Rocky Mountain National Park July 2-8

[Dalton Terrell]

T. Jones, Damon, Ziman and I have been planning on taking the annual national park trip since February with the destination set as Rocky Mountain National Park. We met up with the author of Fly FIshing Rocky Mountain National Park, Steve Schweitzer, at the Somerset Fly Fishing Show who sold us his book and gave us some pointers. T Jones and I put in a few hundred calls on March 1 to reserve our backcountry campsites, Trent's persistence paid off and we were rewarded with 2 nights on the East side of the park and three on the West. Fast forward a few months and we were frantically trying to get to the fly shop and REI for last minute gear before our early morning flights on July 1. We flew into Denver, rented our SUV and then went by REI and Orvis again to get fuel, food and more last minute flies. By 7pm, we had our tents set up in a family campground and had pulled a couple brookies from the nearby stream. 

The next day we were going to try to get used to the elevation and were able to meet up with a former Montgomery County resident who had retired to Fort Collins to fish a largish freestone creek with browns, brookies, cut bows and a few greenbacks thrown in. We all hooked a ton of 12" browns and 6-8" brookies, needless to say I'm not sure we will be able to fish the Gunpowder again.

Tuesday morning it was time to hit the trail for our backcountry portion on the east side of the park. It was a 7.5 mile brute of a hike with 2,000 ft of elevation gain, which crushed us all. On one of our breaks, this Kingfisher decided to see what we were up to, hanging out only 5 ft away.

Once we got settled in, it was time to fish our first alpine lake and catch the first Greenbacks. FIsh were rising steadily but it was hard to pay attention with the gorgeous back drop. We picked up quickly on the actions of cruising and rising fish to catch a few.

We settled in early the first night to get prepared for a three mile bush whack up 1000 more feet into an epic alpine lake. This lake sat close to the continental divide, above the tree line. In a few hours of fishing we began catching so many that we started experimenting with all types of flies to see what could work. Nearly all fish in the lake were 10-12", with nothing under 8" caught and only a few bigger than 12".

  

The next morning it was time to hike out and check out the watering holes of Boulder and take a well needed shower. Thursday morning we rolled out of Boulder to the Western side of the park with hopes of catching brookies and Colorado River Cutthroats. We hiked in a few miles and split up, with Damon and Trent hitting a creek and Ziman and I hitting a lake we found to be tough and silty. This is when the daily thunderstorm hit, but didn't stop after 5 minutes like it had in previous days, it continued into the night soaking us and all of our gear. The next morning we put our wet shoes back on, moved the tents and layed into more brookies. The first two days on the West, we caught mostly brookies, and did our part to help eradicate this Snakehead of the West. 

  

Sunday happened to be our last day in the park, with another long bush whack to a lake rumored to have huge Colorado River Cutthroats. This was probably true, but we had the humbling experience of a knee injury on the way up and fished for over two hours without landing a single fish. The lake did happen to be next to other lakes and a creek with large brookies. 

On the way back to camp, we made the call to pack up and turn our already tough day of bush whacking into a 12-mile bruiser. We made it out before dark just in time to put back a few soda pops and rocky mountain oysters.

It was a great trip amongst friends, I'd highly recommend taking a trip like this if you get a chance. Look out for more pictures and a report from Trent. 

Dalton

[Aaron O]

Hey Dalton,

 

I have to tell you that I have a new goal, to fish that park.  Those were unbelievable pictures and it sounded like a lot of fun.  Tiring but fun.  Look forward to reading more about it from Trent.   What size rods were you using for those brookies? 

 

Aaron

[Dalton Terrell]

Aaron,

Definitely a great time, and I recommend heading out there. If you start planning a trip out there, let us know and we can give you pointers. For rods, I took a 12' Tenkara (which wasn't actually used in the park at all for a few reasons) and a 9' 5wt. The streams tended to be similar in size to Shenandoah National Park with less cover, and I wouldn't have wanted anything less than a 5wt on the lakes with strong winds consistently blowing. I think the other guys each had a 3wt and 5wt, focusing on streams with the 3 and lakes with the 5.

Dalton

[Rob Pallace]

Question:
 
about a week ago I briefly spoke with a man out in front of a small shopping in center at the corner of Commonwealth Ave and Monroe Ave in the Delray neighborhood of Alexandria- the gentleman was getting into a Jeep after coming out of the dry cleaners and had a fly fishing sticker (might have been Scott Rods) on his vehicle. I asked him if he fished and he said he had just got back from a fly fishing trip to Rocky Mtn National Park.

I know it wasn't you Trent, but maybe another one of your adventure gang?
 
Great post by the way.  I will never be able to do that one since I cannot handle the high country climbing and hiking. Oh well..
 
Thanks
 
Rob Pallace
 

---

Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2012 07:52:27 -0700
From: daltonb...@gmail.com
To: tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com
Subject: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Rocky Mountain National Park July 2-8

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders" group.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/-/gf36Fu2uLJ4J.
To post to this group, send email to tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to tidal-potomac-fly-...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders?hl=en.

[Dalton Terrell]

It wasn't one of us, I do drive a Jeep but we just got back Tuesday night and my dry cleaner is in Arlington.

Dalton

On Friday, July 13, 2012 12:09:40 PM UTC-4, Rob wrote:

Question:
 
about a week ago I briefly spoke with a man out in front of a small shopping in center at the corner of Commonwealth Ave and Monroe Ave in the Delray neighborhood of Alexandria- the gentleman was getting into a Jeep after coming out of the dry cleaners and had a fly fishing sticker (might have been Scott Rods) on his vehicle. I asked him if he fished and he said he had just got back from a fly fishing trip to Rocky Mtn National Park.

I know it wasn't you Trent, but maybe another one of your adventure gang?
 
Great post by the way.  I will never be able to do that one since I cannot handle the high country climbing and hiking. Oh well..
 
Thanks
 
Rob Pallace
 

---

Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2012 07:52:27 -0700
From: daltonb...@gmail.com

To: tidal-potomac-fly-rodders@googlegroups.com

Subject: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Rocky Mountain National Park July 2-8

Aaron,

Definitely a great time, and I recommend heading out there. If you start planning a trip out there, let us know and we can give you pointers. For rods, I took a 12' Tenkara (which wasn't actually used in the park at all for a few reasons) and a 9' 5wt. The streams tended to be similar in size to Shenandoah National Park with less cover, and I wouldn't have wanted anything less than a 5wt on the lakes with strong winds consistently blowing. I think the other guys each had a 3wt and 5wt, focusing on streams with the 3 and lakes with the 5.

Dalton

On Thursday, July 12, 2012 10:09:31 AM UTC-4, Aaron O wrote:

Hey Dalton,

 

I have to tell you that I have a new goal, to fish that park.  Those were unbelievable pictures and it sounded like a lot of fun.  Tiring but fun.  Look forward to reading more about it from Trent.   What size rods were you using for those brookies? 

 

Aaron

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders" group.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/-/gf36Fu2uLJ4J.

To post to this group, send email to tidal-potomac-fly-rodders@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to tidal-potomac-fly-rodders+unsub...@googlegroups.com.

[Rob Pallace]

Thanks Dalton - sounds like an incredible trip though
 

---

Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2012 10:44:35 -0700
From: daltonb...@gmail.com
To: tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Rocky Mountain National Park July 2-8

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/-/9SpH-TjhgKoJ.
To post to this group, send email to tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to tidal-potomac-fly-...@googlegroups.com.

[Sandbox]

Great report and photos -- sounds like an incredible trip.  My buddy and I do a similar flyfishing/backpacking trip every September.  Given the limited time we can spare for a "mancation," we fly out west for a short, four-day "surgical strike," car-camping the first night like you did.  Then we hike in about 8-10 miles with all our gear (painful), set up a base camp, and try to scope out fishing spots off the beaten track where the fish are dumb enough to bite our poorly-presented flies.  So far it's worked like a charm.  We did RMNP 7-8 years ago, before we started incorporating flyfishing into the equation. The last few years we've focused on flyfishing and done Montana (Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness), Utah (High Uintas Wilderness), Idaho (Sawtooth Wilderness), and Colorado (Yellowstone, Weminuche Wilderness).  This year we're heading out to the Popo Agie Wilderness in Wyoming's Wind River range.  The trip's obviously one of the highlights of the year for us and we've got the routine down pretty good so that we use our limited time wisely and keep costs down.  If you're ever interested in more details on some of the routes we've done for your own future trips, just let me know and I'd be happy to share.  I'll try to post some pictures of this year's trip, assuming it's as successful as the past few years have been.

 

Congrats to you on a great trip and thanks again for sharing the report.

On Friday, July 13, 2012 2:06:28 PM UTC-4, Rob wrote:

Thanks Dalton - sounds like an incredible trip though
 

---

Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2012 10:44:35 -0700
From: daltonb...@gmail.com

To: tidal-potomac-fly-rodders@googlegroups.com

[Dalton Terrell]

Sandbox, 

I'm jealous, I've heard great things about the monster cutts in Wind River Range, as well as in Beartooth. I certainly have another one of these trips on the radar for next year, maybe with one of those locations in mind. Looking forward to your report.

Dalton 

[Ken]

Great report, I live an hour or so from RMNP and this just reminded me of all the backcountry lakes and streams I've been meaning to explore. Glad you had a great time, we've certainly had our share of issues with the fires and all.

Rob, while getting off the beaten path is certainly the preferred approach for fishing the park, there is also a lot of easy access with good fishing. If ever out this way, I'd be happy to point you to some of these options. Colorado has a lot of famous tailwaters that are easy to get to, which means fishing elbow to elbow much of the year. In the park, you can find remarkable solitude a few hundred yards from your car.

K

[Trent Jones]

[Trent Jones]

I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I took a whopping forty-six (46) pictures while we were in Colorado. I think that is less than 5 pictures a day, kind of odd given the copious amount of fish we caught and the absolute amazing country that we saw, but oh well.

I have been making annual pilgrimages to our nation’s national parks for the past 12 years or so, and the last 6 or 7 years I have been toting a fly rod. The fishing you can find by walking distance over rugged terrain and mountains can be insane. I have had some pretty epic days in Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Golden Trout wilderness, Isle Royal…..and now Rocky Mountain National Park.  Part of the difficulty in getting to some of these places is finding a person or persons that can handle striking out into the wilds for days at a time in search of unspoiled fisheries. Although altitude, weather, terrain, time off work, schedules,  and a myriad of other obstacles often conspire against a great trip, we managed to pull this one off.

The fish themselves (Greenback Cutthroats) were one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. The pictures do no justice. Some had absolutely electric green coloration on them so deep and metallic they looked fake….the green would often bleed into a crimson body or belly. The spots on the fish were enormous and concentrated towards the rear…they often had spotting similar to Yellowstone Cutts but the spots were huge and erreguallry shaped. 

The vitas were almost as impressive as the fish. Thirteen and fourteen thousand foot peaks formed the backbone of the continental divide which loomed above where we stood, complaining about shortness of breath. Numerous times I was thankful for treks I took earlier in the year to rugged trail-less streams in Shenandoah National Park, which served as minor training days for RMNP…oddly enough one of those trips was with Dalton and one with Damon…both of which were on this trip to CO…

We found ourselves fishing above tree line with snow close enough to make snowballs out of on more than one occasion. We saw huge local fauna like Big Horned Sheep, Elk, and Moose. And smaller verities like Pine Martin, Marmots, and Grouse.  Our trip was cut a little short by a spell of rain and a knee injury, but I saw and accomplished enough to call the trip a success and realize I want to go back in the near future. The entire area is wild and full of wildlife and mountains….

We caught Greenback Cutthroat, Colorado River Cutthroat, Browns and Brooks…may have even caught a few Cut-bows, but odd given no-one caught a single rainbow on the trip.

For anyone thinking of a trip to a park out west….do it! You will never forget it and you will love it…

I am jealous of your trip to the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Sandbox. I had spec’ed out a trip in 2008 to go in, but I was sidelined with a nasty sinus/ear infection when I came out of the Yellowstone….it’s still on the hit list!!! Keep us posted on this year’s trip.

Below are a couple pictures.

-Trent

[Trent Jones]

[Hendrick]

Dalton, I am in Boulder now after a trip through the Arkansas and Gunnison River valleys. I have a few weeks off from work, so I packed the car, drove out of my driveway in Alexandria, and landed at a friend's place in Boulder 39 hours later (quick stop in Mt. Vernon, IL for some shut eye). My friend and I fished Boulder Creek tonight where I landed four nice brookies and he a rainbow. I head to Rocky Mountain in the morning. Thanks for making me feel at home. You can tell that I a excited as it is 1:33 a.m. out here, and I am still wide awake. I head to Minnestota for a Boundary Waters trip where I hope walleye and maybe a lake trout or two hit the line.

Oh, and I am sorry that I missed the Beer Tie. I was fishing the Gunnison. Where I got skunked due to my poor trout-hunting skills and a great wash out due to rain. Either way, I need some tips for the trail-less streams of SNP.

Hendrick Booz

[Dalton Terrell]

Hendrick, that sounds like an epic road trip. Have fun in the park today and let us know how it goes.

For SNP off trail, we will definitely do a couple more trips early Spring next year before the growth gets too thick. I'll let you know when we go or I can give you some intel.

Dalton