Tenkara on the Rio Grande
Today, Karel from Tenkara on the Fly, Joe from Dragon Fly Fishing and I headed up to the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park to fish North Inlet Creek just above Grand Lake. I normally fish the east side of RMNP and haven’t been to the west side in years so today was a real treat. I not only got to go somewhere different, but the fishing, scenery, wildlife, and company were fantastic. Here’s my trip report…
The Creek
North Inlet Creek is a surprisingly diverse body of water that starts out near the parking lot as a slow, clear, meandering (almost spring-creek like) snake of a stream but then dramatically shape shifts into a wide variety of different forms including riffles, runs, pools, pocket water, and waterfalls. The further you hike up, you never really know what to expect around the next corner and I really liked the challenge of consistently having to read different water types.
The beauty of the creek is framed by gorgeous vistas of mountains and interesting rock formations. I should have taken more pictures as this one doesn’t really do it justice. But we were too focused on getting to the good water to take tourist photos.
The Fish
Karel was on a mission to catch some Colorado cutthroat on this trip. He thought he hooked one (because he saw the gold flash of a belly on one that got away) but none of us landed anything other than brook trout. It wasn’t a disappointment in my book because not only did we catch tons of brookies, but their colors were stunning! I love the dark backs and red spots circled in blue halos that these high country trout have. And they were pretty cooperative on a dark Kamikaze Kebari. So now, here are a bunch of fish pictures that all look exactly the same. Just be glad I didn’t post all of the 20+ fish I caught today (I know, it’s like baby pictures on Facebook)…
OK, enough. I think you get the idea.
The Animals
Besides fish, we had some great animal sightings. The first was fox I spotted on the drive in (didn’t have time to get the camera out). But early in our hike, we came across a garter snake. He was right on the trail, sunbathing between two rocks. I have to admit, for a second, potential mamushi kebari body material did cross my mind…
On the way back down, two large moose were just a few feet away from the trail munching on some trees. They were pretty docile, but still. They’re Moose! You can never be too careful so after snapping a few pics, we decided to literally take the high road and hike up and around them putting plenty of distance between us.
Little did we know, these would be only two of FIVE moose we would see along the trail. Every time I’ve been to the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park, I’ve seen maybe one or two moose, but never five. It was another first that just contributed to an already great day.
The Crew
Here’s a picture of Joe getting in the zone with his 12 ft. Tenkara USA Iwana:
Karel Lansky choosing his next round of ammunition during a brief lunch break:
Moi, using a…wait…WHAT? A VEST? Yep, that’s right. After several years of ditching the vest, I decided to don it once more as a reevaluation of my system. It was an interesting experiment and I’ll have a blog post soon about my findings.
After the almost “too-good-to-be-true” day I had with Paul Vertrees on a secret spring creek last weekend, I honestly wasn’t expecting another one so soon. These things tend to go in cycles. You have a great day, then get skunked, then have a mediocre day, then a good day again and the cycle continues its undulation. But today kind of broke the cycle. Either Ebisu (the Japanese patron of fishermen) is smiling down upon me lately or I’ve just got good karma. Whatever it is, I’ll take it. And I’ll take it with blisters on my feet and a smile on my face.
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Great write up and pics! Makes me want to move out west! Interested on your vest test…can’t wait for that post!
Hi Steve, you might be disappointed. My main critique is going to be how the color of the vest clashes with the color of the pants I’m wearing. You know how much I’m into streamside fashion.
Great shots !!!
Until I get to fish out there next year on vacation I’ll have read these articles, man what a gorgeous place you have in your backyard!
Beautiful scenery, brookies, and moose….what else could you ask for? Nice post Jason.
Those colours are amazing. I need to go out looking for some brookies when I get back to BC.
More cow bell.
Makes me wish I wear there; a great stream/creek, great scenery and the best of company. Thanks for posting this report. I see Karel was using a Sagiri, what rod did you use – the Ito?
Hi Thom, yes, I used the Ito.
Major win on the reply made me laugh! And great pics!
How was skinny was the water? I am planning to fish Tonawhoto (sp) in the next week or so.
David
Hi David,
The water was only skinny in places. But there were still lots of deep pools and pocket water. The stream just happens to have some very shallow stretches.
Hey Jason,
I’m really impressed with the color of those fish. Kayla and I are thinking about going to Colorado next year instead of Cali. With pictures like those it may be an easier decision than I thought. Oh, and I know how you feel about posting pictures. I always have a hard time picking and choosing.
Lance, of you come out here, I can take you to some gorgeous places. You definitely would regret it. If you want, let me know and let’s place something!
Great trip report Jasen!
Did you get a chance to check out Karels Sagari? Does the lack of cork make a diffrence?
Hi Gavin, it was only a matter of time before someone asked me that and I will be completely honest about it. Yes, I did cast it. I could cast it fine, but in my opinion, it was too short to really get any benefit from having a fixed line. It was definitely light, but for me, the grip was way too thin. It wasn’t slippery or anything, I just didn’t like it. I had to wrap too much of my hand around it and my fingers overlapped making it somewhat of a struggle to grip the rod in a position that I’m comfortable with. Everyone has their opinion and I suspect that many will disagree with mine. I might even disagree with mine in the future but for right now, longer 13 ft. rods with a real cork grip suit me perfectly so I have no reason to change (unless someone gives me one).
Beautiful looking fish Jason! I used to catch them all the time on the east coast. I have yet to catch one in California tho 🙁
Jason, as always, a brilliant story! I read with great pleasure!
Love to read your right ups of this area. I am fairly new to the world of fly fishing and was curious as to which inlet trail you would recommend for catching these gorgeous brookies? I’ve read a bit about the North Inlet and the East Inlet trails and you seem to favor the North Inlet. Just curious how far in you hike on the North Inlet trail to get to good fishing water?
Hey Brady,
I don’t know exactly how long the hike was, but it was more than I wanted it to be. And all uphill. Maybe 2 miles? I know it doesn’t sound that far but try doing it in waders with slippery, stiff wading boots. I guess it was worth it. But next time, I’d skip the waders altogether and just wear my hiking shoes and wet wade. Not much need to cross the creek and the hike up warrants more comfort than the fishing.
Thanks Jason. Can you recommend any other small streams/creaks in and around that area? I have access to a cabin in Grand Lake so I’m looking to capitalize on the local waters up there. Also, curious if you can recommend any small streams/creaks in and around the front range worth trying? I live in the Parker area so Deckers is closest to me but am open to new things. Thanks
Hi Brady. I live in Parker too. I usually fish Bear Creek or Clear creek since they’re fairly close. As for the West side of the park, I’ve only fished there a few times so I don’t know the area too well. But, I remember having some great fishing on the Colorado River along Trail Ridge Road. It’s not the Colorado River you’d normally picture–it’s really a small stream up there. Watch out for moose.
Thanks Jason. Small world that’s for sure. I have been eyeing Bear Creek and Clear Creek. Since I am so green to fly fishing, I guess it’s a little intimidating. For Bear Creek, which area/access point do you go in at? Lair of the bear? I’ve been trying to do recon on both Bear/Clear creek and would love some suggestions. I’ve been told for Clear Creek to fish between tunnels 2-5 (Clear Creek Canyon).
I’ve only been fly fishing a few times but am now addicted. I am a teacher so I get a few random days off that I’m hoping to capitalize on when I can. The thought of catching a trophy Rainbow or Brown excites me. However, catching a plethora of Brookies to hone my skills is much more appealing.
Hi Brady, I usually fish Lair O’ the Bear. But I’ve fished it above and below that. Unfortunately, they closed off a bunch of access points downstream so the Lair will probably give you the most fishable water. On Clear Creek, pretty much any pull off is good but at least get a good mile or two outside of Golden.
Hmm
..may have to take a day and do this trip.
Thanks for sharing! Love Brookies! And it’s only a hop skip and a jump away!