The Colorado Angler Fishing Report – June 30, 2015
June 30th, 2015
The Colorado Angler Fly Fishing Report
Plan your next fishing trip knowing you’ll arrive without any surprises. Our professional fishing reports are updated weekly with stream and river flows, recommended flies, equipment, and special fishing tips for the most important fly-fishing destinations in Colorado. To see a detailed fishing report for a specific river, simply scroll below to read 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. Understanding how fisheries change during the year, as well as how to approach them is key to growing an angler’s skill set. We hope you use this invaluable information to your advantage. 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. 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. Call: Toll Free 855-CO TROUT (268-7688) Spring Hours: Monday – Saturday 7 am – 6 pm, Sunday 8 am – 5 pm
Recent Update: June 30, 2015
Conditions continue to improve state wide, as run off is winding down and most rivers are merely running “just a little above average”. For all of you high water anglers out there, now is the time to get on the river before flows fall to levels that appeal to everyone and bring the crowds. For those of you that may be high water averse, you may want to consider giving it a try as well. Flows are down considerably from their peaks just over a week ago and clarity is flat out fantastic. Although these flows may be higher than some are comfortable with, they offer some of the first post run-off chances at hungry trout that have not yet been too pressured by crowds of anglers. Often times the key factor for success at this time of year is just getting a cast into any available soft water, with a reasonable fly imitation. Seeing that summer hatches of PMDs, Caddis, Yellow Sallies, just to name a few, are ramping up everywhere, it should be pretty easy to find a few reasonable patterns for current conditions. The big difference to the high flows now that they have started to fall, will be clarity. When rivers rise they generally inundate previously dry channels and bank sides, picking up debris and sediment that had been “high and dry”. That is what causes the majority of color in the water. Once those flows peak and re-establish a river channel, that debris will be moved downstream and the stream bottom will stabilize, and along with it clarity. And from the “You may not believe this category”: For those of you that missed out on the hatch this year, you may still have a chance. As of Saturday the 27th, good numbers of adult Salmonflies are still present in the upper reaches of Gore Canyon. Not to mention that as the water continues to drop, the trail along the river may once again be passable, which should lessen the difficulty level for the walk into the canyon. If you are up for the hike, drop what you are doing and get in on the action. Detailed reports below 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. |
Blue River Below Dillon Reservoir |
 |
| Flow: 900 cfs. | |
| Conditions: A further reduction to the dam release is great news for local anglers. As of this morning the lake has not yet spilled over the top but, that could happen in the next day or two at the most. This is the most desired management method of the reservoir for anglers because when the lake spills over, water temperatures rise dramatically, which in turn produce some fantastic hatches through town and below. Including Caddis, PMDs and the elusive Green Drake. In the meantime, fishing has remained technical, but productive for skilled anglers. Focus on any soft water that you can find, no matter how small, along the edges, on the inside of bends and below islands. The entirety of the water in town is still coming from the bottom of the dam, which is cold and Mysis shrimp laden. Nymphing continues to offer the best approach with a mix of Shrimp, Egg, Worm and Baetis patterns carrying the lion’s share of success but, also some action on streamers, large stones and searching patterns as well. This is as high as the water has been yet this season and weight will continue to be a major factor in your success. Keep in mind that most of the fish you are targeting are holding in very small/short lies. This will require your flies to drop very quickly in order to get in front of the fish before blowing past them into the heavy current. We are still recommending 2 AAA to start with and then bump it up or down accordingly depending on location. Same thing for tippet. Start with 3X and adjust up or down if needed. Although, we wouldn’t expect to land too many if dropping to 4X. Traffic does remain light for the Blue but, when you consider the diminished access due to high water it is still fairly busy. Be patient and show your fellow angler a little courtesy by not crowding into water that may not support more than one angler.
Town Flies: Stalcup’s Mysis, BTS Mysis, Charlie’s Mysis – All in size 14-16, Copper John 16-20, Kingery’s Cap’n Hook, Pure Midge Larva Red, Tube Midge – Black or Red, RS-2 – Black or Dun, WD40 – Black or Chocolate, Two Bit Hooker, Winter Baetis, Black Beauty, Disco Midge, Desert Storm, Rainbow Warrior, UV Emerger – Black or Brown, Otter Soft Milking Egg, Bead Eggs, Wooly Bugger Black or Olive, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Flossy Worn |
|
Blue River Below Green Mountain |
|
| Flow: 1350 cfs. | |
| Conditions: A huge drop in flows over the past few days. At this level it will still be very high but, there should be enough water available for a few experienced wade fishermen to find some action. If you go your best bet will probably be a tandem nymph rig with a mix of larger Stonefly patterns, beaded searching nymphs, large Mayfly imitations and San Juan Worms. There had been a good Baetis emergence prior to the big flush but, our guess is that may be done for now. Typical of heavy flows, make sure to bump up your tippet size and the amount of weight on your rig. Look for any soft edge water or eddy seams that may offer a sheltered lie for trout with access to a food stream. At this water level it may still be a little high for boaters to get under the bridges as you float through the ranch below Spring Creek Road. We would certainly urge caution in that regard and recommend against putting yourself at risk for harm or trespass. Know before you go.
Flies: Big bead heads: Tungsten Split Case Green Drake, Hare’s Ear, Tungteaser, Pheasant Tail, Stubby Stone, Twenty Incher, Rubberlegs, Psycho Prince, Mr Peacock Ice, Flossy Worm. The Smaller Stuff: Split Case BWO, Barr’s BWO, Juju Baetis, Zebra Midge, Poison Tung, Winter Baetis, Black Beauty, Rojo Midge, Otter Egg. Streamers: Silver Bullet, Slumpbuster, Sculpzilla, Tungsten Thin Mint. Dries: Winger Parachute BWO, CDC Baetis Parachute Dun, Mole Fly, Sparkle Baetis, No Hackle Slate Gray. 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. At 1,500 cfs the bridges are impassable. |
|
Colorado River Above Kremmling (Parshall)
|
|
| Flow: 1650 cfs. @ Parshall | |
| Conditions: Still on the high side for this popular stretch of river but, some noticeable improvement to conditions. Clarity is great and additional quiet water opens up daily. There are still a few Salmonflies up in Byers to be found however, those numbers are declining rapidly. Look for summer hatches to ramp up with Caddis, PMDs, Yellow Sallies and even an odd Red Quill to emerge over the next several weeks. Concentrate on the quiet water along the banks, as well as the inside of riffles and below islands. This is still a good amount of water and wading will be limited, with crossing out of the question. However, the higher flow will help keep angler traffic down, providing less pressured fish for those that undertake the challenge. Although nymphs will be the most consistent method throughout the day, as these summer hatches emerge there will be periods of surface activity towards the bottom of riffles onto adjacent flats and pockets.
Flies: Pat’s Rubber Legs, Kaufman Stonefly Nymph, B-1 Bomber, Beaded Pheasant Tail, Beaded Prince, Twenty Incher, Iron Sally, Graphic Caddis, Tungsten Yellow Sally, Poxybiot Nymph, Nitro Caddis, Tungsten Split Case PMD, Buckskin Caddis, San Juan Worm Patterns |
|
Colorado River Pumphouse to Dotsero |
 |
| Flow: 3400 cfs. @ Pumphouse | |
| Conditions: Although this may still be a little higher than many are used to, this is a fantastic flow on the upper Colorado. Less than 2 weeks from peak levels at 8,000, fish are hungry and feeding with intensity. Now is the time to hit this stretch while fish are still replenishing calories burned surviving run-off. Clarity is incredible, with over 4 feet of visibility it is easy to see structure and obstacles. Summer hatches of Caddis, PMDs, Yellow Sallies and Dark Stones are emerging from Gore all the way down past Catamount. In most places the river will be back within it’s banks, providing a defined channel to focus on. Look for soft water along the edges, below structure and islands , as well as seams adjacent to riffles. Nymphs will work well throughout the day, either as part of a dry/dropper set-up or a in a tandem nymph rig. Imitations for the current hatches have all been productive as well as continued success on large Stonefly nymphs and beaded searching patterns. Hatches have produced some solid dry fly action as well when adults are present. Typically that has been mid-morning til early afternoon and then again the last two hours of daylight. If it’s cloudy that can shift the prime time to most of the afternoon. The streamer bite still seems a little inconsistent, considering the volume of water and trouble that can cause fingerling trout and smaller fish like Sculpin.
Salmonfly Update: If you are still looking for legitimate dry fly action on adult Salmonflies, it can be had. As of Tuesday June 30, there were still of few of them deep in Gore Canyon. BUT, this is not an easy endeavor. It is a very rigorous hike into the heart of the canyon, at least 2 miles and the further you hike the better. Be prepared with water, food and a head lamp for the hike out, just in case you get so caught up in the action you lose track of time.
Flies: Chubby Chernobyl, Foamulator Orange or Black, Kaufman Stonefly Nymph, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Tungsten Split Case PMD, Poxybiot Nymph, Beaded Pheasant Tails, Beaded Hares Ears, Hot Wire Prince, Ice Prince Blue, Tungsten Prince, Rubber Leg Mr Peacock, San Juan Worm patterns, Miscellaneous Streamers: Sculpzilla, Silver Bullet, Space Invader, Beldar, Bead Head Buggers in Black or White |
|
Colorado Below Glenwood Springs |
 |
| Flow: 10,200 cfs. | |
| Conditions: Big and dirty but, starting to improve as post run-off water is now clearing up. It’s a shame, Spring fishing had been so good and the Caddis were thick. Probably going to be out of the rotation for some time. Check back mid July.
Flies: Mr Peacock Ice, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Tungteaser, Bead Prince, Hot Wire Prince, Twenty Incher, Tungsten Pheasant Tail, Bead Hares Ear, San Juan Worm patterns.
|
|
Arkansas River Above Buena Vista |
 |
| Flow: 1500 cfs. @ Granite. 650 Hayden Meadows | |
| Conditions: Flows are still on the high side BUT, have improved dramatically and the upper river, above Lake Creek in Balltown, is now worth a look. Clarity is more than a couple of feet, soft water is growing and bugs are hatching. Bugs such as Caddis, PMDs, Yellow Sallies and the popular Green Drake. Dry fly action has been pretty good when you factor in the volume of water in the river right now. That action will be late morning to early afternoon, with imitations for those hatches when they are present. As well as Golden Stone and Attractor dries. Prior to and after that nymphing has been solid on imitations for those key hatches along with beaded searching nymphs. The key to fishing this with dries or nymphs right now will be to focus on the available soft water that offers some refuge to fish while flows are still coming down. This will require you to cover some distance, you can’t just roll up to the river and camp on a run for 2 hours and hope to continue to catch fish. Find some quiet water, give it some thorough attention and then move upstream looking for the next sheltered lie, repeat the process. The sheltering water that is out there right now are generally small spots, that might only hold a couple of fish and then you will have to move to another spot to find the next couple of fish.
Flies: Two bit Hooker, Beaded Hares Ear, Hot Wire Prince, Beaded Pheasant Tail, Copper John, CDC Hares Ear, Twenty Incher, Mr Peacock, RS-2, Flossy Worm, Stimulator, Hippie Stomper, Parachute Adams, Parachute Extended Body BWO, Sprout Baetis, Mole Fly, Sparkle Baetis, No Hackle Baetis, Winger Parachute |
|
Arkansas River Salida Area
|
 |
| Flow: 2700 cfs. @ Salida | |
| Conditions: Stream flows are still high but, they have dropped significantly over the past week and are clearing up. There will be a few scattered spots where you can find a sheltered lie and very likely find some eager trout looking for an easy meal in these tough times. It is still just a little too early to make this a destination for an entire day on the river but, it you are headed through and have your gear with you, give it a try. This will improve quickly as snow-pack in the upper basin is dwindling and flows are on the steady decline. Maybe as soon as after the holiday weekend.
Flies: Beadhead Pheasant Tail, Beadhead Prince, Beadhead Hare’s Ear, Red or Chartreuse Copper John, Hot Wire Prince, Tungteaser, Tungstone, Biot Epoxyback Stone, Iron Sally, Psycho Prince, Hot Wire Prince, Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulator, Foam Caddis, Spotlight Caddis, Hippie Stomper, Parachute Mayfly imitations, Chubby Chernobyl, Fuzzy Wuzzy, Foamulator |
|
Roaring Fork River at Glenwood Springs |
|
| Flow: 3670 cfs. | |
| Conditions: Dropping fast and starting to fish. Flows are still high and clarity is stained but, there are plenty of soft water holding lies available producing some fish. The river is on the cusp of taking off with prolific hatches of Caddis, PMDs, Yellow Sallies Golden Stones and Green Drakes. In anticipation of that you can fish a pair of larger nymph imitations for those hatches either under an indicator or a large foam dry fly. Beaded searching patterns in 14-10 are also productive at this time. We really like to hit this hard once the flows have dropped under 3,000. At that level there is increasing soft water for trout to hold and feed in that is reachable to floating anglers, as well as some places for waders.
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, Hot Wire Prince, |
|
South Platte River, Middle Fork |
|
| Flow: 350 +/- cfs. | |
| Conditions: Big and rolling. Off color. But, on the mend from it’s peak just 8 days ago, which is a positive development. The current decline is a little flatter than other rivers but, as this gets into the 250-200 cfs range, it should improve dramatically. For now, run-off is peaking in South Park and conditions are sub-prime to say the least. Not totally out of the question for finding a fish BUT, a very low percentage opportunity. The river will be out of it’s banks in many places, making it difficult to locate the true bank. As with all high water situations target the available soft water. Tomahawk State Wildlife Area will have a good amount of that type of water in some of the big bends that produce a back eddy. Nymph rigs and streamers may be the higher percentage approach but, high water also washes terrestrials into the river and can produce some limited dry fly fishing. Our advice would be to fish your way upstream with bugs, then when you turn around to head back to the car cover that same water with that streamer set-up.
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, Silver Bullet |
|
South Platte, Dream Stream |
 |
| Flow: 750cfs. | |
| Conditions: Very large but, very clean, and a slight improvement from peak flows last Friday of 980 cfs. This will be a slower, steady decline compared to other rivers in the state. Along with the run-off increases, Denver Water needs to drain Antero Reservoir upstream, which will impact flows here for some time. At these high flows it is a South Platte experience so far from the norm that everybody should at least go check it out. Sure it’s not ideal conditions, but there are fish to be had and enough soft water edges to find them on. Sight fishing will be less than ideal in most places, which may limit your productivity as this place is best fished when you are targeting fish that you can see. However, where you can’t spot em, concentrate on those soft water edges with a mix of nymphs including Caddis Larva, PMDs, Scuds and San Juan Worms. Step up your tippet from the typical minute diameters required here to at least 4x and bump up the weight as well. The most overlooked adjustment to be made will be the amount of weight added to the line. This is often the single largest determination between success and the skunk. Don’t be shy with your split shot. This is where sight nymphing can really help illustrate how much weight it takes to get your flies down to holding/feeding fish. Keep an eye on the target fish as your rig drifts into his feeding lane and see how the fish reacts. Often times no reaction can mean the fish didn’t even see the fly. Whereas even a refusal to your offering at least meant the fish has seen it and just didn’t like it for one reason or another.
Flies: Loop Wing Emerger, Pure Midge Larva Black or Pale Olive, Black, Red, Chartreuse Copper John, Juju Baetis, Buckskin, Caddis Larva, Hunchback Scud, Poxybiot Nymph, Desert Storm Chartreuse, Tube Midge, Poison Tung, Zebra Midge Black/Silver, Barr’s Emerger BWO, RS2, Poxybiot Nymph, Egg Patterns, Cap’n Hook, Disco Midge, San Juan Work variations |
|
Williams Fork River Below Dam |
|
| Flow: 388 cfs. | |
| Conditions: After jumping up to a peak flow of 850 for the past week, a substantial drop over the past few days. We do expect this to continue as inflows into the reservoir are dropping quickly. This is a very high flow, that is possible for experienced anglers on this small tail-water but, it is a technical proposition that may intimidate some. As with all above average flow situations, adjust your strategy as much as you adjust your set-up. First, with regards to your set-up, increase both your tippet size and the amount of weight added to your line. Look for those sheltered lies and quiet water along the edges to find fish holding out of the heavier current that might still be a shock to them after the prolonged low winter flows. A wide range of patterns should work for the time being as the large flows will carry more food, as well. San Juan Worm, small Stonefly nymphs, Caddis and Mayfly imitations should all produce some action. As the flow drops, look for fish to move into a wider range of water types and be widely distributed throughout the river. This is still a much better option in this valley than just below its confluence with the Colorado River. With that popular piece of water currently out of it’s banks in spots, a lot of the usual angler pressure that will frequent it at this time of year will now move up onto the Willie’s. So, be prepared to find above average traffic at times.
Flies: Poxy Biot Nymph, Buckskin, Flossy Worm, Little Brown Bug, Two Bit Hooker, Flash Back Pheasant Tail, Split Case BWO, Big Bear Baetis, 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 |
|
Antero Reservoir |
|
| Conditions: Closed for Remodeling
|
|
Spinney Mountain Reservoir |
 |
| Conditions: Open for the season and results have been solid. Action has been reported on a wide range of nymphs including insect and spawn patterns.
Flies: Jumbo Juju, Yankee Buzzer, Skinny Nelson, Chartreuse Copper John, Hare’s Ear, Egg Patterns
|
|
Delaney Buttes Lakes |
 |
| Conditions: North has slowed but, East and South continue to produce decent results on Chironomid and Calibaetis patterns. Flies: Jumbo Juju, Rojo Grande, Yankee Buzzer, Tak’s Chironomid, Poxy Back Calibaetis, Hares Ear, Chartreuse Copper John, Pheasant Tail, Bead Prince. |
|