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The past week has been problematic to say the least on the Upper Colorado. The most consistent culprit has been the run off from torrential downpours up the Piney River drainage at State Bridge. As well as, some occasional additional concerns at Sheep Horn at the Radium take out. In these two scenarios traffic from down river, between Rancho and Two Bridges has to move up river, creating a bit of a traffic jam. Instead of 4 to 5 sections to spread out on, all the fishing traffic gets pushed up into the same section, which is also filled with recreational rafters, kayaks, tubers and paddle boarders – the splash and giggle crowd.
Rain has been less intense to non-existent that last couple of days and that should lead to a clearing over the next few days. However, with all the rain, the native flow or natural water in the river is up so, there is less call for dam releases from Green Mtn. Which represents clear water, in a normally large volume, to dilute and flush the sediment down stream faster.
All of that being said, today’s word of the day is: patience. When it is all said and done, the Monsoon is more beneficial to the river in the long run, as temperatures on average have dropped more than 3 degrees on average from the highs of the summer back the first week of July.
Overall fishing here at higher elevations has been very good. Yes, there are some problem spots to be aware of but, there are more than enough options available for anglers to find healthy fish.
Don’t hesitate to call us for current conditions, we’ll do our best to try and interpret changing stream flow readings with you. Or follow us on Twitter @coloradoangler, where we try to post changing conditions as we learn about them.
Detailed reports on the right side of this page will give more specific information on a particular stretch of river. Make sure to check those out for your river of interest, as they will be able to answer questions pertaining to hatches and flies.
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. Spring Hours: Monday – Saturday 8 am – 6 pm, Sunday 8 am – 5 pm
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Blue River Below Dillon Reservoir
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| Flow: 53 cfs. |
Conditions: The Blue in town, has been a model of consistency all season long. Definitely the most productive stretch of river between Dillon and Green Mtn Reservoirs. As is typical for this tailwater, nymphs continue to produce steady results all day long on a good mix of Midge and Baetis offerings as well as less consistently on Mysis and San Juan Patterns. Both Midge pupa and larva imitations in Red or Black have been very productive, while the Baetis have been best in darker variations, Black in particular. Also worth noting, over the past few weeks, the dry fly fishing has been rather solid as well. With the monsoonal weather pattern, afternoon cloud cover has created favorable conditions for daily periods of fish rising to naturals on the surface. Both adult Midge and Baetis imitations are working with a well presented cast, mostly in size 20 – 22, but we have also had aggressive rises to larger dries fished as the lead fly in front of those miniscule imitations. Town Flies: Black Pheasant Tail, RS-2, STD Baetis, Black or Chocolate UV Emerger, Kingery’s Cap’n Hook, Pure Midge Larva, Flashback Pheasant, Black Beauty, Rojo Midge, Winter Baetis, Desert Storm, Rainbow Warrior, BTS Mysis, Stalcup’s Mysis, #22 BWO Adult, Adult Midge Dark, Palms Special Emerger, CDC Hanging Midge, Morgan’s Para Midge
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Blue River Below Green Mountain
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| Flow: 237 cfs. |
Conditions: Water levels here have been on a steady drop for the past few days now, as water managers look to conserve what is in the reservoir for later this fall. With all of the rain we have been seeing, native flows down river in the Colorado are currently meeting demand and releases have been scaled back. While this is not the news that floaters wanted to hear, it is fantastic news for wade fishermen. At these levels the river is wide open for access and strong waders will once again be able to cross with ease, more than doubling shore wading. Expect to see good amounts of Caddis adults in the canyon, but don’t overlook the Drakes, PMDs and Stonefly nymph imitations, as action has been great on some of these less visible insects. 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. The road around the north side of the reservoir and across the Dam has reopened so, it is no longer necessary to detour through Heeney. Flies: Larger size Bead Head Nymphs: #10-12 Hare’s ear, Prince, Tungteaser, Tungsten Rubber Leg Yellow Sally, Stubby Stone, Green Drake Nymphs, 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 river volume on this stretch of water can change on an infrequent schedule and often. It is important to know the flow before you launch and make an honest assessment of your ability and watercraft capability. Please respect private property rights along the river.
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Colorado River Above Kremmling
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| Flow: 424 cfs. |
Conditions: Water releases out of the Williams Fork continue to have a positive impact here on the fishing conditions, both in water volume and temperatures. Even with a bump in river levels, this should remain low and clear, providing fantastic conditions for anglers during a time of year which usually finds us scrambling for access to good river fishing. Although, keep in mind that if you access the river above Parshall, stream flows will be less than half of those below Parshall. As well, water temperatures can have a measurable difference, leading to entirely different bugs at different times of the day, in only a distance of a mile or so on the river. Most of the summer hatches are all but gone now, although there are still a few Caddis hanging in there, and on a day to day basis there will be some success on Caddis dries and nymphs as well as the odd PMD and Sally pattern. The big food source in aquatic insects now will be the Tricos. Generally speaking, on this stretch of water the dry fly action with the Trico is relatively limited, but the nymph action more than makes up for that. Fish a variety of nymph, emerger, and drowned adult patterns through the riffles prior to and during the emergence for the best results. This part of the state really seems to be a favorite of many anglers and crowds are a real possibility, so keep your options open with the multiple locations to access the river from Hot Sulphur down to Kremmling. Flies: Barr’s Drowned Trico, Zebra Midge, STD Nymph Black, BLM Black, #22 Copper John Black, CDC Ant, Stimulator, BH Pheasant Tail, Mercer’s Poxybiot Nymph, Tungstone, Iron Sally,Graphic Caddis, Buckskin, San Juan Worm, Barr’s Emerger PMD and BWO, Juju Baetis, RS-2 Black or Gray, Split Case BWO, Pure Midge Larva, Rojo Midge
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Colorado River Pumphouse to Dotsero
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| Flow: 908 cfs. |
Conditions: Overall, river flows here are at a great level for anglers, both wade and float. The problem is from day to day they have been up and down as much as 10-15% and clarity is erratic at best. With the Monsoon season having a major impact here, it is important to check daily on the flows not only for here on the Colorado, but also for Piney Creek, which is a tributary stream that dumps in at State Bridge. Lately any major spike in Piney is a good indicator of a rain shower that may or may not have impacted clarity. (Feel free to call us for our opinion on what is going on in this regard.) One factor that is know is that water temps have trended down over the past few weeks of afternoon rains and that is great news for trout. The Yellow Sally Stoneflies and PMDs are pretty much done although, a few are still in the mix. The major hatch at the moment is the Trico mayfly. With a very early emergence in the morning, many anglers may not witness the hatch, but will witness the return of the spinners later in the morning. Even if you miss the hatch make sure to throw some Trico patterns into your rotation of flies in the mornings. As is to be expected with high sun, fish are inconsistent in their enthusiasm for dries and best results have been nymphing. Typically this is a very popular location with anglers, as it offers plenty of public access. With this spring’s low flow, the wade fishing has been a very viable option and there have been quite a few wade anglers enjoying the action. For anglers that don’t mind a physical hike and want to separate themselves from the crowds, a little bit of sweat equity can pay off big dividends by hiking up into the depths of Gore Canyon. With low flows on many other popular rivers, the Colorado is one of the few with good levels for boating. And accordingly, the river is absorbing the traffic of some other rivers with less than adequate flows. Expect above average traffic from the “splash and giggle” set, particularly from Pumphouse to Radium. That being said you may want to look at one of the many sections below Radium. Flies: Barr’s Drowned Trico, Zebra Midge, Bead Pheasant Tail, Juju Baetis, Tungsten Split Case BWO, Barr’s Flashback BWO Emerger, RS-2, Tungsten Hares Ear, Two Bit Hooker, Stubby Stone, Twenty Incher, Kaufman Stone, Jimmy Legs, Psycho Prince, Tungstone
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Colorado Below Glenwood Springs
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| Flow 2130 cfs. |
Conditions: River conditions have taken a hit not only with the run off from heavy monsoonal rains upstream, but also with the rise in water temperatures as we move into the heat of summer. Just in the past week a major downpour upriver of Glenwood above the Shoshone power plant, dumped such a dense amount of sediment in the river that thousands of suckers were essentially smothered. Biologists are optimistic that trout will fair better than bottom dwelling rough fish.When the clarity does improve, please pay close attention to water temps so as to not have a detrimental effect on the resource for future fishing. Flies: Pat’s Rubber Legs, Tungteaser, Bead Prince, Twenty Incher, Hunchback Green Drake nymph, Tungsten Pheasant Tail, Foam Caddis, Spotlight Caddis Emerger, Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulator, Nitro Caddis, Zebra Midge, Rojo Midge, Poison Tung, Juju Baetis, STD Baetis
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Arkansas River Above Buena Vista
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| Flow: 290 cfs. Granite 104 cfs. Hayden Meadows |
Conditions: The bulk of the summer hatches is on the decline here as we enter August. Action of late has become a little more moderate and anglers should be prepared to drop their tippet size down a notch as flows remain low and clear. It wouldn’t hurt to also broaden you fly offerings to some smaller Baetis and Midge imitations along with the beaded searching nymphs that can be so productive at this time of year. Make sure to be prepared with a good offering of Terrestrials when heading out and not just Hoppers, Ant patterns can be a very productive fly at this time of year. As the days warms, work into riffles where fish will be looking for drifting nymphs. While some days are seeing heavy traffic at certain access points, the Ark offers plenty of public access to spread out on. If you notice a couple of other cars at your favorite spot (Hayden Meadows), take a chance and check out a new point along this great river. Flies: Bead Pheasant Tail, Hot Wire Prince, Copper John, Iron Sally, RS-2, Red Legged Hopper, Stream Bank Hopper, CDC Ant, Parachute Ant, Potter’s Pearl and Elk, Garcia’s Mini Hot, Hippie Stomper, Stimulator, Parachute Adams, Winger Parachute, Para Extended Body BWO
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Arkansas River Below Buena Vista
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| Flow: 419 cfs. |
Conditions: Water levels remain at a very agreeable flow for wade anglers, while still providing an opportunity for the skilled boater on most stretches. While the majority of the action has been on subsurface flies, particularly on days with high sun, we continue to bring fish to the surface on a variety of Stonefly and Terrestrial patterns presented as the anchor of a dry dropper rig. With the lower flow, a dry dropper set up allows for productive nymphing, while still presenting the chance at some fantastic surface strikes. Flow reading is at Nathrop. Flies: Bead Head Pheasant Tail # 14-16, Tungstone Golden #12-16, Tungsten Yellow Sally, Iron Sally, Chartreuse Copper John #12-16, Chartreuse Hot Wire Caddis, Hot Wire Prince, Parachute Extended Body BWO, Juju Baetis, Split Case BWO, Zebra Midge, Garcia’s Rojo Midge, RS-2 and Poison Tung
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Roaring Fork River at Glenwood Springs
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| Flow: 523 cfs. |
Conditions: Water temperature in the lower valley are definitely a concern to fish health and we would like to encourage anglers to do everything possible to minimize impact on the trout population. Either fish very early or move up river for cooler temps. Flows are dropping to mid summer levels which offers some great wade access on a normally larger river. The Drakes have moved up river to the Basalt area, but there are Caddis, Sallies, Golden Stones and PMDs throughout the corridor. Don’t miss out on some great fishing in the public access areas above Basalt and up to Aspen. With below average water levels, float traffic has also been below average and that will make for some good results for wade anglers. Look for mid to late morning surface activity followed again in the late afternoon to evening. Flies: Elk Hair Caddis, Potter’s Pearl and Elk, Stimulators, H & D Para Green Drake, Para Wulff Green Drake, Hairwing Green Drake, Burk’s Para Sulfur, RS-2, STD Baetis, Tungteaser, Twenty Incher, Iron Sally, Tungstone, Hunch Back Green Drake, CDC Green Drake Emerger, Bead Prince, Copper John#12-18, Juju Baetis, Barr’s Emerger, San Juan Worm patterns
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South Platte River, Middle Fork
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| Flow: 45 cfs. |
Conditions: Summer is here and action is steady, providing some good fishing for wade anglers. Flows are slightly lower than expected for this time of year so, covering some ground will help to keep an angler into active fish. Hopper dropper is the standard rig and will offer plenty of depth with these low flows for nymph presentation. However, Caddis continue to produce solid results and there PMDs in good numbers as well as a few Green Drakes. Take advantage of this window of surface activity and work a variety of Hopper, Ant and other Terrestrials along with the aquatic insects that are present. Flies: Potters Pearl and Elk, Spotlight Caddis, Stream Bank Hopper, Hippie Stomper, Stimulator, Colorado Green Drake, Pink Cahill, Fatboy McKnight, Mercer’s Tungsten Micro Mayfly, Red or Green Copper John,Tungsten Pheasant Tail, Bead Head Hare’s Ear, IED, Hot Wire Prince, STD Baetis, Tungsten Psycho
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South Platte, Dream Stream
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| Flow 151 cfs. |
Conditions: With high flows some anglers have chosen to look elsewhere for their fix, but we like this river at higher flows for a nice change of pace. Tricos will be the meat of the diet at this time but, look for Caddis nymphs and even a PMD to take a few fish. Flies: Black RS-2, Barr’s Drowned Trico, Black Copper John #22, Juju Baetis, Zebra Midge Black/Silver, Buckskin Caddis, Mercer’s Poxyback PMD, Poxybiot Nymph
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Williams Fork River Below Dam
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| Flow 309 cfs. |
Conditions: Finally, flows have risen back up to not only a better level for fishing but, also an overall healthier volume for trout. However, that being said, the flows are not totally stable. We have seen some fluctuation in volume from 150 to 350 cfs. These are not daily changes, but we expect this to continue for the near future as water managers continue to shuffle their resources for meeting downstream demands. At any rate, these are great flows for wade fishermen and it’s almost a certainty that the clarity will not be affected by the runoff from any Monsoonal rains. Look for trout to be spread out in all water types feeding on insects in various stages of life. Typical of this time of year, hatches of Red Quills, PMDs, Sallies and a few Caddis are emerging. Flies: San Juan Worms, Flash Back Pheasant Tails, Poxybiot Nymph, Mercers PMD Emerger, Barr’s PMD Emerger, Buckskin, AK’s Para Quill, Melon Quill, Burk’s Silhouette, Garcia’s Mini Hot.
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Antero Reservoir
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Conditions: Conditions and action are fair here currently. With the high sun/heat of summer and lower than full lake level water temps are up, keeping fish deep. It would seem from our experience that your better bet would be to head just down valley to Spinney. If you do go, give it a try with a mix of patterns to start in a deeper set to try and see if there is any pattern that is favored. Mix it up with Calibaetis, Chironomids, Leeches, beaded searching nymphs. Flies: Yankee Buzzer, Jumbo Juju, Tak’s Chironomid, Garcia’s Rojo Grande Midge, Rapunzel Damsel, Poxyback Calibaetis Nymph, Hare’s Ear, Copper John
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Spinney Mountain Reservoir
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Conditions: Definitely the better of the two popular trout lakes in South Park right now. While the early summer hatches have all but wrapped up, action has been pretty decent on a mix of nymphs and leech type patterns. We recommend a multi-fly rig of 2 to 3 flies fished over a span of 3 to 4 feet between the top and bottom fly, this will give you a good range of depth for targeting fish as you figure out how deep they are feeding. This lake has been the better quality producer in South Park so far this year and we think that should continue for the season. Flies: Garcia’s Rojo Grande, Jumbo Juju, Skinny Nelson, Zebra Midge, Hare’s Ear, CDC Calibaetis Nymph, Rapunzel Damsel Nymph, Hale Bopp Leech, Ruby Eye Leech, CDC Pheasant Tail, Copper Johns in various colors.
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Delaney Buttes Lakes
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Conditions: Reports have been pretty solid overall, with all three lakes offering opportunities. The North lake opened first, with some moderate to good results on streamers, Egg patterns and a mix of Midges. The South lake was right behind in thawing and wade anglers are doing well for those bank cruisers. Reports off the East lake have been off the charts for boaters. Flies: Egg Patterns, Bead Pheasant Tail, Bead Hare’s Ear, Copper John, Jumbo Juju, Zebra Midge
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