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 Post subject: Fishing the St. Vrain
PostPosted: Mon Sep 21, 2020 10:50 am • # 1 
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Location: Colorado
With all the fires happening in Colorado, my favorite and nearest big river, the Cache La Poudre, is closed due to the Cameron Pass fire. The air is filled with smoke and at times we have ash falling. Last I heard it was at 100K acres and only 8% contained.

So I am limited to the creeks around me, and that's not a bad thing at all. I bought a new rod from Elkhorn, an 8'6" 3wt which I am actually very pleased with. But why wouldn't I be pleased, I own three other Elkhorn rods.

I started on a section of the creek I have not fished before and as you can see the water level is low. The fish were not where I thought they'd be, behind the many boulders that lay in the water, or the deeper pools or even the runs. Nope, they were tucked away near the edges in the nooks and crannies in spots you'd swear weren't big enough to hold a fish. But there they were.

Here's the rod.
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This is the section I started at. Lots of rocks to fish around. The grizzled ugly thing is me.
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Right off the fishing was great. Third cast produced a fish right up against a rock face along the bank. Nothing big, but still welcomed.
Image

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This guy was the trophy of the day.
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Fishing the South St. Vrain is sometimes a challenge, but it can be rewarding if you fish hard enough and look for places you'd think wouldn't hold a fish. A 3wt is perfect for this creek, and fishing it with my 3wt cane rod is always a blast, but this new Elkhorn 3wt is pretty sweet too.


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 21, 2020 6:12 pm • # 2 
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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.


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 21, 2020 10:03 pm • # 3 
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Some pretty fish.

I was fortunate enough to fish the St. Vrain once. I didn't catch a thing! If you look around, you might find a stump with white paint on it from the bumper of a rental.

Have you ever been to Lawn lake?


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 21, 2020 10:48 pm • # 4 
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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.
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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.


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 21, 2020 11:01 pm • # 5 
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strummer wrote:
Some pretty fish.

I was fortunate enough to fish the St. Vrain once. I didn't catch a thing! If you look around, you might find a stump with white paint on it from the bumper of a rental.

Have you ever been to Lawn lake?



No I haven't been to Lawn Lake, but I have heard of it. I'm not much into lakes because of the people. Plus creeks and rivers offer me the solitude I'm looking for and I like the way they sound and feel.

When did you hit the stump? Was it the North or South St Vrain? If it was the South, I'll look for it.

If you ever come back this way let me know. I'll be glad to take you somewhere on one of the Vrains and let you catch fish all day, like in the Wild Basin.


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PostPosted: Tue Sep 22, 2020 9:40 am • # 6 
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Good stuff, thanks for posting!


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 12:54 am • # 7 
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Iasgair wrote:
strummer wrote:
Some pretty fish.

I was fortunate enough to fish the St. Vrain once. I didn't catch a thing! If you look around, you might find a stump with white paint on it from the bumper of a rental.

Have you ever been to Lawn lake?



No I haven't been to Lawn Lake, but I have heard of it. I'm not much into lakes because of the people. Plus creeks and rivers offer me the solitude I'm looking for and I like the way they sound and feel.

When did you hit the stump? Was it the North or South St Vrain? If it was the South, I'll look for it.

If you ever come back this way let me know. I'll be glad to take you somewhere on one of the Vrains and let you catch fish all day, like in the Wild Basin.


This was back in '09, so I really don't remember. We stayed just outside of Estes, if that's any help!

I probably won't make it back there any time soon, unfortunately. If I do, I'll take you up on that offer!


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 9:48 pm • # 8 
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Nice post. Sorry about the fires but good that you have an alternative fishing spot.


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