Report for July 26th.
With out a doubt the biggest change around here is the long awaited release of additional water from Green Mountain Reservoir into the lower Blue River. Not only has this dramatically change access to the Blue but, more importantly, it has had a direct effect on conditions and health of the Colorado River below Kremmling. Water temperatures that had started out the week peaking over 70 degrees for four consecutive days, are now back to much more “trout friendly” levels. Clarity should start to improve steadily over the next few days and action along with it.
Also of note: It looks as if a return to the Monsoon is in store for us this weekend, which should help to maintain good flows and temperatures on other rivers around the area. Sure it sucks to get caught in a torrential downpour but, overall the benefits of additional water in our streams mid-summer should ease your pain when you are caught with out your rain jacket. And more often than not, the clouds come with-out any rain and create some great dry fly action in the middle of the day.
A fairly major stream restoration project has begun on the Upper Arkansas between Crystal Lake and the Kobe bridge. (We’ll have more on the details of this shortly.) Be aware that when you head up that way you may encounter some heavy equipment in the river at times but, for the most part, Colorado Parks and Wildlife expect any disturbance to clarity to be localized and relatively short lived. We have continued to fish this stretch and have had a little bit of clarity issues close to the equipment in the afternoons. However, the mornings have remained clear so far and fishing has been good.
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 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: 57 cfs. |
| Conditions: Town continues to fish very well even as flows remain low and clear. Better yet, it seems as if there is no shortage of productive patterns. The usual Tailwater standards like Mysis patterns and Midge pupa and larva, along with small Baetis nymphs are as steady as always, particularly the closer to the dam you get. As a bonus, we are seeing continued results on typically spring patterns of San Juan Worm and Egg imitations. Rounding out the diverse menu at the moment are some of the more typical stuff we see on the Blue in the Summer, particularly Pale Morning Dun imitations, both nymph and adult, along with some attractor dry fly patterns. Overall traffic has been mild for town, as there are plenty of other choices out there right now but, occasionally there will be a day where it seems as if everybody had the same idea to fish close to home. As you move north, downriver, there remains some spotty action on both Caddis and PMD stuff, particularly as you get closer to Green Mountain where the river has a chance to warm up the further from the dam you get.
Town Flies: Spaghetti and Meatballs (San Juan Worm Patterns and Eggs) Candy Cane #20, BTS Mysis #16-22, RS-2 #22-24, STD Baetis #20, Black or Chocolate UV Emerger #22-24, Kingery’s Cap’n Hook #20-22, Pure Midge Larva #20-24, Black Beauty #20-24, Tube Midge Black or Red #20-22, Medallion Midge #22-24, Split case BWO #20, Winter Baetis #20-22, Desert Storm #20-24, Rainbow Warrior #20, #22 BWO Adult, Adult Midge Dark, Brook’s Sprout Midge #22-24, Parachute Adams #24-26, Split Case PMD, Extended Body PMD, Parachute Purple, Royal Coachman Trude .
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Blue River Below Green Mountain
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| Flow: 600 cfs. |
| Conditions: Finally, the big spike in flows that we have all been waiting for to bring some relief to both the Blue as well as the Colorado. Shoshone power plant, downstream on the Colorado in Glenwood Canyon, has the senior water call on the upper basin and as native flows have dropped, it was time for a release of stored water. This will seriously limit the amount of wade access here below the dam, as the river is now to high to wade across. Still a good option for those looking for some solitude and the chance at some quality fish. Try running a double nymph rig with a larger bead head for the Green Drakes or Stoneflies that are well established in the canyon, followed up with either a PMD or Caddis imitation. Make sure to add a little more weight than you might think you need as this flow will be a bit swift. At this level there will be a lot of interest in floating the lower Blue. If you do go, Please respect private property, there is not much public land adjacent to the river. Don’t be the guy that ruins it for everybody else. There are two general approaches that most people employ down here: The big 2 (or 3) fly nymph set up with a lot of weight to get it down quick in the pools or the double streamer rig. Give it a go with either as we have not heard yet this early as to what has been most successful.
Flies: Big bead heads: Hare’s Ear, Tungteaser, Pheasant Tail, Stubby Stone, Twenty Incher, Rubberlegs, Psycho prince, Pr Peacock Ice. Hunchback PMD, Barr’s PMD, Poxyback PMD, Chartreuse Copper John
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 (Parshall)
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| Flow: 443 cfs. @ Parshall |
| Conditions: Cold water releases from the Williams Fork have greatly improved not only the amount of water but, the quality of it here as well by bringing the temperature back down to healthy levels for trout. This is a fantastic level for easy wade fishing while still providing enough volume for cover. Although, action has been rather inconsistent at best, with the strongest results happening in the morning prior to noon and then again right before dark with some fair action still to adult Caddis and the odd spinner. With such low flows it makes great sense to fish a dry/dropper set up, there should be very few spots where you can’t get the depth you need for a nymph underneath a Stimulator before the hatch. Evenings have also been providing some decent opportunities for targeting rising fish after the crowds have gone. If you are inclined to stay to dusk, you might be rewarded with solitude and dry flies, two of our favorite things. In the past week or so, we have finally gotten some additional water releases from the Williams Fork which should improve the river quality overall below that. With the current conditions, particularly above Parshal, we would ask that you carry a thermometer with you and stay aware of the current water temperatures. Aggressive water diversion in the upper valley combined with hot weather have driven water temperatures to near dangerous levels late in the afternoon. Please keep an eye on this and try and wrap it up when it hits 67. 70 degree water is considered terminal to trout in stressful situations, certainly hooking and playing a trout creates stress. By forgoing any fishing after 67degrees you give the fish a chance to recover before the temp climbs too high for a recovery to happen. Look for well oxygenated water as the sun warms the water, fish will move into those faster lies for the added oxygen and cooler water.
Flies: Poxyback PMD, Barr’s PMD Emerger, Poxybiot Nymph, Tungsten Yellow Sally, Tungstone, Pheasant Tail, Para Extended Body PMD, Thorax PMD, Garcia’s Mini Hot, Stimulator, Foam Yellow Sally Dry Pat’s Rubber Legs in Orange/Brown, Brown/Black and Black. Hot Wire Caddis, Barr’s Graphic Caddis, Z Wing Caddis, CDC Caddis Emerger, Pearl and Elk Caddis, Ginger Variant, Slumpbuster, LE Marabou Streamer.
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Colorado River Pumphouse to Dotsero
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| Flow: 1200 cfs. |
| Conditions: Finally a shot of cold water coming from the Blue River to return water temperatures to more trout friendly levels. After a short drop in clarity, things are on the improvement here quickly as this is a great amount of clean water entering the river that should help counteract any run off from recent Monsoon rains. Action has been fair to decent the first couple of days now with the cold water and we expect that to continue to improve as well. Good hatches of Tricos in the morning and a few Baetis here and there. Best results have been on Dry-Dropper rigs with a foam attractor or Hopper pattern followed up with any of a mix of beaded searching nymphs and mayfly imitations for the smaller hatches of late summer. Traffic the last few days with the resurgence in flows, has been very brisk. A good part of this is probably due to the fact that the cleanest water was at Pumphouse and the further downstream you went, it quickly lost visibility. As the river clears, the crowds should spread out and most sections will offer evenly distributed angler numbers.
Flies: Tungteaser, Rubberlegs, Beaded Pheasant Tails, Beaded Hares Ears, Tungsten Prince, Tungsten Yellow Sally, RS2’s, Split Case BWO, Barr’s Emerger, Juju Baetis, Blue Ribbon Emerger, Two Bit Hooker, Gidget Olive, Fuzzy Wuzzy, Parahopper, B/C Hopper, Chubby Chernobyl, Miscellaneous Terrestrials
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Colorado Below Glenwood Springs
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| Flow 2410 cfs. |
| Conditions: Still at risk for higher water temperatures late in the day, if you are going to fish it please keep a eye on that. Nymphing under an indicator can produce some fantastic results as long as you hit the inside of the seam and get the flies out of the main current. Focus on a combo of big searching and imitative nymphs for the stones and larger Mayflies follower up with some Baetis and Midge imitations. This is a place that can see some crazy Summer Baetis hatches in sunny, warm weather.
Flies: Mr Peacock Ice, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Tungteaser, Bead Prince, Twenty Incher, Hunchback Green Drake nymph, Tungsten Pheasant Tail, Bead Prince, Bead Hares Ear, Tungstone, Barr’s Emerger, Zebra Midge, Juju Baetis
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Arkansas River Above Buena Vista
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| Flow: 450 cfs. @ Granite, 102 @ Hayden |
| Conditions: Fishing in the upper valley continues to be very good. We are still seeing some remaining Drakes and Caddis emerge in scattered locations. Both dry and nymph patterns for both of these have been strong, with additional action on Yellow Sally nymphs at times. Accordingly, Dry-Dropper rigs utilizing Drake and Stimmy patterns to suspend a variety of beaded nymphs have been very productive. Along with straight up dry fly fishing mid-morning as well as again in the evening. Also not to be overlooked is some pretty decent terrestrial action at times. The big news is going to be the stream restoration project happening from the bridge at the Kobe access all the way up to the area behind Crystal Lake. The plan is to start at the top and work down. This should last through the better part of what’s left of Summer. There will be moderate periods of discoloration as heavy equipment moves in the river to place material but, these should be short lived in duration and clear up rather quickly. Our guess is that this should be typical of government contracts and be a weekday project so, weekend anglers should not experience any disturbances to clarity, at least not associated with Monsoon rains.
Flies: Beaded Hares Ear, Hot Wire Prince, Beaded Pheasant Tail, Copper John, Hot Wire Caddis, Tung Z Wing Caddis, Tungteaser, CDC Hares Ear, Twenty Incher, Mr Peacock, Stimulator, Fuzzy Wuzzy, Colorado Green Drake, CDC Parachute Green Drake, Foamulator, Pearl and Elk Caddis, Peacock Caddis, RS-2, Zebra Midge, White Streamers
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Arkansas River Salida Area
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| Flow: 557 cfs. @ Salida |
| Conditions: The Arkansas continues to offer some of the best overall fishing anywhere at the moment. From Buena Vista down through Brown’s Canyon we are seeing Golden Stones and PMDs still in good numbers with a few Sallies as well. There are also some solid mid-to-late-morning Trico hatches emerging but, the fish still seem to be very interested in the larger bugs for now. Dry-Dropper fishing is fantastic and should give enough of an indication of when the fish want to rise to prompt a switch over to dry only, if that is what you are looking for. We have had great success on both methods. Flows remain steady enough for boaters to navigate all stretches, as well as not too high for wade anglers to spread out anywhere they like. This time of year is also the start of some fantastic terrestrial fishing on the Arkansas. Don’t overlook small to medium sized Hoppers, as well as ants and beetles. With the potential for Monsoon showers and afternoon clouds, we are seeing some incredible surface activity along the river. As you make your way downstream from Salida, keep an eye on afternoon water temperatures as they may get a bit on the warm side. If that happens, try and focus your efforts on the early part of the day before those temps climb above 67 degrees, which may leave trout vulnerable to lower oxygen levels.
Worth Noting: This is now the second year of a two year program to re-establish Pteronarcys Californica to the Arkansas. Over the past 2 years CPW has transplanted about 70 thousand Salmonfly nymphs from the Colorado River to the Arkansas and distributed them just above and below Salida. We are keeping an optimistic eye on the river here to see if this insect will take hold and produce a revived population. The next couple of weeks will be telling.
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, Pat’s Rubber Legs #8, Fuzzy Wuzzy, Streambank Hopper, Parachute Hopper, Para Ant, Elk Hair Caddis Olive, Tan or Brown, Stimulator, Hippie Stomper.
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Roaring Fork River at Glenwood Springs
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| Flow: 612 cfs. |
| Conditions: The big summer hatches have moved up river and are going to be most widely distributed between Basalt and Aspen. For those of you that are less familiar with this stretch of the river, now is the time to check it out. A much smaller river, as you are above the Crystal and Frying Pan Rivers, this is a wade fishers delight characterized with a lot of pocket water broken up with the occasional deep run. Perfect for throwing dry fly and dry-dropper rigs. Look for Green Drakes, Yellow Sallies, PMDs, Blue Winged Olives and Caddis. Keep your eye on the water while moving upstream so not to spook the suspended fish. Sight fishing can be quite effective in this area. By watching the water above as well as below the larger boulders you can spot more of those active feeders. As for the lower river water levels are getting pretty low and nymphing has become the more productive method throughout the day. Small Mayfly and searching patterns have been the most consistent. Water temperatures down low have been fairly warm and it seems as if the fish are looking for cooler water in the deeper runs.
Flies: Twenty Incher, Tungteaser, Stubby stones, Beaded Pheasant Tail, Standard Pheasant Tail, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Tungstone, Big Copper Johns, Hares Ear, Mr. Peacock, CDC Prince, Elk Hair Caddis, Ginger Variant, Stimulator, H&L Variant, High and Dry Green Drake, Parawulff Green Drake, Colorado Green Drake and every other adult Green Drake you can round up, Hot Wire Prince, Two Bit Hooker, STD Baetis
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South Platte River, Middle Fork
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| Flow: 60 cfs. |
| Conditions: Great wade fishing at the moment as stream flows have hit mid summer levels. Good clarity and building hatches are all providing an ideal situation. Look for Caddis, PMDs, Yellow Sallies and even some Drakes to be in the mix over the next couple of weeks. While there are adults present a double dry set up should work great, covering the water with a thorough range of casts should bring fish to the surface even where you are unable to find actively rising fish. Otherwise, nymphs will probably provide the best results but, it you want to give your self the potential for some surface activity, then a simple dry dropper set up should get you to most of the spots on the river and offer a mix of nymph and dry fly eats. We recommend fishing your way upstream with that type of rig using either a good sized attractor or small hopper on top and following it up with a beaded searching nymph. Then on your way back to the parking area, work the same water over with a streamer up against cut banks and across ledges.
Flies: Chartreuse Copper John, Rainbow Warrior, Egg Patterns, Hot Wire Prince, Beaded Flash Prince, Tungteaser, Autumn Splendor, Slumpbuster, Sparkle Bugger
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South Platte, Dream Stream
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| Flow 199 cfs. |
Conditions: For whatever reason, water managers have been all over the board with the flow here, rarely keeping it at the same rate for more than 24 hours. However, the flows have all been above 100 for the last two weeks and that is good news. Sight fishing will still produce the best results, as there just aren’t that many spots on this stretch for blind casting to a pile of fish in a deep run. As water temperatures rise, now will be the time to look for Caddis and Pale Morning Dun hatches to emerge. When sight nymphing make sure to use an adequate amount of weight to get down to fish that are holding along the bottom and try to go with out an indicator or at least refrain from using an overly bight color if possible. The fish in this Tailwater seem to be as sensitive to indicators as any spot in the state. With that in mind, try and minimize your wading as much as possible and cast form the bank where you can reach. A deliberate, stealthy approach is going to be your best bet here. Flies: Black Copper John #22, Juju Baetis, Zebra Midge Black/Silver, Buckskin Caddis, CDC Caddis Emerger, Caddis Candy, Caddis Larva, Barr’s Emerger PMD, Mercer’s Poxyback PMD, Poxybiot Nymph, Egg Patterns, Pure Midge Larva, Cap’n Hook
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Williams Fork River Below Dam
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| Flow 286 cfs. |
| Conditions: Another good bump in flows for this popular Tailwater is great news not only for here but, the Colorado as well. The Reservoir appears to be filling and strong flows have once again returned to this gem. It may take just a few days for things to stabilize and trout to get comfortable again. Once that happens look for Caddis and Red Quills to emerge early in the summer. Nymphing will be best to start off with and at these flows you should be able to thoroughly cover all types of water. Don’t overlook the pockets and riffles as fish move in to feed and seek a level of comfort from predators. As we get more time on the water, we will pass along the results. This will definitely help bring down temperatures on the Colorado that area already climbing to concerning levels. That will still be a problem above the confluence so, choose your location with trout health in mind.
Flies: Pure Midge Larva, Rainbow Warrior, Rojo Midge, Biot mayfly Emerger, #20-22 Green Copper John, Zebra Midge, RS2’s, 5-0 Midge, UV Emerger, BWO dries.
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Antero Reservoir
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| Conditions: Things continue to fish well even as the Chironomid hatch winds down. The current emergence of note will be the Calibaetis. Look for action to be strong on static nymph rigs with a mix of Chironomid and Calibaetis patterns fished either under an indicator or with a slow retrieve. Try varying your depths between 6 and 11 feet with a couple of different offerings to try and tune into what the fish are keying on. We like to fish a 3 fly rig mixed with alternating Midge/Mayfly/Midge. If you fish with a partner make sure to fish different colors for the Chironomid, in different sizes and depths. This will be the quickest way to see which depth and imitation the trout want most. It is always a good method to mix some in to your attack as the trout can often be a little more aggressive to an insect as it first starts to get active prior to the hatch. With run off now having an impact on many stream access points, weekend traffic in particular has been very brisk so, be prepared to wait a few minutes at the inspection station if you are taking a boat.
Flies: Yankee Buzzer, Jumbo Juju, Tak’s Chironomid, Garcia’s Rojo Grande Midge, Rapunzel Damsel, Gaviglio’s Calibaetis Nymph, Poxyback Calibaetis Nymph, Hare’s Ear, Copper John
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Spinney Mountain Reservoir
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| Conditions: Despite all forecasts to the contrary, the boat ramp has opened for the season and trailer launching is now available. Not a moment too soon. Action on the lake has really started to happen. There is good success on both Chironomid and Calibaetis imitations, not only on nymphs but Adult Calibaetis as well. Anglers looking to target cruising risers can definitely do so when conditions allow and then go back to subsurface methods when the hatch is done or the wind picks up. Traffic has been brisk with the combination of good fishing and high rivers elsewhere but, the lake has plenty of surface to spread out on. Static nymph rigs are providing solid success with a combination of Calibaetis and Chironomid imitations fished from 5-11 feet depending on the time of day and weather. As we mention in the Antero report, we like to fish 3 flies under the indicator and be willing to mix up the patterns and depth until we find the right combo for the moment. Keeping in mind that the right combo can change over the course of the day as fish may change their appetite or the food changes it’s elevation. Anglers looking to mix it up and target Pike have been doing well also. We have had reports of luck for those on Streamers given some action as well as even a few fish landed on Olive Wooly Buggers suspended under indicators.
Flies: Jumbo Juju, Tak’s Halo Midge, Yankee Buzzer, Poxyback Calibaetis, Birds Nest, Gaviglio’s Calibaetis Nymph, CDC Calibaetis Nymph, Hare’s Ear, Brook’s Sprout Calibaetis, Parachute Adams, CDC Calibaetis Spinner, Hale Bopp Leeches
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Delaney Buttes Lakes
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| Conditions: Action has been good day-to-day as conditions have allowed. The biggest issue has been the wind, which has been quite brisk at times enough to blow you off the water. Look for Chironomid and Calibaetis to provide the bulk of the menu at the moment. Fish a couple of nymphs suspended under and indicator or slow crawl a smaller leech pattern to start. If you hit a day without any wind there may also be some good moments to throw Calibaetis dries to cruising fish.
Flies: Egg Patterns, Bead Pheasant Tail, Bead Hare’s Ear, Copper John, Jumbo Juju, Zebra Midge, Tak’s Chironomid, Hale Bopp Leech
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