Posted By: Flags
Back From the High Country Part 2 - 07/08/18 02:57 PM
Ignoring Pass Creek is a really bad idea because it is absolutely loaded with brook trout. These are sort of like the bluegills of the trout family since they always bite and you can always catch a bunch of them but they never seem to get really big. An 11 inch fish of either species is a really good fish. They are also really pretty. I use a 00 MEPPS spinner in silver for creeks like this and it always works. All in all I took more than 150 brookies while I was there all out of that little stream.
In addition to being really pretty, brookies are also great to eat. Since they also are prone to overpopulating and then becoming stunted I never have an issue with keeping some. As a matter of fact the state of CO allows anglers to keep a bonus limit of brookies under 8 inches in length in addition to the regular trout limit. So these have a date with the frying pan:
It was very dry in CO this year and the state had 14 forest fires burning while I was there but none were near me. I was pretty happy to see some storm clouds move in because we needed some rain. These made for a very wet afternoon.
I spent several days fishing a lake called Monarch. Actually I didn't fish the lake itself but there is a nice creek flowing out of it and the beavers dammed it up below Monarch and made a huge pond. The creek continues down to Granby Reservoir and it is the beaver pond I always fish.
This pond has a really good population of several trout species and is always really good to me. I fished it several days and ended up with a total of 17 good rainbows, the biggest about 3 lbs.
A also got into a fair number of browns (10 or so) up to 2 lbs or so. The browns in this pond are pretty good looking fish and the biggest one I have ever taken there weight 7 1/2 pounds but I didn't get anything nearly that big this time.
I took one nice Colorado River Cutthroat from the pond as well. Cutts are getting hard to find in CO so I always handled them gently and get them back in the water. Notice the red along the gills and under the chin. That is where the name cutthroat comes from.
A also took a couple nice brookies and several lake trout of about 3 lbs from the beaver pond but for some unknown reason I never too photos of them. Dummy!
When I was headed home I drove past these good looking dudes. All 3 were bucks in velvet with one being a really good buck. They are on public land less than 50 yards from the road. I saw a lot of deer and moose on this trip but never did see an elk in the high country which was unusual since I was in good elk country and normally see them.
So that is what I have been doing. Cheers Y'all!
In addition to being really pretty, brookies are also great to eat. Since they also are prone to overpopulating and then becoming stunted I never have an issue with keeping some. As a matter of fact the state of CO allows anglers to keep a bonus limit of brookies under 8 inches in length in addition to the regular trout limit. So these have a date with the frying pan:
It was very dry in CO this year and the state had 14 forest fires burning while I was there but none were near me. I was pretty happy to see some storm clouds move in because we needed some rain. These made for a very wet afternoon.
I spent several days fishing a lake called Monarch. Actually I didn't fish the lake itself but there is a nice creek flowing out of it and the beavers dammed it up below Monarch and made a huge pond. The creek continues down to Granby Reservoir and it is the beaver pond I always fish.
This pond has a really good population of several trout species and is always really good to me. I fished it several days and ended up with a total of 17 good rainbows, the biggest about 3 lbs.
A also got into a fair number of browns (10 or so) up to 2 lbs or so. The browns in this pond are pretty good looking fish and the biggest one I have ever taken there weight 7 1/2 pounds but I didn't get anything nearly that big this time.
I took one nice Colorado River Cutthroat from the pond as well. Cutts are getting hard to find in CO so I always handled them gently and get them back in the water. Notice the red along the gills and under the chin. That is where the name cutthroat comes from.
A also took a couple nice brookies and several lake trout of about 3 lbs from the beaver pond but for some unknown reason I never too photos of them. Dummy!
When I was headed home I drove past these good looking dudes. All 3 were bucks in velvet with one being a really good buck. They are on public land less than 50 yards from the road. I saw a lot of deer and moose on this trip but never did see an elk in the high country which was unusual since I was in good elk country and normally see them.
So that is what I have been doing. Cheers Y'all!