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Man that’s the truth. Even our high mountain lakes are getting quite a bit more pressure but, that’s a really good thing that so many more people are enjoying these places too

Yessir. I traded a few lakes for a few with my guide friend. We’d been planning this one for 2 years, finally made it. A few of the fish were over 6lbs by the lxg/800, real nice and thanks for watching Dave!

Thanks buddy

Damn, so sorry to hear that. But that’s how these golden trout lakes fish sometimes isn’t it? I can remember a couple decades ago hiking half a day to a golden Lake and camping there only to find out that the lake looked like it was totally dead!

See you up there Dave!

And thanks so much for watching!

Many thanks to you Eugene! We love doing them

Yessir. They’re getting as big as they’ll get I imagine. Jess hooked into maybe 6-7 that were around 11-12” but barbless was tough for her with those feisty fish.

Sweet Jimmy! The Goldens in there have grown since last year and I saw some small fry too. This is encouraging since there were a few dead fingerlings. Great to motivate and thanks for watching and being a part of our small channel.

So awesome! I've been wanting to get up to some alpines but I don't know which ones are good, or fairly easy to get to haha. Looks like you guys had a great day!

@daveclark1904 Give me a shout by email Dave. I try and help everyone enjoy these lakes and promote a cleaner, more pristine environment for everyone to enjoy.

@@daveclark1904 Several books out there, as well as the website FishExplorer (it's worth the paid account), to get the info you seek. Ron Belak's "The Fishing Guide to 800 High Lakes in Colorado" is good too and he has an "updates" website (easy to find via a search) for newer info.

Thanks much! It was a stellar day

Sweet Dave, Give us a report on how the fishing was. Didn’t know they got that big in there!! Have a great trip

What’s really a shame is that these places are meant to be shared because it’s public lands - and people should explore. Not just buy a North Face hoodie with the logo on it and wear it around a mall. The more we share these places and make sure to steward them to more fly fishermen, the more we can know how they’re doing and take care of them. This isn’t a country club. So if I see you out in the FlatTops Wilderness 9 miles in fishing “MY lake”, I hope you’ll welcome me too

Thanks very much. We hope you come out and have a great time fishing! It’s been a stellar year for fly fishermen here

Sorry Omar for the late reply. My comments weren’t alerting me. I sure hope you had a great time and NO, a gun is never really necessary in the James Peak area. Let me know how your trip was! Thanks my friend

@@TroutSoup1 no worries! My comment was years after you posted the video, lol! I had a blast! Caught probably a dozen cutthroat - nothing bigger than 12 inches, but it was absolutely gorgeous.

@@OmarComin100 man I’m so glad to hear that! Congrats on a great trip

Yessir. Just on the north of town starting about 1/2 mile and going upstream. If you keep going, there’s SO much fishy water there!

Yessir. Have to in RMNP but not everywhere else though. Many times I’ll pinch my barbs down but leave them for my wife if we’re on the north Platte or somewhere like that

Thank you my friend!

It was indeed

The fishing is splendid. Look for some fall spinners (rusty mayflies in sizes 16-18) in the evenings. Early action around this time is definitely NOT early morning. So sleep in and get there around 10am and expect some tough presentations but worth the effort on the Frying Pan

The fish in this lake are unique in that they were feeding primarily on midges. Andres caught two very heavy fish on lures, which could have been reactionary since we didn’t see any small fish in there nor minnows. This was late July. There are some Rios in the Collegiates and also, the Sangre de Cristos according to the head fish biologists down there. Ironically, the only 100% pure strain Rios that remain don’t even come from the Rio Grande River. They inhabit headwaters area elsewhere in the state that I will not put on here. But in any case, these fish are somewhere between 90%-95% pure strains according to DNF biologists.

@@TroutSoup1 Thank you for the info and sharing your adventure. Such gorgeous fish! How old would you say they are?

@FlyTyer700 when we arrived at the lake, there was an old one who appeared to have died to old age or possible an animal. His head was the size you’d find on an 9-10 lb fish. So if that’s the size they can get in there, I’d say these fish were 5-7 years old possibly

@@TroutSoup1 Wow! That is amazing! Since you didn't catch or see anything small, do you believe that these fish successfully reproduce? What is average depth would you say? Thanks again!

@@FlyTyer700 Hmm, not sure about reproduction since they just finished up spawning when we went. It’s hard to say because I know the DOW stocks em in there… I’d say the deepest spot couldn’t be much more than 12-14ft although it’s hard to say since out in the deeper spots we couldn’t really tell. We did swim in it, and it was over 6’ just 15 feet off shore, but it didn’t seem like many of the really deep lakes we’ve visited where you could tell its depth.

You got that right!

Charles! Our pleasure my friend

True story. Some of these lakes like the ones we found in the Sangre de Cristos are the same way, despite them having moderately low pressure. I believe these lakes are true gems of our state! Thanks for your comment :()

Thank you very much!

Oh yes!

Much appreciated Tim!

Hope you get back too; Trappers is my favorite single lake of all time

Thanks very much!

I use a 7wt but 8 wt is better suited probably if you’re going to throw some of the larger streamers from 3”-6” long. That’s what I’d go with

Hey sorry for the long delay in reply. My notifications feed isn’t getting to me for some reason. Dream Lake is a heavily pressured spot. So unless you’re down to 6x or 7x tippet with a long leader and staying LOW to the fish, they’re probably spooking. I fish what tie so I always have something that looks different than store-bought flies too. So if you tie, try something a bit on the different side.

Your history has me mesmerized. I have the fondest memories of Trappers and that whole area; it’s quite literally the best place on earth IMO. I love it there and always will. Thanks for your comment here; I feel especially honored.

My family used to stay at the Cabins every summer for a week at a time. This one during the 80s mostly. I remember during that time the owner was named 'Red'. And his wife made Legendary Pies! Some of the most fond memories of my childhood was coming up to Trappers every summer

Hello, and thanks for writing in. Depends if you’re camping or a day trip. Setup for a day trip would be just one box of flies (prob caddis and some emergers and maybe a few small streamers (sizes 8-12) in black and brown), extra tippet and dry fly oil/spray and dry shake. Same for a camping trip except you might have a base camp with some extra rain gear and layers - dress in layers no matter the weather. Be safe around those rocks at Haiyaha and have fun

That’s about right

Much appreciate that Joseph!

Hey Rob, sorry I didn’t see your comment. Not sure why my notifications aren’t giving me the current feed… When you drive up the river, there are just a few spots where you can access by public easement down below. As you get to the middle and upper sections, there are some more spots but most of it is private unfortunately

Yessir, since we’re stabbing the fish in the face with a hook, we should make sure to take good care of em before release

Hey much appreciated John. Hope to see you out on the water!