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North Clear Creek of the Rio Grande River Fishing Information
Lower Section - near Creede, CO
North Clear Creek is a river that when I was exploring this region, I almost overlooked. It really doesn’t look very fishable. Heavy cover on the sides of the river make casting near impossible and the deep pools make wading through the river not possible. However, with a little persistence, there are some excellent fishing opportunities here for brown trout, rainbows and brook trout. Though I have not found any cutthroat, I do not doubt they are present in the river so it is a place where the grand slam is possible in a single river, which is rare in most places in CO these days.
The lower section is a higher gradient river from the confluence of south clear creek up to the north clear creek falls. There is ample camping and for the adventurous angler, the fishing down here on this section can be fantastic. This isn’t a place recommended for beginners or for the casual angler as getting good casts is difficult, accessing the river is difficult, and it can be downright dangerous working water like this when you are over 2 hrs away from the nearest anything. This kind of remoteness however, is a very exciting place to fish if you’re up for the challenge and while the fish don’t get much bigger than 14”, they are eager to eat a fly if it gets in the river without getting hung up and they fight like 18” fish. The trout are hungry and eagerly take flies, but a smaller rod under 7ft will really help you make casts and set hooks without losing flies.
There is an eerie nature to this river and lots of wildlife is present. With the remoteness of this river, we suggest bringing bear spray and a hand gun if you have one to be safe in this wilderness. We have had visitors to the dispersed camp sites at night, and it reminds you in a place like this, that you are an outlier in this raw nature. Don’t let all this scare you, however, we want to set reasonable expectations, but at the same time, if you’re looking for a great adventure, this is a spot to go. Not only is this river worth the drive, but anyway you get here, you pass over half a dozen rivers and creeks that are also worth the journey. If you have 4+ days to fish, this area, during summer is an incredible place to explore and reminds you of what Colorado was back 50 years ago.
Summer, after June, is the best time to be out here. The weather is most cooperative and the night times are very tolerable. Bring plenty of water and food and supplies and explore what this great area has to offer. South clear creek, upper sections of north clear creek, spring creek up 149 and mesa creek all are additional places to explore as much of this area is national forest and public. Many places explored will leave you away from anyone and it’s likely some of these areas don’t get fished for years on end if you get out and bushwack.
We found the fly selection to be the easy part and the fish not terribly picky. Though they were insect, and color specific, they weren’t very concerned about the size or pattern as long as you were in the right ball park. If you see caddis, pick your favorite caddis and match the color of the naturals and you should be fine. A dry dropper is a killer way to fish if you are up for the challenge of 2 flies in this deep of brush. You can fish a single dry or an emerger behind and do great too. Just match what you see hatching as the insect life on this river was prolific. Green drakes, stoneflies, and pmd’s are often seen all in the same day.
Our recommendation is to use a dry dropper rig that matches the hatch on top and an attractor nymph on bottom like a rainbow warrior, or lightning bug etc. Sizes for both dries and nymphs will range from #10 – #18. Bring plenty of floatant and dry dust as the river is turbulent and drowns flies often.
Fish: Many Small-Sized Fish
Popularity: Low
Difficulty: Hard
Accessibility: Medium
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
Located in the Rio Grande River Basin near Creede, 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.
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.
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
Green Drakes: June to August
Colors: Olive/Green
Sizes: #8 - #14
Trico Mayflies: Mid July to Mid September
Colors: Black, White, Grey
Sizes: #18 - #26
Mahogany Dun: September to October
Colors: Red, Brown
Sizes: #10 - #16
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)
Little Black Stone: January to May during warm sunny days.
Colors: Black, Grey
Sizes: #16 - #20
Golden Stone: June to August
Colors: Yellow, Tan
Sizes: #8 - #14
Yellow Sally Stonefly: Mid June to August
Colors: Yellow, Tan
Sizes: #12 - #18
Salmonfly: Mid May to Mid July
Colors: Orange, Red, Brown
Sizes: #6 - #14
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.
We found the fly selection to be the easy part and the fish not terribly picky. Though they were insect, and color specific, they weren’t very concerned about the size or pattern as long as you were in the right ball park. If you see caddis, pick your favorite caddis and match the color of the naturals and you should be fine. A dry dropper is a killer way to fish if you are up for the challenge of 2 flies in this deep of brush. You can fish a single dry or an emerger behind and do great too. Just match what you see hatching as the insect life on this river was prolific. Green drakes, stoneflies, and pmd’s are often seen all in the same day.
Our recommendation is to use a dry dropper rig that matches the hatch on top and an attractor nymph on bottom like a rainbow warrior, or lightning bug etc. Sizes for both dries and nymphs will range from #10 – #18. Bring plenty of floatant and dry dust as the river is turbulent and drowns flies often.
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.
Our fly assortments make fly selection easy. We take our entomology knowledge and years of fly fishing experience on these rivers to bring you the right fly patterns, including the correct colors, sizes and quantities to set you up for success. A good selection of flies will prepare you properly for anything the trout may be eating on the river and our fly assortments are specifically curated to maximize your success. Take a look at the assortments we provide below and add one to your box today. Use coupon code AST50 for $50 off and free shipping on these as well, just to help make fly fishing a little more affordable!
Click on any of the pictures to see what flies, colors and sizes we recommend in each assortment.
North Clear Creek of the Rio Grande River Access Map
View our access map for the North Clear Creek of the Rio Grande River and learn public and private access points as well as other notable features around fly fishing this river. We include headwater and confluence data and in an effort to not "hotspot" river access points that are better than others, we list every access point available. This serves two purposes. First, it keeps us from hotspotting, which is just showing the best spots and bringing unwanted and harmful attention to the specific access point. The second reason is while we want to help you catch fish and find great places to explore, we don't want to spell it all out for you. If you get it all spelled out, we're doing the exploring, not you. Missing out on the journey of exploring places to fly fish is one of the more enjoyable aspects of fly fishing. While not everyone has time to go explore everything in person, we provide some of the top level data to help you know if something is worth your time, then pass it off to you to explore and find your own adventure. Now enjoy the info, if you're on this page then this river is worth exploring! Go out and find some memories.
North Clear Creek of the Rio Grande River 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.