If you’re looking for some solitude on the river where you can fish pristine clear waters and clear you mind, the Clear Creek of the Arkansas River is an excellent place.  Though the fish count isn’t terribly high, there’s a good amount of brook trout in this river that are willing to take a dry fly with a good presentation.

Located just north of Buena Vista and south of Granite, the road up Clear Creek Reservoir is often used for camping and accessing the Colorado trail and other excellent hikes including some fourteeners.  Since there are so many other recreational activities in this area, the creek often gets overlooked.  The river isn’t going to make any top 10 lists for most, but the solitude and scenery and willing fish make it an excellent place to avoid the crowds, fish new water and hike along some rugged terrain.

You only need to bring your dry fly box.  A handful of royal coachmans, ant patterns, beetles, caddis, stoneflies and PMD’s will put fish to the net on this river.  If you’re struggling to catch them with an upstream cast and a drag-free drift, do the opposite.  Cast downstream and skate the fly upriver.  This entices the brook trout as good as any technique and will put a lot of fish to net.