Difficult sleep led to a late start this AM. Took me a while to find a stretch of the Eagle River but I wound up a little downstream from Beaver Creek. Moderate number of rises, gobs of hatches, flow was not too fast which made wading safe.
Lots of experimenting with local flies recommended but no takers. Went back to good old elk hair caddis with a dropper. BAM! 9 inch rainbow within minutes. Enough rises now to hunt specific fish. Another rainbow minutes later. Took the dry not the nymph. A number of knee-weakening biggies approached my fly but refused at the last instant, belly flashing, as if to taunt me about their girth.
Got a third rainbow on a nymph (nymphs never work unless they do). 15 inches, big fight, bigger smile on my face.
Nasty haze from Sylvan wildfire has made the area look more like LA. I'm spending the night on the BLM Coffee Pot service road. Tomorrow I might try another section of Eagle River or head North to the Flattops Wilderness area for alpine lake hike and fish.
Outstanding post! More pictures of river and where you decided to try. Beautiful site!
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