[5th reel]

 i like takeing friends that really don't fish, to the big thompson canyon, to the dam we catch good trout many over 15in. these are kids so we use marshmellows and worms and we have alot of fun.
does anyone else know a good way to fish this river if i want to
leave the bait at home? i have a flypole but not alot of confidence
with it yet. i like to use lures but i would like to get a fish on the fly to.

 

[TroutFishingBear]

For lures by some 3 or 4" curly tail grubs and rig them on round jigheads. Bring both 1/8 and 1/4 oz. Sink them to the bottom and reel them in steadily, while barely ticking bottom. if that doesn't work, jig it back in with a lift, fall, pause, lift, fall, pause along the bottom. Curly tails work very well and are easy to learn to use. You lose quite a few of them but the fish makes it worth it, and how I buy the rig is about 70 cents apiece, losing 9 of those is equivalent to losing 1 rapala, and you catch just as many if not more fish on them. Hope this helps.

 

[OURAY]

Try using nymph patterns such as pheasant tails or prince nymphs. They always worked well for me while fishing the Thompson.

 

[scorpion_bsk]

I love the Big Thompson! My favorite, besides fly fishing, is the Kastmaster in green, yellow and orange with black spots pattern or the Kastmaster in purple, pink and white with black spots pattern. I also like to use nightcrawlers with a slip weight and a bead to stop the weight away from the hook.

 

[5th reel]

at 10:43am today i caught a rainbow 17in. out of the big T
using a orange glow in the dark rooster tail. this same lure has caught a brown, large mouth bass,and a crappie(all last year)
that what i call a multispecies lure. has anyone else tried this lure
it's the bright orange rooster tail with the glow in the dark spinner. the bass i caught on it last year was out of donath lake
i missed him the night before and caught him the next morning
and had him for lunch that day. i caught the trout today behind the cherry store in waders i could only fish for about 45 min.
but i had to fish today even a little.

 

[James]

The upper part of the Big Thompson is an artificiall fly and lure only, and catch and release only. I use anything small and gold. I've had luck w/ Thomas Rough Riders, and small (1/10) colorados. Try to run them diagonaly through pools, or just outside them. Also try rigging your rod w/ a bobble. Hook your line to one side. Get some tippet and tie to the other. Call either the Estes Angler or Kirk's fly shop. ask them what they're hitting on that day (they'll know). Pick up a couple of those flys, and tie that to the tippet, and you're set.