Colton McLaren went from fishing with his grandpa and high school buddies to cutting his teeth as a guide on the North Platte at Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming, after a stint at Sweetwater Travel's guide school in Montana. Today he guides the Upper Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park for Kirk's Fly Shop out of Grand Lake, and lives a few minutes from one of Colorado's best-known tailwaters. In Episode 143 we got technical, and Colton laid out a system any trout angler can steal: how he builds a triple nymph rig, how he fishes Mysis shrimp below a dam, and how he breaks down a big, intimidating freestone river on foot.
The Triple Nymph Rig That Carries the Upper Colorado
Colton fishes a lot of dry dropper on the Colorado in summer, a Chubby Chernobyl or a caddis up top with a Pat's Rubber Legs or Pheasant Tail underneath. But when things slow down, he reaches for the triple nymph rig, and he calls it the ticket on that river most of the time.
His go-to order, top to bottom:
- Pat's Rubber Legs as the heavy, buggy lead fly
- A baetis nymph or midge larva in the middle
- An RS2 emerger on the bottom
He sets it to fish roughly four to five feet deep, with a BB or #4 split shot just above the rubber legs to punch through the current. The logic is simple: the big fly gets attention and adds weight, and the two small bugs match what trout are actually eating day to day. If the dries go quiet, he says, pull out the nymph rig and you can always pluck a couple.
Fishing Mysis Shrimp on a Colorado Tailwater
Colton lives in Silverthorne, right on the Blue River below Dillon Reservoir, the stretch locals jokingly call the "troutlets" because it runs past the outlet mall. The rainbows there get huge for one reason: Mysis shrimp flushed out of the bottom of the dam. It is a constant protein source, and fish in the high 20s are not unusual. The Taylor and the Frying Pan are Colorado's other famous Mysis fisheries.
The insight that stuck with me: the two common styles of Mysis patterns imitate two different things.
- Marabou (white, fluffy) Mysis imitates live shrimp. Fish these right below the dam, where the shrimp are fresh.
- Clear epoxy or UV-resin Mysis imitates dead shrimp. Fish these farther downstream, where most of the shrimp have died by the time they drift down.
His tailwater rig is another double or triple: a Mysis as the point fly (the attractor), then a baetis or midges below, think Black Beauty, Miracle Midge, or Mercury Midge. Tailwater fish are pressured and lazy, barely opening their mouths, so he sight-fishes deep pools and inside seams and drifts the rig again and again until it ticks right past the fish's nose. A small split shot is still needed; even at 50 cfs, the gradient on the Blue moves water fast.
On indicators, he uses small cork indicators in half-inch to three-quarter-inch sizes, but admits his best days on the Blue come with no indicator at all. That is not euro nymphing on a mono rig. It is old-school tight-line nymphing with a standard fly line and nine-foot leader, keeping things tight and lifting slightly at the end of every drift to feel for a touch. One more tip: if you head to the Frying Pan, skip the crowded Toilet Bowl and fish the miles of public water below it.
How to Wade a Big Freestone River
Plenty of anglers look at the Upper Colorado and assume it is float-only. Colton says it is a great wade fishery if you approach it the right way:
- Find slack water first. Look for braids and side channels disconnected from the main stem. They turn an overwhelming river into approachable water.
- Fish the edges before the middle. In summer flows of 2,000 to 3,000 cfs, trout will not sit in the whitewater burning energy. Colton says most of his fish come from the first few feet off the bank, with browns tucked under undercut banks.
- Don't rig before you see the river. Freestones change daily: BWOs one day, baetis the next, nothing but midge larva the day after. Turn over a rock and look before you commit. Your first few casts are often your best shot at the fish of the day.
- Have a plan before you hook up. Start fishing near a slack pocket, a log, or a boulder seam so you can use side pressure to steer a fish out of the current and into the net.
- Wade safely. Colton, at 28, still carries a wading staff and recommends cleats. They are not just for older anglers.
Guiding Philosophy: Ask What the Day Is For
What I appreciated most was how Colton guides. Instead of locking a client into the one rig that catches numbers, he asks what they want: twenty fish on nymphs, a couple of hard-earned dry fly eats, or one big streamer fish. For families, the goal might just be getting kids into fish while making sure they learn something along the way. That mindset works for your own days on the water too. Decide what you want from the day, then fish accordingly.
Gear
If you want to dial in the rigging side of this, our Tips and Tricks for Fly Fishing eBook covers nymph rigs, leaders, and knots. For sight-fishing tailwaters like the Blue, a brimmed hat helps cut glare so you can actually see the fish you're targeting; our Five Panel Cap does the job. For Mysis patterns, small cork indicators, split shot, and a wading staff, stop by your local fly shop. They'll know which Mysis is working on their tailwater this week.
