Boulder Creek, Colorado

         One of the things I really like about fly fishing in Colorado is that you do not have to go too far from a major metropolitan area to get to some great fly fishing. I recently tried Boulder Creek, just outside Boulder, Colorado with my friends Jason and Gage Lawley.
       The creek runs right into town, and some people fish within the city limits. But it is also a very easy and scenic drive up Boulder Canyon along highway 119 to nice fly fishing.
   The Fall colors were beginning to show, but the water flows were also receding. There are several pullouts along the road, but the canyon can be steep down to the water in places. The bank is also lined with a lot of trees and bushes, so you have to be careful casting.

       Unlike many larger rivers where you can get into the middle of the water for a snag-free cast, Boulder Creek is a little more tricky. You can wade out, or in some places just jump from rock to rock, but then again, you spook the fish since the pools are small and clear. So, using the brush as cover, and being careful with your cast is a must.
     We began a couple of miles below Barker Meadow Reservoir just outside Nederland, Colorado. Because the water was low, we really had to find pools where a fish might be hanging out.
     I found a nice looking pool below a sheer rock wall. I started with a size 16 BWO that had an orange parachute as an indicator, then a size 20 black zebra midge as a dropper.
       My first few casts produced nothing. But then I noticed a brown trout feeding near the back of the pool. I cast right at him. It took a few tries, but then I got him! He hit the zebra midge and I netted him.
      There were few options of pools to choose from, so we moved downstream a bit. This time we pulled in just below where water from Boulder falls enters Boulder Creek.
    I found a nice looking pool. Keep in mind, some of the pools were so small, my nine foot rod was longer than the hole - much less including the length of my tippet.  No need to even let the fly line hit the water – which is a good tip anyway.
       The river snakes through some beautiful scenery. There were many small pools cascading over boulders and falls. We all picked a hole or two and worked them, but none of us had any luck – so we moved again.
This time we pulled in just a couple of miles outside of town. There is a large pullout with paths right to the water. There are even a couple of nice benches creek-side. I had my doubts about success because, if this area is easy for me to enter, it is easy for everybody else too, and the fishing could be difficult.
         I had changed my set up a bit. This time I used a different BWO mayfly above, with a light colored emerger nymph on the bottom. I had a hit on my first cast, and landed a small brown – not much larger than the size of my hand. I cast into that hole a few more times and moved downstream. I eventually caught up with Jason and Gage. Jason had not seen much action, but Gage had caught one.

         I spotted a place where there were a series of small rock and log dams that created small pools. The main river split around a section of land, creating an island of sorts. Gage had caught his fish near this divide, in a pool along the backside. It looked good, even though he had already fished the hole, so I gave it a try.
      The pool was at the base of another sheer cliff wall, completely in shade, and framed by a number of bushes and trees. I actually went to my knees to flip my line into the pool from under the branches. After just a couple of casts I had one on, and landed my third little brown trout of the morning.We only fished from about 8:00 in the morning until about 11:30, but I netted 3 fish, saw some great sights and had a good time.