10/12/12 Clear Creek at Georgetown

10/12/12
Clear Creek at Georgetown
Flows 45
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Another trip to the mountains means another stop at Georgetown!  Flows are super low but the browns are stacked up nicely.  Even though it was a Friday, I did see 4 other fisherman, and a guide with 2 clients. 

The guide and his 2 clients were up at the deep pool behind the culvert, so I stayed downstream and fished the fast water all the way to the bridge and managed quite a few fish!  Bead eggs were still the favorite with a size 4 mm orange trailed by a red copper john.  Both were taking fish, with most interested in the egg.

I did get stopped by a DOW officer who was checking licenses and was happy to see him!  This little stretch gets hit pretty hard and since it is not a C&R only piece of water, it gets harvested pretty hard too.  Glad to see him out and about checking licenses and limits.

I only fished for about and hour, but caught probably 20+ fish!

Again, the hot flies were bead eggs and copper johns.  Since I only fished for about an hour, I never did change my rig up, but I'm sure similar patterns will still produce!

10/09/12 Clear Creek at Georgetown

10/09/12
Clear Creek at Georgetown
4:00 - 6:00 PM

Cooler temps means fall is in the air!  And as the cooler temps settle in, the browns start staging for their spawning run!

Clear Creek is my go to place to catch fall browns.  They move up out of the Georgetown Lake and into Clear Creek and tend to congregate here for spawning activity.

Last year, I made it here much earlier than this year so I was happy to see lots of browns stacked up under the bridge and up in the deep pool behind the apartments.  The water is way lower than it was last year, but I don't think that has stopped the browns from making their run up.  Numbers look to be about the same as last year, but that's just from eyeballing and I have no empirical data to back that.

It was relatively busy; I saw 3 cars in the parking lot, but this short little stretch can get fished out quickly when you have a fisherman at every bend and run.  Luckily, there wasn't anybody at the deep pool when I arrived, but 2 guys were fishing under the bridge and another downstream.

I rigged up with a 4 mm orange bead egg, followed by a hare's ear and red copper john.

I had hits on all three patterns, with most taking either the bead egg or copper john.  Weird since the hare's ear was the preferred pattern last year.  No need for a lot of weight, just a little to get your rig down if you aren't running tungsten beadheads.

Lots of fish were between the 12-16 in. range with one or 2 pushing 17 and maybe a  long and skinny 18 incher.

Be careful of the redds, fish are already starting to stake their spots on the gravel beds in preparation for spawning.  Avoid walking through them

Also, be careful and try not to snag the fish.  They are stacked in there tight, and they are eating aggressively so watch your indicator carefully and look for true takes and not the slight wiggle from your flies and tippet brushing up against the fish.

09/15/12 Clear Creek Golden to Blackhawk

09/15/12
Clear Creek Above Golden
12:30 PM - 2:30 PM

I only had a few hours so I thought I'd run up and see how Clear Creek has been doing!  I hadn't been there in a while, and the last time I was there, I only fished between tunnel 1 and 2.  This time, I decided to head up further and try to fish past tunnel 3.

I'm glad I did, since almost every parking spot and pull out was full of cars!  I didn't really see anybody fishing, but lots of people were hiking or climbing in the canyon.

I decided to give my new Scott A4 4 weight 10 ft rod a try since it would be the perfect rod to get some good drifts since Clear Creek isn't very wide.  I rigged up a 3 fly rig with soft hackle pheasant tail, a hare's ear, and a WD40.

2 casts in, and fish on!

A nice little brownie that took my hare's ear.  I managed to catch fish on all 3 flies and they were all brownies except for 1 rainbow that managed to squirm out of my hand before I could snap a picture.

Nothing super big, but still fun nonetheless.  After making my way upstream, I decided to switch up my flies and try a dry dropper rig.  Fish still continued to take the hare's ear and WD40, but none wanted anything to do with a stimulator, foam hopper, or even an elk hair caddis.  It probably didn't help that I was fishing during the hottest part of the day!

In any case, it was a fun few hours and not a bad drive to catch a good dozen fish.  Lots of hungry fish and flows are low and clear!

06/14/12 Clear Creek below Georgetown

06/14/12
Clear Creek below Georgetown
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Flows: 99

I didn't have time to drive all the way to Silverthorne and I also didn't have enough time to properly fish!  So a quick trip up to Clear Creek should satisfy my fishing itch.

The flows have been going up and down with warm temps driving some snow melt into Clear Creek.  The water is still very clear, and especially below Georgetown Lake.  A lot of the runs where fish lie during lower flows are blown out, but fish are feeding in the riffles and in the pocket water just below the dam.

Nothing too big, but plenty of fun on a 3 wt.  Just be careful right below the dam.  Lots of the logs and rocks are shifting or moving with the higher flows. 

Fish were taking red micro san juans, size 18 pheasant tails, and rainbow warriors.  I also had a few take a two bit hooker and a red copper john.  Mayflies are on the menu, but I didn't see any fish rising.

Fishing is good, so get out to the Creek.  Bring your 3 wt and you can turn a couple hours of down time into some great fishing!  This little stretch doesn't see many people so you have a great shot at some hungry fish and not seeing another person!

 

06/08/12 Clear Creek at Georgetown

06/08/12
Clear Creek at Georgetown
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Flows 119

Flows are up since the last time I stopped by Clear Creek, and the fishing is better!  The water is a little off color, but the fish are on the feed.

Decent fish for clear creek all between 8-12 inchers.

Fish were in the deeper slots and not as active in the riffles, mainly sticking to the heads of runs.

Here's a brownie that took a rainbow warrior.

I worked my way down to the inlet and picked up fish all along the way...near the bridge, at the bend, at the inlet...

This was a nice little side trip and it was good to see the flows up and the fish more active.  The last time I was here, the water was low and fishing was relatively slow compared to when the browns were spawning, but now the fish are moving and eating making this a great stop for some quick fishing!

Hot flies were guide's choice hare's ears, rainbow warriors, and a grey biot midge.

04/05/12 Clear Creek at Georgetown

04/05/12
Clear Creek at Georgetown
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

On my way home from the mountains, I figured I'd stop and check out Clear Creek at Georgetown.  The inlet fished incredibly well in the fall and I was hoping that there were still some spawning rainbows up in the creek.

To my disappointment, the flows were super low and it wasn't likely that any fish were able to make it up in to the creek to spawn.

I was able to catch quite a few fish, but nothing of size.  Lots and lots of stocker sized fish willing to hit any fly that was put in their face.  Bead eggs, pheasant tails, copper johns, anything drifting by got a look, of not a taste.

It was a fun hour of non-stop catching, and I even managed a little brookie that took a bead egg.  I fished up from the diversion all the way to the inlet with fish holding in every pool or bend that looked fishy.

Although the fishing was good, if I was going to make a drive up to the mountains, I think hitting the Eagle or the Blue for a chance at bigger fish is a better idea.  However, if I were happened to be skunked up the hill, this would be a great spot to stop and get that skunk off my back!

Clear Creek at Georgetown 11/07/11

No solid lid of ice yet, and there is still open water at the inlet with good fishing available...

Fishing is still good with nymphs and egg patterns. Size of the fish has dropped, I suspect that people have been taking the larger fish.

I know fishing to spawning fish is quite controversial, so please practice catch and release and there is no need to play the fish to exhaustion. I fish with a 5x leader and 6x tippet and I've had no problem bringing fish in quickly and releasing them.

When I arrived today at noon, there was nobody there, but people started filling up the parking area by 2:00. EVERYBODY was fishing close to the bridge and quite a few people were snagging. One guy even had the nerve to show me what he was using to catch fish...2 bare lead head jig hook. He asked me how the fishing was upstream and I replied good...I should have said terrible because he made his way up there to snag some more fish and run them back to his car. He only caught two and moved back to the bridge saying it was easier to fish off the bridge.

Anyways...it's going to happen at most fisheries with close access to Denver and decent fishing... do what you can to educate others and if someone is knowingly breaking the law, call the DOW's operation game theft line.

No pictures, since I just got a go pro and was playing with that, enjoy the little video! I know the resolution is terrible...I gotta figure out a way to make the editing software to save in high res.



I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it back to Georgetown before it all ices up, but I'll be fishing the Arkansas below Pueblo around Thanksgiving as well as the Blue River in Silverthorne. Keep your eyes peeled for those fishing reports.

10/15/11 - 10/16/11 Weekend on Clear Creek

I had a hall pass for the weekend to get out a fish! I wasn't going to waste the chance so I decided to hit up Clear Creek again. The browns are running strong now and stacked up in every pool from the inlet, all the way upstream. They are especially stacked along the sandbar at the inlet as well, looking for their opportunity to make it upstream to spawn.

I know I've been fishing Clear Creek in Georgetown a lot recently, but with how good the fishing is, why not? I do like exploring new waters and fishing in different places, but considering the relatively short drive, I'd rather be catching than fishing. So, I think I'll continue to fish here until the spawning run ends and I start visiting my winter haunts. (Arkansas below Pueblo, Blue River) Also, since we have a newborn in the house, it's hard to find time to schedule trips to places further away so I think sticking to what's working makes my fishing trips worthwhile!



The browns were again, very eager to eat. You can see in the picture below the fly that this one took. A hare's ear, size 16. This was the favorite of the brownie's, I ended up going through 3 of them on Saturday since they were getting so beat up.



Copper john's were also a consistent producer. I think size is more important than color. They seem to like the copper colors a lot, but I even caught quite a few on green and reds as well. Another gentleman that was fishing there was also using a blue body prince nymph that was also producing for him, but again, I think it's more the size rather than color or variety. Just about any nymph will work, but stick to a size 16 or 18.



The bows were also hitting, but not as much as the brownies were. The lake was stocked 2 weeks ago, and there are still plenty of stocker bows around munching on eggs and the occasional nymph. But they really haven't made their way upstream. If you are looking for stocker bows, fish the sandbar and bridge hole.





Brookies are also in there, I lost a huge one trying to land it, but I managed another a few casts later...no where near the size of the other, but it was cool getting a Clear Creek Grand Slam again.



Egg patterns are still the to go to and it's the lead fly in my rig. To be honest, all different colors are working, pink, orange, cerise, and yellow. One of the female brownies decided to let loose with some eggs on me and when I saw their color, I switched to a yellow egg that also produced.



Although I like using a an egg pattern like otter eggs, regular egg patterns are also producing. Vary the size and color a bit until you find what they are keying in on. It does change quite a bit, and there are periods where they will ignore eggs completely, but change it up and you will start catching fish again.

This weekend was the busiest that I've seen it. People are everywhere so please use a bit if etiquette when fishing; I had a lady cross my line 3 times as she saw that I was catching fish in my hole when she could have cast upstream to fish a great hole just in front if her! I was polite as I untangled or lines, and I think she was new to fishing so a little compassion was warranted, but if you see someone fishing a hole or run, give them some space; or ask if you can fish above or below them. There isn't much room to fish, but there are plenty of runs and holes that the fish are stacked up in. Just be polite, say hello and talk to your fellow fishermen, and don't just fish the same hole that someone else is fishing. Not only is it rude, but it's a hassle untangling lines. There's lots of fish in there! Just find your spot!

10/07/11 Clear Creek

Another day fishing the Georgetown area.

Yes...I know, I've been fishing there a lot, but why not! The fish are biting and it's a relatively quick drive.

I started up at the inlet since the browns have been stacking really heavily.  The spawn is on, but there are plenty of fish ready to eat and plenty of bows around there too.



I started the day with a standard rig for the area, an egg pattern with hare's ear dropped behind it. Thingamabobber about 4 ft. up. I immediately got hits on both the egg and the hare's ear, with some really nice browns and an occasional bow.



Right around 11:00, the water started getting cloudy, looks like they were doing stream improvements upstream around Silver Plume. The bite turned off quickly so I decided to hoof it down stream and fish below the dam. Turns out it was a great way to get back on the fish and explore the water downstream a little more. If you've never fished down here, give it shot when the inlet is busy or if you are looking for a change of scenery.









Although fish are smaller than the big spawning browns, it's pretty consistent with plenty of pools to fish and if you're agile, rock hopping and dropping your nymphs inbetween the rock pools will produce plenty of fish. Just be careful down there, the rocks are slick and everytime I fish down there, I haven't seen another person.

I finished the day at around 3:00, after moving back upstream to check if the water had cleared up. Luckily it had so I nymphed a little more with a hare's ear and lightning bug. Again, both produced, but it seemed like the browns like the hare's ear and the bows like the lightning bug.



After a while, I saw lots of fish rising, so I threw on a small elk hare caddis picking up some small bows and a bonus that completed my day!



Even though it was small, this brookie made it a Clear Creek grand slam for me.

I finally left at around 4:00 when the river was getting muddy again. I'm not sure when the work that is muddying up the creek is gonna end, but the fishing is good between the muddy runs and you can always head down stream until it clears up. Although it looks like winter has set in with all this snow over the weekend, there's still plenty of fishing and willing fish at Georgetown. Get out there before it all starts icing up and the ice fisherman and ice racers take over the lake!

10/01/11 Clear Creek/Lake Georgetown

10/01/11
Clear Creek and Georgetown Inlet
Flows: 49
Time: 9:00 AM - 11:30

Falll is great fishing and great scenery! Get out of town and check out the leaves in the high country and get on some browns! Although Lake Georgetown isn't that far out of town, it's still a decent drive with some cool scenery that is close to Denver.

The key to fishing here is to try something different. When I arrived at 9:00 AM, I saw 5 cars already parked near the foot bridge and 5 more closer to the inlet. By the time I left, a few more people had showed up making it the busiest I've seen for the past few weekends.

So how do you fish differently than everybody there? Egg patterns are the go to during the fall spawning runs, but don't limit yourself to eggs. Throwing an omelet rig (2 or 3 egg patterns) can produce, but not in the numbers that you would think. Use bigger, or smaller patterns, and different colors. Try some pink, red or cerise eggs instead of the fl. orange or idaho cheese. Move up to a larger egg size, or milking egg patterns. An egg pattern that produced very well for me was a smaller sized otter's egg. These fish have had size 12 egg patterns thrown in their face all day long, so trying something different will entice a bite.

Don't forget that these fish are also still eating their regular diets. Nymphs and midges are the mainstay of their diets so don't forget your prince nymphs, copper johns, etc...My biggest brown came on a size 20 wire midge.

The most important thing to keep an eye on is your indicator.  These fish are smart and have seen it all so when they take, it can be very subtle and they quickly spit out flies.  The minute your indicator pauses, wiggles, or dips, set that hook.  There aren't that many snags here so 9 times out of 10, it's a fish.  Also, try a large hopper as an indicator.  You'd be surprised how often a fish will come out of the blue and just slam your hopper! 

Fishing heavily pressured water is a challenge, but can be a lot of fun when you figure out what the fish are taking...just because everybody is using it, doesn't mean it's catching fish. Also remember that fisherman lie! When someone says he's caught a few, it usually means he's caught 1. Stay away from the busy areas and move around! The bait dunkers will stick around the inlet and the foot bridge where these fish have seen it all. Move upstream or the left side of the inlet.

The fishing is great right now, fish are stacked and sight fishing is great. Just remember that these browns are naturally reproducing in this fishery, so try to avoid taking them. There are plenty of stocker bows to take home for dinner if you feel so inclined. Also, stay off the redds. With the flows low and clear, there is plenty of area to walk and fish without the need to get in or stay in the water.

I think we are just at the peak here with lots of fish making the move to spawn, and of course, with it comes lots of fisherman.  Respect others, there's trash cans there for used up leaders and tippet and smile as you pull fish after fish out of the very same hole another fisherman just vacated because he couldn't catch anything!