Happy July 4th - Big Thompson River

Those of us that live in Colorado know that the Big Thompson River recently experienced a giant renovation.  What was called “the 1000 year flood” ripped through a few months ago, leaving a path of devastation.  I don’t know the biology of fish well enough, but given the destruction I witnessed on my drive up – I assume it altered their feeding patterns significantly.

It truly is a tragedy, what happened to the surrounding areas.  It will take years to repair the damage – while some may be irreversible.  The fishing, however, has begun to rebound.

If you’re looking for scenic and serene, the Big Thompson is not the river for you.  Amidst catching beautiful trout, I was actively drowning-out the screaming children and whipping go-carts in the amusement park.  Nevertheless – it was all beautiful in its own right. 

The fish were rising all day, as well as feeding subsurface.  The only successful area was between the Lake Estes Dam and the first private-property bridge.  I stuck to the same setup all day – Yellow Foam Grasshopper with a size 20 Grey, Bead-Head BWO Emerger.  No weight, 6x fluorocarbon tippet.  I caught several great rainbows throughout the late afternoon – some on the BWO, some on the Hopper.  What was most encouraging… they were rising to the hopper all day!  Slightly discouraging that I missed most of the hook-sets, but it’s been a while since I’ve fished top water.

If you’re looking for a quick trout-fix-trip out of Denver – head to the Big Thompson.  The fish are rising!  And the go-carts aren’t the worst soundtrack…when you’re catching fish.