Clear Creek is an excellent place for beginners both because of the number of fish you can catch and how accessible and close it is for everyone to access. Parallel to I-70 from Georgetown to Idaho Springs, Clear creek has over 20 miles of fishable waters containing brown and rainbow trout. There are some brook and cutthroat trout but the majority of fish are browns and rainbows. Due to excessive mining, the insect life suffers causing the fish to get no larger than 15” in most places in this section. Most fish will be in the 5” to 13” range. What they lack in size, they make up for in number. It’s not impossible to catch over 50 fish in a day on this section. With a good presentation and a dry-dropper rig, you can slay fish after fish. Pocket water makes up the majority of the river, but there are some notable pools and runs that can hold fish as well. Don’t overlook any rock or holding water as they often contain a fish willing to attack your dry fly as soon as it hits the water.
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Clear Creek Fishing Information
Upper Section - near Georgetown, CO
- Fish: Many Small-Sized Fish
- Popularity: Medium
- Difficulty: Easy
- Accessibility: Easy
- Best Techniques: Dries & Nymphs
- Best Seasons: Spring - Fall
- River Type: Small Freestone
- Fish Types: Rainbow Trout, Cutbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Brook Trout
- Dog Friendly: Yes but Leashed
Located in the South Platte River Basin near Georgetown, CO
Fishable Seasons & Current Weather
The best seasons to fish this river are Spring - Fall. See the current weather reports for the next 5-6 days listed below for the nearest city.
George Town
77°
few clouds
humidity: 94%
wind: 3mph ENE
H 79 • L 78
86°
Sun
86°
Mon
86°
Tue
84°
Wed
Weather from OpenWeatherMap
Hatch Charts
Knowing what flies to use is only have the battle. You have to know when the insects are active on the water and when it's likely the trout are feeding on them. Refer to our hatch charts below to understand when the insect categories and some of the possible hatches on the river.
Midge Hatches
Midges hatch year round, but their importance is from September through winter into April. During the warmer months, the trout often focus on larger insects as they are more active on the water like mayflies, caddis and stoneflies.
- Colors: Black, White, Gray, Cream, Olive, Red, Brown, Blue, and Purple
- Sizes: #16 - #24
Mayfly Hatches
Aside from Blue wing olives, mayflies are active most commonly from May to August in Colorado. There are many different mayfly hatches found on most rivers and the most common are listed below.
- Blue Wing Olive: September throut winter to April
- Colors: Green/Olive
- Sizes: #16-24
- Pale Morning Dun: June to Mid September
- Colors: White, Yellow
- Sizes: #14 - #20
Caddis Hatches
Caddis hatch starting early in May and continue to the end of October.
- Colors: Olive, Green, Yellow, Tan, Orange, Brown and Black.
- Sizes: #10 - #20
Stonefly Hatches
We have some great stonefly hatches in Colorado and while not all rivers carry all species of salmonflies, you can often fish stonefly adult patterns with confidence from May to September. Start off in bigger sizes and get smaller till September hits (size 8 - 16)
- Yellow Sally Stonefly: Mid June to August
- Colors: Yellow, Tan
- Sizes: #12 - #18
Terrestrial Activity
Terrestrials don't hatch since they are out of the water, but they can have importance starting in Mid April and ending in September.
- Ant Patterns: Mid April - September
- Colors: Black, Tan, Red, Brown
- Sizes: #14 - #18
- Beetles: May to September
- Colors: Black, Blue, Purple
- Sizes: #14 - #18
- Hoppers: June to September
- Colors: Tan, Yellow, Olive, Red, Pink, Purple
- Sizes: #8 -#16
- Flying Ants: Mid August to Mid September
- Colors: Red, Black
- Sizes: #14 - #18
Clear Creek Flies
These are the the top flies we sell for this river. Use the hatch chart above to know what flies you will want to have in your fly box during your adventure on the river and then select the flies here 30 days before your trip to get them at a great price. All of our flies are hand tied to each order to ensure quality and to keep our prices low for you.
Click on a fly below to select a size and color for purchase.
Top Assortments
If you need an easier solution than selecting each fly and size, try out our top fly assortments for this river that will put all the flies you need in a single order for this river. We've already selected the flies we use in our fly box for this river including the sizes and colors and put them in these assortments so you can fish with the confidence that you have the right flies in your box.
Click on any of the pictures to see what flies, colors and sizes we recommend in each assortment.
Clear Creek Access Map
Clear Creek Tips & Resources
Use these epic resources to get ready for your adventure. Whether you're planning your trip, learning your insects, improving your fishing with expert tips or getting detailed resources from the USGS streamflows or DoW, we got you covered to help you find the river and find the success you want.