Field NotesWhen to Walk Away: Summer Water Temps and the Fish You Don't Catch
Warm water kills trout you release. Here's how I read summer water temps on the South Platte and when I'd rather drive home than cook a fish.
Rocky Drift Co. — Colorado Tailwater
Blog.
River guides, fly selection, and field notes from the South Platte — written from the water, not a desk.
Latest from the river
Dog Days: When the Water's Too Warm, I Go Up
Late August on the South Platte cooks the lower water. Here's the move I make instead — up to cold high-country creeks. Easier on me, easier on the fish.
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Field Notes
Gear ReviewEuro Rod vs Indicator-Nymph Rod: Why They're Not the Same Tool
Both fish nymphs and both run ~10 feet — but a euro rod and an indicator-nymph rod are built for opposite jobs. How they differ, when to fish each, and why I went euro-primary.
Gear ReviewHow a Bamboo Fly Rod Is Actually Made
What really goes into a split-cane fly rod — from a culm of Tonkin bamboo to a finished hex blank: splitting, planing, heat-treating, and why it takes over 100 hours.
Gear ReviewWhy Your Flies Cost Twice What They Used To
Trout flies held near $2 for twenty-five years. Now they're $3–$4.50 and climbing. Here's the actual reason — tariffs on hand-tied imports — and what it changes at the counter.
Gear ReviewHow Many Fly Rods Do You Really Need?
The honest 1-rod, 2-rod, and 3-rod trout quiver logic, what each adds, then my five-rod pile as the cautionary tale — a practical guide for tailwater and small-stream anglers.
Fly GuideThe Chubby Chernobyl: My Summer Attractor and Dry-Dropper Anchor
How I fish the Chubby Chernobyl on the South Platte — a foam attractor that doubles as a summer searching dry and a dry-dropper anchor, plus the sizes and colors I trust.
Gear ReviewWhat Is Tonkin Cane — and Why Every Bamboo Rod Depends on One Chinese River
Why nearly every bamboo fly rod is built from one species of bamboo grown in a single small region of China — and what makes Tonkin cane the only stuff that works.
Gear ReviewFly Rod Action Explained: Fast vs Medium vs Slow
What fly rod action actually means — where a rod bends, how fast it recovers, and which action (fast, medium, or slow) is right for your fishing and your casting.
Field NotesGuiding the Arkansas at Pueblo: A Conversation with Anthony Jimenez
Pueblo guide Anthony Jimenez of Tailwater Outfitters on the fall mouse hatch, his three-fly rig, and why anglers overspend on rods instead of fly line.
Fly GuidePheasant Tail Nymph: Sizes, Variations, and When to Fish It
The Pheasant Tail Nymph is one of the most effective trout flies ever tied. Learn sizes, key variations, and exactly when to dead-drift it on Colorado tailwaters.
Field NotesWhy I Started Chasing Blue Lines
Tailwaters taught me to fish. Blue lines reminded me why I love it. The pull of small, off-map creeks — wild trout, no crowds, a 3-weight, and the finding that's half the point.
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