Three Knots That Cover 95% of My South Platte Fishing
You don't need eight knots. The three I actually use — clinch, triple surgeon's, perfection loop — cover every connection from fly line to fly.
The journal · Page 7 of 13
Blog.
River guides, fly selection, and field notes from the South Platte. Written from the water, not a desk.
Page 7
151 posts · page 7 / 13
How to Find Blue Lines in Colorado
Nobody hands you a secret creek — that's the whole point. Here's how to read a map, pick water worth the hike, and fish small streams the right way.
A Long Time at the Vise — What's Actually on My Bench
A personal tour of my fly tying bench — the Renzetti, the Renomed scissors, the full Stonfo lineup, and why each piece ended up there.
Egg Patterns — When the Spawn Is On, This Is What's Eating Trout
Egg patterns rule the South Platte during brown spawn (Oct–Nov) and rainbow spawn (Mar–Apr). Otter's Egg, Y2K, dead-egg variants, and how to fish ethically.
San Juan Worm — The Pattern That Isn't Pretty But Catches South Platte Fish
The San Juan Worm is the unglamorous workhorse of South Platte tailwater nymphing. Red, pink, purple — when and why it earns the point spot on Deckers.
Reading Water on Deckers — Pocket Water vs Pool Tailouts
Where the fish actually hold at Deckers and why. A practical breakdown of pocket water vs pool tailouts — current seams, feeding lanes, and soft water.
Bow Hunting Made Me a Better Fly Fisher
What bow hunting elk, mule deer, and whitetail in Colorado taught me about wind, stillness, and the one-shot cast — and how it shows up on the South Platte.
Building a Fly Box for the South Platte — What's Actually in Mine
Most fly boxes are graveyards of flies that never get tied on. Here's what actually lives in mine — by section, by size, by why it earns the space.
Hardy Built a Reel Just for Streamer Fishing — the Averon
Hardy built the first fly reel made just for streamer fishing: the Averon Streamer, designed with Kelly Galloup. A first look at what a streamer reel needs.
C&F Universal System Review: The Lanyard and Chest Box I Carry on Small Water
C&F Design's Universal System, reviewed for real: the lanyard with magnetic fly patch plus the 9.6-oz CFA-830 chest box — the carry I fish on small water.
The Euro Nymph Box: What Actually Earns a Slot on the South Platte
The handful of euro nymphs that earn a slot in my South Platte box — Blowtorch, Perdigon, Frenchie and the rest — plus how I size them and fish them deep.
The Truck Kit — What Lives in My Rig Year-Round
The pack is what you walk to the river with. The truck kit is what lets you leave at 4 AM without thinking — the knives, the jacket, the leaders, the cigar.