Fly Fishing Colorado's Highcountry: Alpine Blog by Matt Nisbet
Peak Season Is Here...
Fishing in the high alpine can be one of the most thrilling ways to spend those hot summer days.
Escaping the heat and crowds, adventuring to a remote trout stream, or pristine mountain lake for many, is the epitome of fly fishing in the Rockies. There is no better time than RIGHT NOW!!!
If you’re new to the alpine fishing gig, or simply just looking to spice up your fly box with new and unique patterns to fool that crafty cutthroat or brook trout, here are some of our favorites for the most remote and beautiful fishing the state has to offer along with some insight on where and when to fish them...
Pristine
Hungry Fish Looking Up
Dry fly fishing in the high country can be some of the most satisfying ways to spend a Summers day. Clear water, hungry fish, and mountains galore. However, choosing the right dry fly for the time of year, and the water you’re fishing can be a difficult task.
Which flies, and why?
It can be difficult to know which fly boxes to leave at home, and which ones to take with you on these longer hikes. Especially if your dry fly collection spans everything from PMD’s to Green Drakes, knowing which flies will make or break your day can be a daunting task. For me, I love to have a great general selection of flies with me, not only to keep my pack light but to also give ourselves the best opportunity to find success.
Dry Flies:
With that being said, terrestrial
patterns such as the Tan Chubby Chernobyl #16, and the Stubby Chubby
#16, are great flies to target fish looking at the surface. These flies not
only look good on the water, but have a great profile to help you keep your
eyes locked on target when trying to detect subtle strikes. With plenty of
terrestrial life in the high country, fish will be looking for the profile of
beetles, and other terrestrial or arboreal life. In addition to the Chubby’s, I
love to carry a Jake’s Gulp Beetle #14. With a lower profile on the
water, this can help you seal the deal on the picky fish that turn away from
the larger profiled dry flies. The advantage to having these dries in your
quiver is that it will allow you to have some variety, while also having large
foam bodies to hold up any nymphs that you may want to suspend below, giving
you an excellent indicator that can also produce fish.
What happens if they aren't eating dry flies?!
While dry fly fishing can be exhilarating, we have all seen those larger fish cruising just below the surface, taunting us by refusing our dries, and swimming further below the surface to never be seen again. On those days, dry fly fishing may not be the answer, therefore, I like to have a selection of subsurface flies to help keep me in the strike zone, even when fish decide not to show their faces above the
water line.
Sub Surface Flies (Nymphs & Streamers):
The Barr’s Damsel #12
is a fly that I always keep at the ready when choosing my alpine selection. If you notice adult damsels (and dragonflies) zipping around or near the surface of the water, this is probably a great cue to tie on a Barr’s Damsel. Damsel nymphs can be fished in a variety of different ways, but one of my favorites is to target fish on the move. Cast in front of them, and slowly strip the fly in front of them, this is a very realistic presentation and can be a very exciting way to target fish on the feed. Another great option to target fish below the surface, is Craven’s Jumbo JuJu Chironomid #16. This fly works great underneath a dry fly such as the Chernobyl, or deep underneath an indicator. I like to give these flies a cast off the edge of a rock point or just off another deep underwater structure point, let it drift in the chop of the water’s surface, and wait for the indicator to start swimming! Finally, if fish don’t seem to be interested in your “bug” style imitations, I like to take the meal to them. The Pine Squirrel Leech #10 is a great fly to strip from structure out into open water, or to strip through likely trout holding areas. Fishing this fly with a sinking Rio Versileader, sinking line, or intermediate line, will benefit you the most, as it is a light fly that doesn’t like to sink on its own. When fishing this fly, think like a leech! Strip with intent, and give some variety to your retrieve, one thing I like to remember when fishing streamer patterns is that the only thing that swims with rhythm, is a human! So, strip your fly back in fast twitches, leaving time for a pause, or long slow strips followed by a few fast twitches. Try different retrieves before you cut your fly off and try a new option, once you find the rhythm that the fish want, stick with it!
It's Time To Get Out!
Now that you've got the right tools!
Stop by either shop to ask questions or to get a better look at some of the flies we like to
fish in the alpine along with different tactics on how to approach them...Thanks for reading folks!
Everything you need to get the job done