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Alright, there are a lot of things happening out there right now so, we will try to get you as much information as possible squeezed into this space.
The big news for still water junkies is all of the open water for you to now choose from, at least compared to last week. Delaney Buttes have been fish-able for over a week now as ice off is complete on the North lake and should be on the South lake as we write this. But, the most sought after opening day of each year, is that on Spinney Mountain Reservoir. Managers at that facility announced today that it will indeed open to the public on Monday the 2nd of April. With the quality of fish that were hooked there in 2011, anticipation for this coming season is nearing fever pitch.
For the river loving fly-fisher, the options also continue to improve. With excellent seasonal action being reported on a handful of high country favorites. Changes in flows to the lower Blue seem to have not had any negative impact on the fishing. Check out the nice rainbow on the top of this page, landed by Collin on Tuesday.
The Eagle River is also worth a look right now, although conditions have at times been inconsistent, on those days when clarity allows, action has been very good. Midge hatches are what’s happening now, although with the speed with water temps are starting to come up, Caddis will be a factor very soon. Midge pattern staples like Zebras, Jujubees, Black Beauties, Miracles and Rojo Midges behind beaded searching patterns have been very productive.
Take a look to the right side of the page at the detailed reports for the Arkansas and Colorado as well as the Roaring Fork for additional hot flashes of fishing resurgence for spring.
Spring has made a power move here in the high country. As temperatures have risen to more than 20 degrees above average, rivers all over the central part of the state are emerging from their winter coats(of ice that is) and providing new options for chasing trout. While it may be a little premature to think that winter is over, considering that March and April are two of the snowiest months of the year, we encourage you to take advantage of this reprieve from Winter.
It should be noted that with the warm weather, we are seeing the impact on stream conditions both in clarity and a slight bump in volume. This is not to be confused with “Runoff”. Generally any coloration is later in the day and clears off overnight. You should be able to work around it and find some water with enough clarity.
Please feel free to call us at The Colorado Angler, at any time to discuss any questions and concerns you may have about the current conditions. There is a lot of information here on this page as well as on our main page at www.TheColoradoAngler.com but, space is limited and we may not have answered all of your questions. We want to make sure you get the information you are looking for. Toll Free 855-CO TROUT (268-7688) or stop by and see us in the Summit Place shopping center in Silverthorne, next to Blue Moon Bakery, Exit 205 on I-70, then south 1 block. Winter Hours: Monday – Friday 8:30am-5pm, Saturday 8 am-5 pm, Sunday 8 am-4 pm
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Blue River Below Dillon Reservoir
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| Flow: 53 cfs. |
Conditions: After a two week run of slightly higher flows, river volume has dropped back down to winter levels. We expect this to continue for some time as snow-pack is lower than average. Action through town has been fairly solid. Although, you need to be flexible in your approach to the river. Not only in what patterns you fish, but also in when and where. Some days the high sun has had a more detrimental effect on success than others. Other days not so much. With that in mind, it doesn’t hurt to come early or stay late, if you are not finding active fish. As far as flies, the fish have been focusing their attention on a combination of Midge patterns along with Mysis imitations, it just varies from day to day as to the amount of concentration. Some days it may be 50-50, Shrimp to Midges, and the next it may only be 20-80. The other variable in the equation is color. We have seen good results on Black, Red, Gray, Olive and Chocolate, you just have to experiment with which color the fish are focused on for a given day. Crowds have been what you would expect with nice weather and Spring Break ramping up. But the spring also means larger Bows drifting down from the Dam. Town Flies: RS-2, Black or Chocolate UV Emerger, Kingery’s Cap’n Hook, Black Pheasant Tail, Flashback Pheasant, Black Beauty, Rojo Midge, Winter Baetis, Desert Storm, Rainbow Warrior, BTS Mysis, Stalcups Mysis, Candy Cane
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Blue River Below Green Mountain
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| Flow:127cfs. |
Conditions: River levels have dropped here for some seasonal maintenance on the facility at the dam, not sure how long it will last, but it makes for some great access for wade fishermen. The rainbow on the top left of the page was landed in the canyon on the day the river dropped. There is a good mix of patterns working right now from larger Stonefly patterns down to Midge and Baetis imitations. Best bet would be a double nymph rig anchored with a larger offering trailing something smaller, to get an idea on the flavor of the day. Definitely use caution on getting down to and back up from the river. The hill is steep and doesn’t provide a lot of footholds. Flies: Larger size Bead Head Nymphs: #10-12 Hare’s ear, Prince, Tungteaser, Tungsten Rubber Leg Yellow Sally, Stubby Stone, San Juan Flash Worm and Red Hot Worm, Big Bear Baetis, Juju Baetis – standard and purple, Barr’s Emerger, Split Case BWO, Jujubee, Poison Tung, UV Emerger. Floaters should note: The take out that has been used for years is no longer available, that property is now private. For boat take out you now need to continue on down the Blue to the access ramp for the Gore Canyon put-in. this is approximately another mile. Please respect private property rights along the river.
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Colorado River Above Kremmling
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| Flow: 300+/- cfs. |
Conditions: Generally speaking the access at the Breeze unit offers some of the best winter fishing along the Colorado thanks to the influence of the Williams Fork Tailwater. Action has been fairly solid and mid day temps relatively mild. However, with the Middle Park inversion is always a threat, so be prepared for cold mornings and give it time to warm up. Tandem nymph rigs offer the most consistent results. Either with a Baetis to Midge combo or a double offering of either. This is the time of year for Midge hatches and as the month wears on, expect some solid opportunities for surface activity. The flow reading here is a best guess, as the gauges are currently not functioning due to winter conditions. Flies: San Juan Worm, Biot Midge, Barr’s Emerger, Juju Baetis, RS-2, Pheasant Tail, Winter Baetis, Andrew’s 5-0, Split Case BWO, Pure Midge Larve, Otter Milking Egg
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Colorado River Pumphouse to Dotsero
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| Flow: 586 cfs. |
Conditions: Starting to see signs of a coming spring, not only with improving conditions and access, but also with the return of river enthusiasts. Weekend traffic has been brisk the last couple of weeks from both rafters and anglers and flows have leveled off for the most part. Action is starting to shows signs of life as well, with mild to good reports coming in. Results have been best on nymph rigs focusing on runs and deeper pockets. For the time being, midges are the most visible of insects, with a sporadic emergence here and there. However, it is always a good idea to work some larger searching patterns or Stonefly nymphs into the mix. With the mild weather in the high country, we should start to see Blue Wings in the coming weeks. Flies: Bead Pheasant Tails, Jujubaetis, Tungsten Split Case BWO, Barr’s Flashback BWO Emerger, Tungsten Hares Ear, Two Bit Hooker, Stubby Stone, Twenty Incher, Kaufman Stone, Jimmy Legs, Psycho Prince,
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Colorado Below Glenwood Springs
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| Flow 2080 cfs. |
Conditions: With the prolonged warm spell, conditions here are now day to day. Still seeing some very productive days when clarity allows, but with the warm temperatures all the way up the Colorado and Eagle, snow melt is bringing visiblity down to near zero on others. That being said, action is starting to really pick up from Glenwood Canyon on down stream, when it is not too dirty for flies to be seen. Best results have been on medium to larger searching and Stonefly nymphs with a well presented mix of Midge patterns behind that. Hatches of Midges have been solid and providing a good source of food for winter weary trout. Cloudy days have been seeing pockets of rising fish in scattered locations, as well as a few shady spots on those bright sunny days. Flies: Pat’s Rubber Legs, Tungteaser, Bead Prince, Twenty Incher, Tungsten Pheasant Tail, Zebra Midge, Rojo Midge, RS-2 #20-22, Poison Tung, Parachute Adams #20-24, Trailing Shuck Midge, Morgans Para Midge
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Arkansas River Above Buena Vista
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| Flow: 159 cfs. |
Conditions: Winter water transfers out of Twin Lakes have kept the shore ice to a minimum from Ball Town down. However, water temps remain on the cold side at this higher elevation. Still a little early, particularly in the Hayden Meadows/Kobe area, but if these weather conditions persist, should be worth looking at as you move down below Granite and towards Buena Vista in the coming days. Focus your efforts on the deeper, gentler runs and pools that will offer trout an energy conserving lie for this time of year and as the temperatures warm up later in the day, look for fish to venture into feeding lanes. Midges and Caddis Larve will be the primary available food sources, but there are still some fish that will take smaller searching nymphs. Flow is at Granite. Flies: Bead Pheasant Tail, Hot Wire Prince, Rojo Midges, 5-0 Midge, UV Emerger, Poison Tung, Rainbow Warrior, Mercury Midge
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Arkansas River Below Buena Vista
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| Flow: 265 cfs. |
Conditions: Solid fishing on a variety of Midge patterns early in the day. As the day, and water temps warm, Baetis nymphs have been solid through mid day. Best bet would be to focus your attention from Stone Bridge down through Salida and into Big Horn Sheep Canyon. Although with the prolonged warm weather and low flows, the conditions improve daily further upriver. Crowds have also come early to the river below Salida, so for the angler longing for solitude, it may be worth a trip into the depths of Brown’s Canyon. With such great weather, it shouldn’t be long before the Blue Wings start to emerge. Truth be told, this hatch is often far more consistent and productive than the more well attended Caddis. Some action can also be had on Stone fly nymphs as a lead fly in your nymph set up. Flow reading is at Salida. Flies: Bead Head Pheasant Tail # 14-16, Tungstone Golden #12-16, Chartreuse Copper John #12-16, Chartreuse Hot Wire Caddis, Hot Wire Prince, Zebra Midge, Jujubee, Garcia’s Rojo Midge, RS-2 in #22-24, Caddis Candy and Poison Tung
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Roaring Fork River at Glenwood Springs
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| Flow: 621 cfs. |
Conditions: Another good spring option for anglers looking to take advantage of the great conditions. Look for fish to be taking Midge and Blue Winged Olive nymphs. As well as a good compliment of searching nymphs such as the Prince or Tungteaser. Mild conditions have expanded the normal spring range from the lower river through Glenwood all the way up to and above Basalt. Midges have been the hatching insect of late, but the Blue Wings have started to emerge in lesser amounts and will continue to increase in numbers as the days pass. With the possiblity of a storm system moving into the central mountains this weekend, we could see some full blown BWO hatches in the coming days. Take advantage of these mild conditions and finish up the day with a soak in the hot springs. Flies: Otter Egg, Flash Tail Mini Egg, RS-2, STD Baetis, Tungteaser, Twenty Incher, Bead Prince, Copper John#16-18, Juju Baetis, Barr’s Emerger, San Juan Worm patterns.
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South Platte River, Middle Fork
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| Flow: 22+/- cfs. |
Conditions: Water levels and temps have dropped to winter levels with action grinding to a near halt. There are better options out there. Flies: Otter Egg, Red Copper John, IED, Hot Wire Prince, STD Baetis, Tungsten Psycho
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South Platte, Dream Stream
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| Flow 97 cfs. |
Conditions: Reports coming in from the Platte have been improving. The first signs of some larger fish moving in from Eleven-mile have been producing a few nice. There also seems to be a couple of pockets of “Stocker Madness”, with cookie cutter 10-12 inch fish all over a dead drift nymph rig. And being that it’s the Platte in Spring, there are a lot of anglers out there. So if a little solitude is what your after, you may want to think twice. The best approach right now is double nymph rig pairing a either a Baetis pattern or maybe an egg as your lead fly and trailing that with a Midge pattern. Flies: Juju Baetis, Barr’s Emerger BWO, Split Case BWO, RS-2, Otter Egg, San Juan Worm, Red Copper John, Jujubee, Barr’s Pure Midge Larva, UV Emerger, Desert Storm
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Williams Fork River Below Dam
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| Flow 42 cfs. |
Conditions: Always worth a look this time of year. Crowds have been a little heavy with the weather and start of Spring Break. Flows are still low, limiting the available lies for fish. It may be necessary to cover some distance while searching for good water. Look for the potential of a few rising fish mid-day with nymphs producing throughout. Flies: San Juan Worms, Flash Back Pheasant Tails, Miracle Nymph, Otters Egg, Garcia’s Rojo Midge. Baetis nymphs: Jujubaetis, Big Bear Baetis, Barr’s Emerger, Andrew’s 5-0 Midge, Split Case BWO, RS-2. Dries: Para Winger, CDC Baetis Dun, Lawson’s No Hackle, Gulpher Special, Brook’s Sprout Midge, Trailing Shuck Midge.
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Antero Reservoir
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Conditions: No word on open water here yet, but with the developments just down valley, it should be any day now.
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Spinney Mountain Reservoir
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Conditions: Get ready to get your big fish on. Monday, April 2 at 6:12 am, the most anticipated opening of the season happens. We can’t remember such an early start on this big fish impoundment in several years. Be prepared for crowds at least for the first week or two and check back with us for a report after the big day.
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Delaney Buttes Lakes
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Conditions: Open for a week or so now, reports have been pretty solid overall. The North lake opened first, with some moderate to good results on streamers, Egg patterns and a mix of Midges. The South lake has just completed it’s ice off and wade anglers are doing well for those bank cruisers
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