Halfmoon creek is a gem of a river.  It’s scenic, easy to access, and while it can get a bit crowded with campers, there is usually ample fishing opportunities available and it isn’t hard to find your own stretch of water unless your there memorial or labor day weekends.  I found you can catch the grand slam in this river with Rainbows, Browns, Cutbows, Cutthroat and Brook trout present in the river.  I almost, ALMOST got lucky when fishing this river and it’s a great story.  I set up a dry dropper and started on a nice looking bend, and first cast caught a 10” rainbow.  Second cast, I caught a 12” brown trout.  Third cast I caught a 8” brook trout.  I knew this fourth cast was fated for a cutthroat so I walked up to the top of the hole and before I cast I saw a 14” trout sitting in the prime lie and I went for it.  He came up for the dry, but a dang 8” rainbow ate my nymph before he got to the dry!  I almost achieved a once in a lifetime 4/4 casts for a grand slam.  I tried and hooked the cutthroat later for the grand slam, but to have almost done it in my first 4 consecutive casts would have been an incredible story to tell.

All that to say the river is quite productive, fun and in the earlier months (April to June) a small-medium flowing river giving you lots of opportunity to dry dropper or single dry fly fish.  Great for beginners and kids, it’s an easy place to fish and a good place to camp, though it can get a bit crowded.  The upper reaches are bike in, hike in only and more suitable for solitude or a day fishing with your unruly pup.  Enjoy the miles of river and extremely scenic landscape as you fish the creek that flows from the continental divide and the tallest mountain in the state including several other 13k and 14k’ers.  Dispersed and paid campgrounds are available.  The paid campgrounds need reservations I believe, but I never mess with those places so google it up yourself if that’s your jam.

Note that I fished this in early June during runoff conditions for most of the state and it still fished great.  This is one of the few spots (like Willow Creek on the Colorado) that fishes better when in “runoff” like conditions and has some low water issues later in the year.