On a recent trip to the Roaring Fork and Frying Pan rivers near Carbondale, Co, we caught and released some really nice trout.
The pedestrian bridge over the Roaring Fork river near Basalt provides access to a great stretch of river upstream from the bridge. We each caught 14″-16″ brown trout on grasshopper flies. As we moved up the Frying Pan river towards Ruedi reservoir, we found some big rainbow trout feeding on ants under an overhanging spruce tree and caught some in the 15″ range. The return trip to Estes Park from Thomasville to Eagle was a beautiful but slow drive over an “almost” jeep road due to rutting from the rainy days earlier.
Back in Estes we can report good action above and below Lake Estes. Try the inlet late in the day with grasshopper flies for some big browns and below the dam and above Mall Road bridge for some big rainbows. Below the dam, fish your fly right along the bank in the big pools. We love grasshopper season. Avoid the mid-day crowds and guide trips by going really late…like 7PM.
Get more timely tips on our “Fish Tales” blog at https://www.anglerpocketguides.com/