Hog Trout

[timberland]

Heading to Estes Park next summer for family trip. Have fished some of the park lakes and the Upper Thompson with good success with lots of fish up to 14\". Its great fun in the fast water and lakes because there\'s not a lot of that in WI. What we do have is large Browns and Rainbow/Steelhead.

Do 18\"+ fish exist in CO public waters? I\'ve seen private \"lakes\" with big fish for a fee. I\'m hoping someone will give up a secret spot and then forget they told me by next summer :shh: :lol: I would seriously consider a \"barter\" (no guide fees) for inside info from a local.

I don\'t really think anybody is going to show me \"THE SPOT\" but any info on fishing opportunities in the area would be great.

Do you have to fish the big rivers to find the big fish like the lower parts of the Thompson or Poudre?

 

[cnelk]

With the big flood waters the Poudre and Big T had last fall, the rivers suffered a major change in ecosystem.
What good fishing spots that were there have been changed. The fish are still there but you will have to find them.

If you really want a big fish I would try the Delaney Buttes lakes up near Walden.

 

[timberland]

Yep those are some dandy\'s coming outa there. What does the DOW say about the comeback of the thompson and poudre?

 

[cnelk]

Barry

Just like the Colorado Hunting Atlas, the CPW also has the Fishing Atlas.
It has tons of info that is very helpful too

<!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://ndismaps.nrel.colostate.edu/fishingatlas/\">http://ndismaps.nrel.colostate.edu/fishingatlas/</a><!-- m -->

 

[Tenderfoot]

There are plenty of trout in the thompson and Poudre that are over 22in.

This spring my neighbor (who is a fly fishing guide) showed me a picture on his phone of a 29 in trout that was caught in the lower thompson near Drake.

Said he was probably in a hole that no one could get to for the last few years and got washed out by the floods.

The floods definitely changed the fishing on both rivers. I don\'t think either will see too much Ill effect on the trout population after a couple of years.

I\'m no expert but I still catch plenty of fish in both.
[emoji106]

 

[Tenderfoot]

Timberland, I messaged you.

 

[Jaquomo]

The lower you go on the Thompson and Poudre, the bigger the fish. Has to do with the seasonal water temps and the biomass of food supply. There are true hogs in both rivers in some of the bigger holes. Every once in awhile somebody catches a double-digit fish in both rivers. I was the head Park Ranger and naturalist for Viestenz-Smith Mountain Park in the Thompson Canyon during the rebuilding after the \'79 flood. For a few years we had incredible fish growth in there, despite some local lore (and some DOW people) believing the fish and food had all been wiped out. 20\"+ fish were common. Then people figured it out and literally fished out the river in the catch-keep areas.

If you really want to catch hogs, go to Delaney Buttes. North lake is best for size, South and East for numbers with some very nice fish. 18\" fish are about average, extremely fat, and 20-30 fish days are not unusual if you figure them out. I had a great day in early June fishing midges 22\' down below a quick release bobber. Landed an 8\', 6\', a couple of 5\'s a bunch of 16-19\" fish, and had one solid 10\' fish at the net when it took off on a last run and my foreceps got into the fly reel (Yeah, I know...). A friend caught a 10\' and a 7.5\' that night stripping olive crawdad flies from shore.

 

[cnelk]

Here is an interesting article about the low trout population in the Big Thompson/St Vrain river eco system - due to the 2013 floods

<!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://www.coloradoan.com/longform/news/2014/10/27/trout-disappearing-from-rivers-following-2013-colorado-floods/18029579/\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">http://www.coloradoan.com/longform/news ... /18029579/</a><!-- m -->

 

[Baby Huey]

Delaney\'s hold the hogs...

 

[timberland]

In the midwest we have the Hexagenia Limbata Mayfly. In June this guy comes out of the mud when the sun sets for a couple hours, and the spinner falls can be immense. These are mayflies on roids, about 2\" wingspan and 3\" nose to tail. To try to tie an anatomically proportional one I would say its a size 1 or 2 at the smallest. So the order of the day is work, nap, and hit the river about 8 to be on a pool or run before the bugs start popping. If your lucky you can catch a few before total darkness sets in, because it\'s all sound fishing after that. Chasing the slurps with the deepest tones because in my mind a deep sounding rise comes from a big mouth. There is definitely luck involved trying to compete with thousands of flies and casting in front of, behind, and all around big fish. You set the hook on every rise because you have no idea where your fly is. And, on occasion, you are rewarded with a throbbing all the way to the cork as the fish tries to put a lot of open water between you or starts to grind his way to a log or undercut. Fishing lasts for about for a couple hours at most, so I\'m in bed between 11 and midnight. I\'ll do this for a week or two before the fish give up or I do.

This is about the only time of year to catch the biggest trout on a fly. A 5 wt and about a 5\' 3x leader. No finesse necessary.

Biggest this year has been 23\", have lost bigger and caught quite a few on either side of 20\". hard to take selfies in the dark but here\'s a few.

 

[F M]

Nice fish Barry. Sounds like fun fishing.

 

[iccyman001]

Nice fish :upthumb: