Fraser River
Fraser River Fishing TripWhat do you do on a beautiful warm fall day? Why not do
what some of your fellow club members did. Terry Weverstad, Bill Cronin, Leland
Smith, Tom Caprio and I traveled to Grand County and fished the Colorado,
Williams Fork and Fraser Rivers on November 2nd. We all thought the
weather and fishing conditions were too good to pass up and therefore we went
fishing.
Some Brown Trout were still spawning and we knew it would
be a great time fish for them and the Rainbow Trout that follow Browns hoping to
feed on their eggs.
Terry fished the Colorado River while the remainder of us
hiked to the Williams Fork River. The Colorado River at this time of the year
is very easy to wade although you should pay attention to the slippery
conditions due to moss covered rocks. The flow rate on the Williams Fork was
approximately 120 CFS. In a matter of less than 30 minutes after our arrival on
the Williams Fork River, Tom had landed approximately 15 fish. Not to be out
done, Bill, Leland and I were also catching fish in no time at all. The fishing
remained consistent until we decided to leave after fishing the River for 3
hours. We owe our success on excellent stream conditions and using the
appropriate flies the fish were feeding on. We used the following flies in order
to keep us busy landing fish most of the morning hours: Egg patters as
attractors, and Buckskins (size 22) and RS-2’s (size 20-22) as the droppers.
After fishing the Colorado and Williams Fork River we decided to see what luck
we would have on the Fraser River.
Unfortunately, the Fraser River does not have convenient
access and it is necessary to hike in approximately 15 minutes from the
trailhead before you can begin fishing. The walk was worth the fishing
experience. Few people are inclined to walk 15 minutes to do some fishing and
therefore this stream is not heavily fished. Shortly after our arrival at the
stream, Tom and Leland began landing some fish. A short time later the fishing
slowed down. It remained slow until Terry noticed a hatch occurring; began
using a black RS-2 and caught a nice size Rainbow. After sharing his experience
with us as to the type of fly he used, we all began catching fish once again.
The hot flies for this river included the following: Egg Patterns, black RS-2’s
(size 22), and black JuJuBees (size 22). After a full day of fishing and some
walking we decided to call it a day by 4:00 P.M.
Overall, everyone had a great experience. The weather,
fishing, surroundings and fellowship were fantastic. It was a great experience
to get together with fellow club members who have a common interest and enjoy
the great scenery and fishing that Colorado has to offer.
Here’s hoping that many of you as club members take
advantage of the numerous club activities that the High Plains Drifters has to
offer. By doing so, it is an excellent way to increase your fishing skills,
learn more about fly fishing than you presently do, meet people with similar
interests and discover future fishing partners.
Hopefully the photos attached will wet your appetite and
desire to go fishing in the near future.
Tight Lines.
Ron Herro |
