ever seen. 
Plunge pools for days, bugs fluttering here, and there with fish jumping in the distance. 
You could literally see the fish in the water at times and I ignorantly expected to catch a fish on my first first few casts. A hundred casts later I realized my expectations may have been a little off. 
None of the fish even sniffed my fly but there was a brook trout sipping bugs off the surface right at my feet. I would leave the fish alone for ten minutes then send another cast its way. Each attempt I tried a different fly and the fish came up sipped the fly off the surface to only have me pull it out of its mouth. What fish hits a fly multiple times and feeds 3ft from the bank? 
This fish apparently. Fell for an elk hair caddis. 
It was a gorgeous fish even if it was the dumbest brook trout in CO.

4 comments:

  1. Haha. Silly fish. Those brookies just don't know any better. Now I guess the question is if you ate it or not? They're not quite as fond of brookies out west as we are back east.

    BTW, that water looks gorgeous!

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    1. It was released unharmed. I hadn't read about the hatred of brookies. In Yellowstone though they have a all out war on anything that isn't a cutthroat.

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  2. Kevin
    So frustrating to see trout that close to you and not get a take; find the magic fly to connect and you've got a winner. I have a feeling those scenic waters are fished heavy that close to a big city. Thanks for sharing

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    1. Thanks for the comment Bill. I think you are right about the pressure. Still a great place to visit.

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