Colorado River Salmonfly Hatch Update – Monday Morning June 16, 2014
June 16th, 2014
Good Salmonfly action continues on the Colorado River in two different locations.
The upper stretch, in the Parshall area up into Beyer’s Canyon continues to see an emergence that is reflective of a full on hatch. Good numbers of bugs remain present in the bushes and rocks adjacent to the river throughout the day, which leads to widespread bugs flying in the afternoon. It appears as if the emergence is still underway, with additional bugs adding to the population of adults over the past couple of days.
Action this past weekend ranged from fair to excellent, depending on who you talk to. We saw great action at times to our dries. River conditions do remain tougher than the past couple of years and this can limit wading in some areas, thus some spots productivity being hit or miss. Lone Buck and Paul Gilbert State Wildlife areas, with their wider channel, spread that extra water out pretty well and offer reasonably good access combined with a good amount of bugs.
Beyer’s Canyon still remains a tougher endeavor from the higher water. Wading access is limited and the swifter current offers less holding water through some runs than what is preferred. However, flows are on the decline and that is changing daily. As that happens there are additional lies opening up every day and should offer new spots for committed anglers.
Downstream below Kremmling, the hatch is definitely winding up. Yet we did see a very good weekend in the steeper canyon terrain, after a bit of a slower day Friday. Our best results continue to be in Gore, Little Gore and Yarmony Canyons and the water immediately above and below them, both for wading and floating. There are still a few bugs flying in the afternoons and fish will feed on adult Salmonfly patterns if you are committed to throwing them. Flows are down now to 4,390 with a solid 2 feet of clarity. There probably isn’t too much more to this hatch through this stretch, so make the next couple of days count.