When I write about high mountain fishing, I'm generally talking about a hiking trip that involves fishing. In this case, you can drive up for a day or car camp for a night. This trip is all about easy access.
Saturday my son Mitchell and I fly fished the South Fork of the South Platte River along Weston Pass. Weston Pass Road is several miles south of Fairplay on Hwy 285 and the pass is 16 miles west. The first two thirds of the drive is through an area of private land. You have reached the general area when you reach the well marked Rich Creek Trail Head.
Let me be clear: I don't believe there is any chance of catching a big fish. And, you won't actually be fishing the creek for the most part. What you will find, from this point to just below the pass, is a series of beaver ponds. The lower ponds tend to hold brook trout and the upper ponds hold cutthroat.
These small ponds hold bunches of fish that can be hard to catch in some of the ponds and easy in others. We found that the cutthroats are a little less skittish and more aggressive. This is a great trip for a beginner fly fisherman or young kids. Try fishing on top with an ant pattern or adams. Drop an gray emerger behind it.
Enjoy.
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