Colorado Fishing Suggestions

[7br]

I will be accompanying my son on a Boy Scout Camp at Ben Delatour Colorado. There is a private lake on the scout ranch stocked with Rainbow Trout. I am a flat lander with absolutely no experience with fly rods or trout.

My thoughts were to use an ultralight rod with some small spinners.

My sister suggested floating a fly with a floating leader and clear bobber.

Any ideas on fly patterns, spinners, or any other suggestions?

This will be a catch and release proposition.

[fourarmed]

My experience with those stocked lakes is that the trout run 8 to 10 inches long, so you want the smallest spinners you can cast. I like the inlines. Since you will be releasing instead of eating, I won't suggest Berkeley Power Bait on a #12 (smaller if you can find them) treble hook with a very small bobber. Good luck.

[mparks]

I would grab a cheap fly rod combo. The fun would be catching rising trout to dry flies to me.

I've never tried the clear bobbers but that would work if you had to use a spinning rod. You could also pickup some size 6-8 Wolly Buggers and use enough split-shot so you could cast them. I'd bend down the barbs on everything, especially spinners if you use them as the harder strikes might get the hooks deeper in the mouth.

[klausg]

7br-
You'll probably catch more fish with the ultralight, have more fun with a fly rod, particularily once you get the hang of it. For flies 10-14 elk hair caddis, Royal Wulff, and humpies are my favorite dries. For wets just about any nymph pattern will work, go slightly larger try bitch creek, wooly buggers, pheasant tails.

Any small spinner/spoon will work, I like Rooster Tails, but that is just personal preference. I generally had better luck in the high country with brass blades as opposed to silver. Good luck

-Klaus

[KCSO]

A spin cast outfit with small Mepp's spinneres will do the job. They make a TROUT PAC that has 5 of the best in it and that should do the trick. Otherwise a small hook and a nightcrawler will probably do better than anything.

[C1PNR]

Mepps are good, Rooster Tails are good, and don't overlook the Panther Martins. I've had very good luck with the Panther Martins for trout in mountain lakes.

And I second the motion on crimping the barbs if it's catch and release. Just keep a tight line on the retrieve and you wont lose too many fish.

[waksupi]

My best producing lures over the years, have been Bitch Creek spinners, in green and brown, and Panther Martins, in yellow.