The journal · Page 4 of 13

Blog.

River guides, fly selection, and field notes from the South Platte. Written from the water, not a desk.

Page 4

151 posts · page 4 / 13

A tin of OROS screw-on strike indicators — six XS Soft-Lock foam balls in orange, pink, and white, lid reading '6 Strike Indicators' (product photo: OROS)

Strike Indicators Explained — Types, Depth, and the One I Actually Fish

Yarn, Thingamabobbers, foam, screw-ons, dry-dropper — every strike indicator type with honest pros and cons, plus how to set depth on a South Platte run.

August 31, 202614 min read

A hand-planed bamboo blank with red and black thread wraps, a white-winged dry fly hooked on the snake guide and yellow fly line running off over a mossy rock and shallow moving water (photo: Headwaters Bamboo)

Best Bamboo Fly Rods of 2026 — From $500 to Heirloom

The best bamboo fly rods you can actually buy new in 2026 — from the $500 Headwaters that punches way above its price to heirloom cane from Winston, Orvis, and Oyster.

August 28, 202627 min read

Mid-cast on a South Platte canyon run under ponderosa and red rock, the rod loaded and fly line arcing overhead — the feel of a rod under load is exactly what changes between graphite, glass, and cane.

Fiberglass vs Graphite vs Bamboo: Three Feels for Trout

Graphite, glass, and bamboo aren't three versions of the same rod — they're three personalities. How each is built, how it actually feels to cast, and when to fish it.

August 26, 202615 min read

Knee-deep on a Colorado tailwater under a bluebird winter sky, my rod bent deep into a running fish with the net already in hand — the moment the reel's startup inertia either protects the tippet or pops it.

What Is Reel Startup Inertia (and Why It Matters on Light Tippet)?

Startup inertia is the fly-reel spec nobody explains — and the one that actually protects light tippet when a trout runs. What it is, the physics, and why it beats max drag.

August 21, 202611 min read

A male Trico Spinner tied on a fine dry-fly hook — black thread body, spent white poly wing, three long pale tails (photo: Umpqua)

Fishing 7X on Flat Water: The Trico Presentation

Leader build, the reach cast, s-curves in the last 18 inches, and landing a trout on 0.004-inch tippet — the presentation half of South Platte Trico fishing.

August 19, 202612 min read

A Flying Cinnamon Ant — two-segment cinnamon and brown body, white poly wing and brown hackle collar (photo: Colorado Fly Supply)

Cinnamon Ant Fly Guide: South Platte Terrestrial Season

Cinnamon ants are deadly on the South Platte from late June through September. Learn sizes, materials, rigging, and where to fish them at Deckers and Cheesman Canyon.

August 17, 202613 min read

Looking straight down the blonde cane of my bamboo rod, red thread wraps at the ferrule station and the tip section extended low over a clear, weed-green South Platte run.

How to Care for a Bamboo Fly Rod (Without Babying It)

A practical guide to bamboo fly rod care — break-in, drying, heat, storage, and ferrules — and the two things that actually kill good cane.

August 17, 20269 min read

A Front Range tailwater below a reservoir dam in green-cottonwood season — clear water over cobble, shelves and inside bends, the daylight version of the water you fish in the dark

Mousing for Brown Trout: Fishing a Mouse After Dark on the Arkansas at Pueblo

When to mouse for Colorado brown trout, why the technique works after dark, and the honest access and water-temperature limits on the Arkansas tailwater below Pueblo Reservoir.

August 14, 202619 min read

A Battle Beetle — black foam shell over a black dubbed body, rubber legs and a bright orange sighter post (photo: Colorado Fly Supply)

Beetle Fishing the South Platte: Summer Tactics

Foam beetle patterns produce big South Platte trout all summer. Learn sizes, colors, presentations, and when to fish beetles at Deckers and Cheesman Canyon.

August 12, 202612 min read

An Indicator Spinner Trico — black segmented body, grizzly hackle and a white foam post that lets you track a #22 fly on glassy water (photo: Colorado Fly Supply)

Trico Hatch Timing on the South Platte: How the Morning Runs

First light to 10:30 a.m. — when the spinner fall actually lands, how to read the rise so you know the stage, and what to fish once it quits.

August 10, 202610 min read

The Dream Stream under a hard blue midday sky — thin, low water spread wide over an exposed rock bar, a bald treeless hill rising straight out of the far bank, old homestead cabins on the slope, and no shade anywhere on the river

Colorado's Drought Summer: The Flow Was Fine the Whole Time

Nine weeks of Dream Stream gauge readings from this site's own hatch reports. The flow never dropped, and the river went on the closure list anyway.

August 6, 202617 min read

A tan Chubby Chernobyl — layered foam body, white poly wing, glitter rubber legs and a pink flash tail (photo: Colorado Fly Supply)

Chubby Chernobyl Dropper Fly Guide: South Platte Tactics

How to fish a Chubby Chernobyl dropper rig on the South Platte in late summer — fly selection, sizing, tippet setup, and where to target trout.

August 5, 202611 min read