Colorado Trip

Colorado Trip '04

On Thursday July 8th, four of us left Georgia for a 1550 mile trek across 8 states to get to some prime fishing water in the Flattops Wilderness in the White River National Forest of Colorado. We camped for 3 nights on the Bear River flowing from Stillwater Reservoir near Yampa. Here we fished the river and caught Greenback Cutthroats, Browns, Rainbows and Brookies. Our camp was at 10600 feet and the air was noticeably thinner than at home. Weather could change very quickly and a temperature swing of 30+ degrees in an hour was not uncommon. Fly fishing was excellent here and the streams were full of eager fish.

We broke camp on Tuesday morning and drove over 40 miles of washboard dirt roads to Ripple Creek Lodge for our next stay. The lodge was very "rustic" to say the least. Our lighting was provided by gas lamps for most of our stay. Ripple Creek Lodge was in an excellent location though. It was only a short drive from both the White River and from Trappers Lake. The fishing on big water like the White was more challenging than before. Small water was where we excelled. Fish were plentiful and hungry for flies. Trappers Lake was perhaps the crown jewel of our trip. It was full of large cutthroat that, after a tremendous fighting effort, were all returned to the water. After 4 days on this side of the Flattops, we decided to answer the call for home and packed up for the 25 hour drive back to Georgia.


Bear River Brookie on 3wt.	Bear River Brown on 3wt.

Bear River	The boys at Stillwater Reservoir.

The boys waiting on dinner.	Me preparing dinner.

Camp dinner of fish and chips.	My first ever cutthroat on a 4wt.

TC and I hiked two miles from camp to fish Mosquito Lake. It definitely lived up to its name with clouds and clouds of the pesky buggers.	The meadow across the trail from Mosquito Lake had several beaver ponds absolutely crawling with wild, easily-spooked brookies.

Fat Mosquito Lake brookie.	Stillwater Reservoir as seen from the Mosquito Lake trail at sunset.

The valley of the Bear River.	TC's first ever trout on a fly rod.

TC's nice Bear River brown.	A double that TC and I landed from the same hole. The brookie is his, the brown is mine.

Me ready to fish the Bear River for the first time.	Nicely colored little cut from the Bear River.

Good stretch of water on the Bear.	More of the Bear River.

TC tying on another fly on the North Fork of the White River.	Float tubes are the way to go on Trappers Lake.

Our last day brought stormy weather. Not conducive to flyfishing, but overcast weather made the trout attack our spinners.	John proudly displays a brookie before storing it in the creel.

TC landed this 18" brookie. It regurgitated a 4" rainbow fingerling as it was fighting.	TC with an average sized cutthroat from Trappers Lake.

TC with another Trappers Lake cut.	Another cut for TC.

The average size of Trappers Lake cuts was 13-14".	Another very nicely colored cutthroat.

John and I fish a beaver pond for selective brookies.	A big beauty of a cut from Trappers Lake.

My nicest fish of the trip. 20" and about 3lbs.	I pulled this big beauty from a different lake. Notice how blood-red his gill-plates are.

Fat Trappers Lake cutthroat.	More cutthroat action on Trappers Lake.

Don't ask me why I look that way. I think I was asking a question when the camera went off.	A part of the Flattops overlooking Trappers Lake.

Trappers Lake scenery.	More from Trappers Lake.

Finger Rock on the way into Yampa.	Flattops as seen from the Bear River.

The view from camp at Stillwater.	Overlooking the Bear River.

Flattops at sunrise.	Typical meadow filled with wildflowers.

Our truck parked at our cabin at Ripple Creek Lodge. I won't be staying there again anytime soon.	Beautiful stand of aspens.

The Royal Hotel in Yampa where we went for showers and refreshments.	The most anticipated sign of the whole trip.