Report for June 4.
Well The Hatch has started on the upper Colorado. As in the Salmonflies. Overnight Monday brought the first real emergence and there where decent numbers of adults yesterday (Tuesday). Response to adult Pteronarcys patterns was muted though, and this could be due to the early stage of the hatch and no egg layers had returned to the river yet. Or it could be due to the extremely high water and the river being out of it’s banks and normal channel. We have boats on the water today and will update this evening.
Denver Water has announced additional changes from Dillon, which will bring the outflow into the Blue River up to 1600 cfs! That is a whole lotta water. While this may not make the river totally un-fishable, it will seriously limit it to just a few spots. At this point it looks as if Green Mountain will stay where its at with regard to flows. Current releases of 1500 are about the max they can release with out it spilling over the top. Good news for the time being on the Colorado.With continued warm temperatures, flows continue to rise throughout the state and many locations have been reduced to whitewater runs. There are still some options out there for anglers that enjoy the challenge of big water fishing, both freestone and tailwater alike, but they are getting more scarce as well. If you venture out on to one of these stretches rewards can be found as can the elevated risk factor. Make sensible wading choices and don’t put yourself into and unnecessary danger. The water will subside soon enough.
With our near record snow pack this year, run-off is looking to be an above average event this year for both volume of water in most water sheds, as well as the duration for which it may last. While that may sound foreboding, one thing that we experienced from our last big water year in 2011, is there will be plenty of options our there if you are willing to make adjustments to your normal approach. And we will continue to offer insight and suggestions on how to make the most out of current conditions.
The tailwaters in the high country are a great option during the run-off season. With the dams pumping water to make room, the fish below are able to move freely and confidently. The pressure is lowered on them because they can hide, chase bugs, and in the big slow moving pockets they can relax. The Dream Stream and 11 Mile Canyon Stretches of the South Platte are both at very unseasonable flows right now under 110 cfs and offer great access.
Tailwaters, as appealing as they are right now, are not the only options. Lake fishing has been productive as well. Antero and Spinney in South Park are starting to offer some decent action day-to-day for trout with the occasional Pike coming out of Spinney. Where as the Pike season is just about to bust open on Williams Fork, with some decent action at times being reported. That should become more stable now as the reservoir is about full and temperatures will start to rise. The North park area has been quite productive for rainbow, cutthroat, and brown trout on the still waters, such as Lake John, North, and East Delaney Butte lakes.
This time of year is very fluid, with daily changes due to weather and snow melt. 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 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: 1600 cfs. |
| Conditions: Some pretty big water at the moment. Sure it’s a Tailwater and relatively clear but, there are limited lies for trout to be holding in that are accessible. The few spots that you can get a fly into have actually produced some great results, for hook ups that is, landing fish in this torrent has been another story entirely. The key to fishing in town right now will be to find a sheltered lie in the river that you can access and adjust to the extreme conditions appropriately. Most notably by bumping up the weight on your nymph rig. Significantly. Not only do you need to add weight for the sheer volume of water but, most of these drifts are going to be very short and you will want to get it down quickly. In most cases somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 to 6 BB shot or 2 to 4 AAA. Then, leave the delicate, winter weight tippet in the car and bring out the heavy stuff, 2 or 3x has been working well for anglers lately. This will give you a chance at steering any fish you hook out of the heavy water and towards the bank. Definitely bring along your favorite Mysis patterns in larger sizes, 16 and up, along with San Juan Worms and Egg Patterns. It’s also a good time to try dead drifting streamer patterns, sometimes a big meaty meal can be hard to pass up as it drifts on by a trout burning up twice it’s normal calories just to stay put.
Town Flies: Candy Cane, Stalcup’s Mysis, Kingery’s Mysis, BTS Mysis, Flossy Worm, San Juan Worm, San Juan Flash Worm, Otter Soft Milking Egg, RS-2, STD Baetis, Black or Chocolate UV Emerger, Kingery’s Cap’n Hook, Pure Midge Larva, Black Beauty, Tube Midge Black or Red, Winter Baetis, Two Bit Hooker, Rainbow Warrior,Split Case BWO, Wooly Bugger Black or Olive
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Blue River Below Green Mountain
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| Flow: 1520 cfs. |
| Conditions: Flows continue to climb to make room for the snow melt. At this level, wade fishing in the canyon is getting very limited, as edge water becomes heavier and tougher to access along vegetated banks. Floating is still an option but, getting fairly swift and necessitating the need for a lot of additional weight. Nymphing will provide the more consistent action, fished with a tandem set-up starting with a larger imitation for a Stonefly, big Mayfly or beaded searching pattern followed up with a San Juan Worm or Egg Pattern. And streamer patterns are always in vogue through the canyon. With the flow getting higher, it may be worth using a sink tip line to help get those down and keep ’em in the strike zone longer.
Flies: Big bead heads: Hare’s Ear, Tungteaser, Pheasant Tail, Stubby Stone, Twenty Incher, Rubberlegs, Psycho Prince, Mr Peacock Ice, Flossy Worm, Split Case BWO, Barr’s BWO, Juju Baetis, Zebra Midge, Poison Tung, Winter Baetis, Black Beauty, Rojo Midge, Otter Egg, and Morrish’s iron sally.
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: 3800 cfs. @ Parshall |
Conditions: Wow, this is some very big water and will pretty much shut this down for some time. At least until it clears and starts to drop. But even then, it will be a very technical until it gets back down to the 1,000 – 1,200 cfs range. (Prime Summer wade conditions are in the 500-900 cfs range) If you are in the area and still looking to fish, switch gears and head on up to the Williams Fork Reservoir and try your hand at Pike fishing for a change.
Flies: Big bugs with flash and beads – streamers and nymphs. Pat’s Rubber Legs, Twenty Incher, Tungteaser, Kaufman Stone Nymph, Beaded Rubber Leg Ice Prince, Heavy Metal Worm, Flossy Worm, LE Marabou Streamer, Sculpzilla, Slap and Tickle, Woolhead Sculpin
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Colorado River Pumphouse to Dotsero
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| Flow: 8410 cfs. |
| Conditions: Conditions and action have definitely taken a hit with regards to consistency here. Flows are currently running about 3 times their seasonal volume and visibility is little to none at times. This has combined to make things tough over the past couple of weeks or so. The good news though is that water temps have been relatively stable in their daily swings, fluctuating between 50-56 most days. As a result there have been good numbers of adult insects present, with good numbers of Caddis later in the day and even a few remaining Blue Wings. However, with the poor clarity, there has been very little surface activity. The majority of what limited action there has been, has come on nymph patterns, with that in mind try a double fly rig under an indicator. Start with a larger beaded searching nymph or Stonefly imitation for the lead fly, then drop a smaller slightly smaller offering for the Caddis or even a mid-sized searching nymph such as a Prince or Hare’s Ear. And with conditions being what they are for clarity, streamer fishing has also led to some success as well. This is a substantial amount of water but, by no means is it too much water. You just have to adjust to the conditions and fish some different spots than you would at 1,000 cfs. As for the Salmonflies, our best guess is forecasting them to come off slightly behind schedule. The general rule is they are a Memorial Day hatch, give or take depending on water levels, so look for them first or second week of June. Water temps at the moment seem to be trending up, aside from these interruptions of snow.
Flies: Tungteaser, Rubberlegs, Beaded Pheasant Tails, Beaded Hares Ears, Tungsten Prince, Rubber Leg Mr Peacock, Miscellaneous Streamers: Sculpzilla, Silver Bullet, Space Invader, Beldar, Bead Head Buggers in Black or White
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Colorado Below Glenwood Springs
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| Flow 23,400 cfs. |
Conditions: Big and dirty. Run-off is in full effect on lower part of the river. With as many smaller drainages that drain into this river, clarity at this time of year is problematic. Generally speaking a good rule of thumb is: green is good brown is down. Even if it is only a foot or so of visibility, if there is an overall greenish hue to the river it should be good to go. But, when that color shifts to brown it tends to turn off. With the heat of Spring settling in, Brown is now the color du jour. It could be some time before we see good fishing conditions on the lower river.
Flies: Mr Peacock Ice, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Tungteaser, Bead Prince, Twenty Incher, Tungsten Pheasant Tail, Bead Prince, Bead Hares Ear, Tungstone, Barr’s Emerger, Zebra Midge, Juju Baetis, Poison Tung, Winter Baetis, brightly colored San Juan worm, Sculpzilla, Space Invader, Silver Bullet
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Arkansas River Above Buena Vista
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| Flow: 2900 cfs. @ Granite 1390 @ Hayden |
Conditions: That is a lot of water for the entire river at the moment. There really won’t be too much to offer at these levels, not to mention the lack of clarity. Flows are still climbing and it looks as if peak may still be a week or so out yet. We’ll keep you posted on things as they start to recede.
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, RS-2, Zebra Midge, White Streamers
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Arkansas River Salida Area
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| Flow: 3440 cfs. @ Salida |
Conditions: Very big and mostly dirty. It’s going to be a couple of weeks before this begins to drop to manageable levels. We’ll keep an eye on it and let you know when it begins to get near a level that is even close to realistic.
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.
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, Slumpbuster, Silver Bullet, Autumn Splendor, Sparkle Minnow.
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Roaring Fork River at Glenwood Springs
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| Flow: 6,000-7,000 cfs. |
Conditions: Run-off has returned to the valley with recent warm temperatures. For the most part the Fork is done even up to Aspen. However, if you are in the valley, take the turn up the Frying Pan and fish some clean water. Just be prepared for the crowds, as this is about the only game in town with regards to moving water clear enough to fish in the Glenwood to Aspen area. There has been some decent action to Blue Winged Olive adults at times, as well/
Flies: Twenty Incher, Tungteaser, Stubby stones, Beaded Pheasant Tail, Standard Pheasant Tail, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Tungstone, Copper Johns, Hares Ear, Mr. Peacock, CDC Prince, Split Case BWO, Barr’s BWO Emerger, RS 2, Tungsten Psycho May, Hot Wire Prince, Two Bit Hooker, STD Baetis and a variety of Eggs.
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South Platte River, Middle Fork
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| Flow: 400+/- cfs. |
Conditions: Starting to climb into early run-off levels with the recent warm spell. Clarity is dropping and at times is no more than 8-10 inches. There is still some potential for success for the persistent angler, willing to cover some water. Best bet would be either a tandem nymph rig or some streamer fishing. For the nymphs try a larger beaded searching pattern or Stonefly imitation followed up with a variety of other staples for this fertile river. Caddis, Baetis, Green Drake and San Juan Worm patterns can all work well throughout the year. Our approach would be to fish our way upstream with that 2 fly nymph set-up and then switch over to streamers for the walk back down and cover some of the same water again. This is coming up fast and may be totally done shortly.
Flies: Chartreuse Copper John, Rainbow Warrior, Egg Patterns, Hot Wire Prince, Beaded Flash Prince, Tungteaser, Tung Psycho May, Zebra Midge, Poison Tung, Rainbow Warrior, Autumn Splendor, Slumpbuster, Sparkle Bugger
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South Platte, Dream Stream
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| Flow 122 cfs. |
Conditions: A Little bump up in flows for this popular tailwater. This should be good news, at least for the time being. Flows in the 100-250 range tend to give anglers a better shot at feeding fish, as these levels not only carry a little more food from the dam, they also give a little more cover to the angler, so less spooky fish. Tandem nymph rigs will still be the best method for the time being but, once the lake fills and starts to spill over we expect the Caddis to start to hatch. A mix of Caddis larva, Baetis and PMD nymphs as well as some well drifted San Juan Worms and Scud patterns with the higher flows will be a good start. Traffic has been very stout with and will continue to be that way for some time yet. There just aren’t too many river fishing opportunities at this time due to run-off. Another option in the area is to head further downstream below 11 Mile Reservoir into 11 Mile Canyon. Again this is a tailwater and will be busy during run-off but, there are not as many guide services permitted to fish that stretch and traffic may be slightly more manageable.
Flies: Black Copper John #22, Juju Baetis, Buckskin, Desert Storm Chartreuse, Tube Midge, Midge Biot, UV Emerger, Poison Tung, Zebra Midge Black/Silver, Barr’s Emerger BWO, RS2, Poxybiot Nymph, Egg Patterns, Pure Midge Larva, Cap’n Hook
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Williams Fork River Below Dam
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| Flow 1100 cfs. |
Conditions: Big release coming out of the dam now! This will pretty much shut the river down to all but the hardiest of waders and most advanced anglers. Even those skills will leave you out matched. There may be a spot or two that you can pull a fish from but, it will be limited. Your best bet may be to give it a rest for this tailwater for the time being. Take a break from the trout and head up to the reservoir and try your hand at some Pike fishing, which is starting to ramp up and can offer a fun distraction through run-off.
Flies: Caddis Larva, Buckskin, Heavy Metal Worm, Flossy Worm, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Little Brown Bug, Two Bit Hooker, Flash Back Pheasant Tail, Split Case BWO, Tungsten Psycho May BWO, Pure Midge Larva, Rainbow Warrior, Rojo Midge, Biot mayfly Emerger, #20-22 Green Copper John, Zebra Midge, RS2’s, 5-0 Midge, UV Emerger
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Antero Reservoir
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Conditions: Starting to see some good signs of Spring on the lake. The Chironomid hatch has begun, look for them to emerge later in the morning. Action has been moderate for this popular still water destination, with a variety of nymphs and streamer patterns working throughout the day. Fishing may be slow to start some days so you may want to stick around to at least early afternoon, as it seem like some days it takes that long to get going. For nymph rigs, use a mix of Chironomid, Calibaetis and smaller Midge nymph imitations in a static indicator rig. Vary your depth initially with a two fly rig to see if there is any particular level where trout are feeding. Also worth trying would be slow retrieving streamers that imitate Damsels, Leeches or Crayfish. If the wind picks up later in the day, try suspending any of those streamers under an indicator and let the waves jig them up and down. That is unless the wind really kicks up, then get off the lake and fish another day. Daily access is at the South Ramp, with the North ramp only being open Friday – Sunday.
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, Diamond Lake Special, Wooly Bugger – Black, Olive or Brown, Hale Bopp Leech
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Spinney Mountain Reservoir
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| Conditions: Hearing slightly more consistent reports from here than up the road at Antero. The Chironomid hatch has started and is producing some steady results using subsurface imitations as part of a multi-fly nymph rig. There may be the occasion for some dry fly activity for adult Chironomid patterns as well, it’s just that the wind has been so consistently present that there have not been enough days when it’s not blowing the adults off the water. At this time of year we recommend a mix of Chironomid, Calibaetis and small Midge nymph imitations fished under an indicator as a static nymph rig. Mix up the depth at various points with your flies in order to pin point any particular level the trout may favor for feeding. For those of you that can’t focus that long on an indicator, try a slow retrieve with streamer patterns that imitate Leeches, Damsel Fly nymphs or Crayfish. And this time of year always offers the chance at cruisers along the dam picking up Egg patterns.
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, Diamond Lake Special, Wooly Bugger – Black, Olive or Brown, Hale Bopp Leech
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Delaney Buttes Lakes
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Conditions: All three lakes are open, with mixed results. None of them are on fire but, action has been good enough to warrant a return trip or two for Nick “The Kid”. The North lake has produced some of the nicer fish, particularly if you are not averse to fishing at night. With shore anglers doing as well, if not better than boaters. East and South have been producing slightly more action, with a smaller size on average. Streamers have been as productive as anything but, we always like to give it a try with our favorite lake nymphs under an indicator, as well. While you are up that way, don’t overlook the large impoundment just to the east, Lake John. Action over there has been slightly more consistent, with average fish running 18-20 inches.
Flies: Egg Patterns, Bead Pheasant Tail, Bead Hare’s Ear, Copper John, Jumbo Juju, Hares Ear, Zebra Midge, Tak’s Chironomid, Hale Bopp Leech, LE Leech, Wooly Bugger in Black, Olive or Brown, Sculpzilla
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