Fall in Colorado means cooler nights, changing leaves, and trout that are on the move. It’s streamer season — a time when big fish often show themselves, and when a single fly choice can make the difference between a slow day and a story you’ll tell all year.
As we anticipate the change in seasons, we asked the Anglers All crew to share their favorite fall streamer and a memorable day on the water. Here’s what they had to say:
Esa – Micro Dungeon
“It was one of those slow flat-water days at an alpine lake here in Colorado,” Esa recalls. “The cruising cutthroat were being extra picky and I had gone through at least a dozen dry-dropper combinations with only refusals to show for it. I looked into my box for a magical answer and found a lone Micro Dungeon in white.
On the very first cast, as the streamer fluttered over the drop-off, the fish of the year came charging up from the depths to chase it into the shallows. I kept stripping but just ran out of room! I spent the next four hours trying to get that big lake monster to show itself again. I never saw him again.” Buy this fly —--> HERE
Kat – Thin Mint
For Kat, it was a high-water, off-color day on Bear Creek.
“I had fished a few runs with a dry-heavy dropper and caught a couple of fish, but I just didn’t feel like I was getting deep enough,” she said. “Fishing a glass 3-weight, I felt a little limited, but decided to try a small Thin Mint. With its heavy beadhead, I knew it would get deeper.
On my very first cast upstream into a deeper run I went tight immediately — a nice brown! Over the next hour, I landed five or six more streamer eaters. It turned into one of my best days of the year.” Add some Thin Mints to your box —> HERE
Blake – Make It Rainbow
Sometimes the best fish come when you least expect it. Last fall, Blake pulled over on the lower Colorado to take a break from a long drive.
“I rigged my 4-weight trout spey rod with a sinking 5-and-5 MOW tip and a Make It Rainbow streamer in black,” he said. “I walked down to a familiar run and swung the fly through some perfect, walking-speed water without a single bump. On the way back to the truck, I noticed a little side channel and decided to give it a shot.
The water wasn’t great for swinging, so I ended up stripping the fly to give it movement. On the third or fourth pass, the line went tight and I hooked into a really nice cuttbow. Landing it in a shallow riffle downstream with an 11-foot, 3-inch rod was a challenge — but with the fish in the net and a few photos taken, I got back on the road and headed home.” Buy the Make It Rainbow —> HERE
Ryan – Freshwater Clouser
“I was recently fishing one of my favorite high-country creeks. I came around a corner and was surprised to see a new beaver dam that wasn’t there the year before. The long, wide riffle was now filling up at the bottom end, flooding the adjacent banks and willows.
Thinking about how to prospect this new feature in the creek, I grabbed an olive Freshwater Clouser, on a size 8 hook. Standing where the riffle began to slow into the newly deepening pool, I swung the little Clouser through that transition zone and immediately felt an electric strike as the line went tight. By the time I left that spot, there was nothing left on the hook but the eyes and a whisp of bucktail– but the fish didn’t seem to mind.” Add the Freshwater Clouser to your cart now —> HERE
Ben – Complex Twist Bugger
Ben’s story isn’t necessarily about catching a fish, his first streamer, or one that got away. It’s about the first time he ever fished a streamer that was more productive than dries and nymphs.
“I was fishing in South Park, and it was a relatively slow day. Maybe a couple here and there. I was bored and switched to a white Complex Twist Bugger. The first fish probably swam 8 feet from the undercut bank and destroyed the fly. After that, it was constant.
It was the first time I realized that streamer fishing can be just as productive, and in some cases, more productive than anything else. It sparked a deep dive to sinking lines, weighted and unweighted streamers, fly actions and movements, presentations, and fish behavior.” AND The Complex Twist is our Fly Of The Month!
Jeff – Mini Johnson
"While on a family camping trip back home in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, my brother, brother-in-law, and I embarked on a short, post-dinner fishing session on the Au Train River. I was the only one with a fly rod. The rigging-up portion quickly turned into a barrage of comments from the other two about how “hair and feathers” wouldn’t work and how silly fly fishing is. I selected my go-to streamer, Chad Johnson’s Mini Johnson.
On about my third or fourth cast, a large shadow appeared under my fly, and they both watched as a substantial smallmouth aggressively attacked it. I set the hook and laughed at them for the next three days. My brother is now an avid fly angler." Buy this fly —-> HERE
Get Out There This Fall
Streamer fishing in the fall is about more than just chasing big fish — it’s about exploring, experimenting, and discovering confidence patterns that work for you. While the patterns mentioned here have earned a spot in our team’s fly boxes, we carry a great selection of streamers. So stop by the fly shop in Littleton or Denver to find your new fall favorite. Then get out there on the water, and let’s hear your story!
