PampasPete wrote:
Upon looking at the nice pictures of fishing the South St. Vrain, it appears to me that even the main river would be a small one. It is also apparent that in the stretch shown, there isn’t much overhead cover for such small water. So the trout probably look for cover wherever they can find it, such as right next to the bank or rocks. But I’m curious about one thing, which is the flies that were working for you. Also, about which facility you are using to post your photos.
I'm using Post Image to do my photos.
https://postimages.org/There are three St. Vrain Creeks, North, Middle and South, and they are all about the same size. There are sections of this creek where there is some cover. There are islands in this creek as well in the wider sections thanks to the flood of 2013. But even in the areas where the trees are abundant, and there's lots of overhead coverage, it's still a search and catch mission.
Now up on the North St. Vrain in the Wild Basin, it's a different scene because it's not in a canyon, but in a forest. The fishing up there is better in the woods than it is right below in the willows. The willows are more open but can be good for brookies if the moose will leave you alone.
The Middle St. Vrain I haven't fished much, and the fish are smaller from what I have seen. But there's lots of cover on that creek, though that creek is the smallest of the three.
They say on the inlet side of Ralph Price Res., that's where to fish, but to get there I have to buy a pass because the Res. is on private land.
So you have tons of different landscapes on these three creeks. The stretch I fished in these photos is a section I had not fished before until I got to a place that I had fished many times. The North St. Vrain just outside of Lyons has a lot of private property, and it gets heavily fished. The Middle also gets heavily fished because of the camping sights. So I try to fish the South more often unless I can get to the Wild Basin. You'd really have to see these creeks to get the fullness of what I'm trying to explain, but I think you're absolutely correct about the fish looking for cover. And because of that, it makes the fishing challenging and fun, not to mention rewarding because you figured the puzzle out.
The fly that was most productive was a soft hackle fly made from Hares Ear with a glass beadhead.
I tried heavy nymphs in the deeper sections, but no luck. Dries worked better in the afternoon, but this wet fly was the best of the day.
If you need help with posting photos, give me a PM and I'll help you.