Exploring New Creeks Before Work: A Tenkara Fishing Morning in Colorado

Sometimes the best fishing sessions happen before the rest of the world wakes up. There's something deeply satisfying about squeezing in a few hours on the water before the workday starts—especially when you're exploring new water you've never fished before.

That's exactly what this outing was about: an early morning mission in mid-June to scout a new creek in Colorado, armed with a tenkara rod and a sense of curiosity. What started as pure exploration eventually led back to more familiar waters, which is a reminder that sometimes the journey of searching is just as rewarding as the destination.

Why Exploring New Water Matters

It's easy to fall into the habit of fishing the same spots over and over. You know where the fish hold, you know which flies work, and you can practically autopilot through the session. But branching out to new streams keeps things fresh and sharpens your skills.

When you approach unfamiliar water, you're forced to:

• Read the stream with fresh eyes—identifying seams, pockets, and structure without preconceptions
• Adapt your approach based on what the water is actually telling you, not what you remember from last time
• Problem-solve in real time, which makes you a better angler overall

Even if the new creek doesn't pan out, you've expanded your mental map of fishable water in your area.

The Tenkara Setup for Small Creek Exploration

Tenkara is arguably the perfect method for scouting small, unknown creeks. The simplicity of the setup means less gear to carry and faster transitions between spots. Here's what was used on this outing:

• Rod: DRAGONTail Mizuchi ZX340 — a versatile zoom rod that adapts well to tight quarters and slightly more open water alike
• Line: 8 ft level line, which keeps things precise and manageable on smaller streams
• Tippet: 5x nylon and 6x fluorocarbon, giving options depending on water clarity and fish wariness
• Flies: A Hi-Vis Parachute Black/Purple Ant (size 16, barbless) and a Pheasant Tail (size 18, barbless jig hook)

This is a clean, minimal setup—and that's the point. When you're exploring before work, you don't want to spend 20 minutes rigging up. You want to be fishing within minutes of stepping out of the car.

Fly Selection: Covering Your Bases

The two-fly approach here is worth noting for anyone looking to scout new water efficiently:

• The Parachute Ant serves as a high-visibility dry fly. The hi-vis post makes it easy to track in variable light conditions (especially early morning), and ant patterns are effective across a wide range of Colorado streams throughout summer.
• The Pheasant Tail on a jig hook is a proven subsurface producer. If fish aren't looking up, a well-presented Pheasant Tail drifted through likely holding water will usually get an answer.

Between these two patterns, you can quickly figure out what mood the fish are in—or whether there are fish in the creek at all.

Tips for Before-Work Fishing Sessions

If you've never tried squeezing in a session before work, here are a few practical tips:

1. Prep everything the night before. Rod, flies, net, waders (if needed)—all ready to grab and go.
2. Pick water close to home or your commute. The goal is maximizing time on the water, not time in the car.
3. Set a hard stop time. Knowing when you need to leave keeps the session focused and prevents the "just one more cast" spiral.
4. Keep your setup simple. This is where tenkara really shines—minimal gear means minimal setup and breakdown time.
5. Don't pressure yourself for results. Early morning scouting trips are about discovery. If you catch fish, that's a bonus.

The Joy of Familiar Water

There's a nice symmetry in setting out to explore something new and finding yourself back on familiar ground. It's a reminder that the streams we know well earned that status through exactly this kind of exploration. Every "home water" was once an unknown creek.

Whether the new water holds promise for future trips or simply leads you back to a favorite stretch, mornings like these are what keep the passion for fishing alive.

Want to see how the morning unfolded? Watch the full video to ride along on this early morning tenkara exploration through Colorado's creeks.