The best flies for spring are #16-20 red or black midges, egg patterns (4 mm and apricot in color), streamers (#8-10 black, tan, olive, or natural), and small olive or brown #18-22 Baetis imitations. Drys and nymphs are effective, but imitating the subsurface foods is the best approach.

During summer there is a wide variety of food for these fish, starting in May with the caddis. Subsurface patterns include #16 green Graphic Caddis, #16-18 Buckskins, or dubbed-body green caddis larva and pupa imitations. Size 18-20 dark brown and tan caddis catch fish on the surface. But keep in mind, trout rarely bite if the fly is bigger than the natural food source. There are four main insects during the summer: Pale Morning Duns, Blue-winged Olives, Tricos, and caddis. Fish these flies dry and wet for both migratory and resident river trout. Productive nymph and emerger patterns include #18-20 Johnny Flashes, Flashback Barr Emergers, Mercury Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns, and #18-22 Flashback Pheasant Tails.

In the fall, the fly selection varies because more insects are on the water and the migratory trout are mostly browns with more aggressive tendencies than the spring rainbows, cuttbows, and cutthroats. The best imitations resemble larger mayflies available in the deeper water. Two primary patterns are Copper Johns (#16-20) and tan stonefly nymphs (#16-18). Streamers also work well on overcast days when brown trout shed their inhibitions and venture out from underwater structure to feed. Tan, natural, black, or olive streamers such as Zonkers, rabbit-strip leeches, and Slumpbusters can be deadly under cloudy skies. You should also come to the river with egg patterns and an assortment of mayfly nymphs and scuds, which are abundant during the fall.

Winter is not as challenging on the Dream Stream as on other Colorado tailwaters. The key ingredients on these cold days are tiny midges. Matching color is also important, as they range from red and black to olive and cream. For top-water action, Griffith’s Gnats (#20-24) or dark midge drys work best when fish are rising to adults on bright warm days. While approaching these trout in clear water can be a challenge, selecting the right fly for the job is not. Midges are the only aquatic insects active year-round on the Dream Stream.

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Landon Mayer is a guide and author of How to Catch the Biggest Trout of Your Life (Wild River Press, Spring 2007). He lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

This article originally appeared in the May 2007 issue of Fly Fisherman.

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