Colorado River Salmonfly Hatch Update – Sunday June 8, 2014
June 08th, 2014
Stream flows on the upper Colorado River have dropped steadily over the past few days and Saturday saw some of the best dry fly action yet for the Salmonfly hatch. This is all relative, as flows are still way above average and conditions remain very technical. There continues to be a large volume of bugs along the river, as well as flying in the afternoon.
Morning action, what little there is, continues to be most consistent on nymph rigs featuring large Stonefly imitations followed up with beaded searching patterns. Although the volume of water has dropped from about 8500 last weekend to 6400 this morning, there are still plenty of submerged hazards to hang up on with those nymphs.
The excitement for the hatch seems to be building with the trout now that there have been good numbers of bugs present for the better part of 5 days. That, along with the improvement in overall conditions seems to have started a boost in interest for the dry. Yesterday’s action definitely felt like the fish in some places were looking for the big meal.
Again, with this year’s abnormally high water, it is still not like a typical Salmonfly hatch with low flows and easy access. Wading is difficult at best and water levels will still create a technical challenge but, if you are committed to fish this hatch, you can find some success.