Report for July 4th
Great fishing remains throughout most of the high country as summer hatches are popping on every major river around. The highlights: PMDs, Yellow Sallies and Caddis are just about everywhere so, don’t hit the river without having some of your favorite patterns for them in your box. Green Drakes continue to hatch on the Roaring Fork although, the hatch is moving upriver rapidly. Flows are at great levels for both wade and float anglers on most rivers in the central part of the state.
That will change on some rivers very quickly, namely the Eagle as flows are dropping fast and may not float a boat much longer. If you are trying to get on there before it returns to a wade only fishery for the rest of the season, this may be your last weekend to do so.
The weather pattern has shown signs of change in the past few days and that is encouraging. While not in a full blown Monsoon pattern yet, we are optimistic that will be coming on schedule for July offering cooler temperatures and good cloud cover for fish to rise under. We’ll keep you posted if that happens and how to best plan for taking advantage of that phenomenon.
Last Chance to Vote for Us!
We try to keep this information as current as possible not only here but, with additional detailed updates as needed in our blog. We hope that you find this material informative and helpful in preparing to get out on the water. If so, please take a minute or two to vote for us in the annual “Best of Summit” contest here. We are listed in the Best of Summit section under “Best Fly Fishing Outfitter”. Voting ends July 6 so, vote early. Unfortunately, this isn’t Chicago so, you will be unable to “vote often”, only one vote per participant. Additionally, if there is a way in which we can improve upon what we are doing, let us know that as well here at the shop.
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: Action through town remains very steady with a good mix of productive patterns. There are still plenty of fish taking the traditional Tailwater Midge, Mayfly and Mysis nymphs fished as part of a multi-fly set up. Although, the dry fly action is a much more spotty as that has been waning over the past several days. You can still find fish rising to Adult Midge imitations, it is just not on a consistent daily basis. We expect that to see the usual summer PMD activity replace that over the next several weeks, we’ll keep you posted on that. Also still a strong set up are the Egg and San Juan Worm imitations. A lot of this will depend on where in town you are at a given moment so, don’t be afraid to mix it up as you move from spot to spot. Further downstream, out of town is starting to offer a few options as water temperatures start to climb and spur both the fish and insects. Best reports from the North are coming from the Shale Wall area as well as the inlet where the river dumps into Green Mountain. With the high sun and lower flows as tributaries down valley recede, water temps are climbing and should start to provide a spark to summer hatches. Under current conditions, the best of which will be Caddis on the northern most reaches of the river just above Green Mountain.
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 .
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Blue River Below Green Mountain
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| Flow: 80 cfs. |
| Conditions: Flows have ticked back up slightly providing a little more cover for fish and anglers alike. This will continue until native flows on the Colorado through Glenwood Canyon drop below Shoshone Power plant’s need. (Somewhere around 1200 cfs) That may take another week or even three although, the speed with which snow melt has dropped leads us to believe that a call for water should happen in the next two weeks. Until that time, take advantage of these low flows to fish some of the deepest parts of the canyon where it can either be to deep to wade or target fish. Recent activity has picked up with a decent Blue Winged Olive hatch and fish looking up to the surface. Clarity is gin clear and fish can be sensitive to fast movements, particularly on sunny days. As always down here, don’t overlook the larger nymphs in the system, as we find fish throughout the year will still capitalize on a hearty offering when presented well. 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 Baetis or Midge pattern for a more timely offering.
Flies: Big bead heads: Hare’s Ear, Tungteaser, Pheasant Tail, Stubby Stone, Twenty Incher, Rubberlegs, Psycho prince. Smaller Hatches: Juju Baetis (Standard and Purple), Barr’s Emerger BWO, Redemption BWO, Split Case BWO, Tung Psycho May BWO, Baetis Big Bear, Zebra Midge, Rojo Midge, Pure Midge Larva, Jujubee, Biot Midge, UV Emerger, CDC BWO Comparadun, Winger Parachute BWO, Sparkle Baetis
Floaters should note: Floating is done for the season, river levels are much too low. 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: 339 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. This is a fantastic level for easy wade fishing while still providing enough volume for cover. Hatches of PMDs, Yellow Sallies and Red Quills are starting to happen and results for well presented imitations of all of them have been good. 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: 550+/- cfs. |
| Conditions: Low and clear flows persist offering a mixed result for anglers and trout. Morning action remains strong on a good mix of patterns both on the surface and below, with a wide range of insect activity to include Pale Morning Duns, Yellow Sallies as well as dark stones, even a few Drakes. Results are solid on dries and nymphs fished in whichever technique you favor and there are still fish looking for a larger meal taking Hopper and Foam Attractor imitations off the surface. As you move downstream below State Bridge to Catamount and beyond, float anglers are having some good streamer activity as well. Our concern is going to be for how long? Afternoons have shown the effects of the below normal water levels. With these unseasonably low flows and hot days, water temperatures are climbing fast. Currently, day time temperature swings are from a low of 59 to highs exceeding 68. 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. Recent releases from the Williams Fork appear to be having an impact as temps that were rising have leveled off. Just keep an eye on it. There are still options on the river in this stretch. As you move down to Radium and State Bridge, the feeder creeks of Sheephorn and Piney dump fresh snow-melt into the river and drop the temperature. Fishing below both these two has been good particularly for float anglers.
Flies: Large stones, Tungteaser, Rubberleg, Sexstones, Salmonfly dries: Designated Hitter, Fuzzy Wuzzy Orange, Half Cocked, B-1 Bomber, Clark’s Stonefly, Beaded Pheasant Tails, Beaded Hares Ears, RS2’s, Split Case BWO, Barr’s Emerger, Juju Baetis, Blue Ribbon Emerger. Gulper Special, BWO Sparkle Wulff, Winger Parachute, CDC Baetis Dun
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Colorado Below Glenwood Springs
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| Flow 2760 cfs. |
| Conditions: Flows are falling right down in to mid-summer levels and clarity has improved beyond expectations as well. After being big and dirty for several weeks during run-off the fish are definitely looking to regain some of the calories they may have missed out on. 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. While most of the Drakes are gone on up the Fork, there are still good options for dries with Yellow Sallies during the day and pockets of PMDs. Evenings have also been very productive on Caddis and Rusty Spinner patterns. There area plenty of fish looking up and even if there doesn’t appear to be a good rise going, you can bring fish to the surface. Keep an eye on water temperatures late in the afternoon the further down river you go below the cooling mix from the Roaring Fork. As you get down past New Castle, things can warm up and become a threat to trout health.
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, Tungsten Yellow Sally, Stimulator, Extended Body PMD, Ginger Variant
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Arkansas River Above Buena Vista
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| Flow: 580 cfs. @ Granite, 180 @ Hayden |
| Conditions: Flows are dropping like a rock after peak to Run-Off just over two weeks ago and fishing is once again on in the upper valley. In particular above Balltown where the discharge from Twin Lakes enters the main river. Visibility is great for allowing trout to forage freely, while still not too clear to give away a fishers presence. Wade anglers should once again find enough soft water and pockets to work in search of hungry fish. Caddis are widespread and offer a good starting point along with attractor dries like Stimulators and PMXs. There are local pockets of Drakes emerging day to day and PMDs and Yellow Sallies will start to be a little more widespread as water temps climb. Nymph imitations for all of those will be effective for the next several weeks. As the water falls even farther, Dry/Dropper rigs will provide solid action with enough coverage for most feeding lies. For the thorough angler, fish your way up river with that Dry/Dropper then re-rig with a dark colored streamer and fish your way back down stream, covering the same water in search of a meat eater.
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, Foamulator, Pearl and Elk Caddis, Peacock Caddis, RS-2, Zebra Midge,
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Arkansas River Salida Area
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| Flow: 700 cfs. @ Salida |
| Conditions: A very quick drop in stream flows has brought the entire river in to perfect conditions for both wade and float anglers. Action has been fantastic, to say the least, all day long on dry dropper rigs with either large attractors or foam hoppers suspending a variety of beaded searching nymphs as well as imitative patterns for current hatches. Those would be the PMDs and Yellow Sallies, which are showing up in decent numbers and should increase over the next several days. Clarity is very clear and allows for good identification of structure and drops. Water temperatures remain healthy but, may start to rise as the heat wave continues. Our recent experiences on the river seem to indicate that drift and placement of the cast are the only important components that matter as the fish seemed to eat everything we are throwing at them. Foam dries holding up a 2 nymph dropper is a deadly combination. As these flows continue to drop to their mid summer levels, water temps will climb and kick off thick hatches and fish willing to rise to dries imitating PMDs, Yellow Sallies, Golden Stones and hopefully even a few Salmonflies. Evening action has been great on adult Caddis as egg layers are returning to lay eggs.
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 80 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, Parachute Extended Body BWO, Juju Baetis, Split Case BWO, Zebra Midge, Garcia’s Rojo Midge, RS-2 and Poison Tung, Parachute Extended Body BWO, Winger Parachute, Sparkle Baetis, CDC Para Dun, High Vis Para Baetis, 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: 1510+/- cfs. |
| Conditions: Green Drakes are a popping. Need we say more? This is what the people in the know have waited for the last 11 months to happen. Now is the time to drop what you are doing and head over to this perfect summer river. With out a doubt this is one of the finest destination rivers anywhere in the lower 48. When things happen here it all turns on with robust hatches of PMDs, Caddis, Yellow Sallies and the fan favorite: Green Drakes. Flows have dropped rapidly, now under the 1,200 cfs neighborhood with clarity of 4+ feet. This should continue to improve even more over the next few days and the next couple of weeks will be spectacular. Action will be solid all day, with a Dry-Double Dropper set up offering the best results from morning through late afternoon. Use a large Hopper or Golden Stone foam dry and hang a good mix of large beaded searching nymphs as well as Mayfly imitations. Clarity is very good and should allow for spotting most of the still submerged willows that remain. Do yourself a favor and do not leave too early. The real action right now is the chance for insane dry fly action right before and just after dark. Some nights are better than others but, if you put in the effort it just may pay off. Go soon as that event will not last too long. Maybe a week and a half, two at the most.
Flies: Twenty Incher, Tungteaser, Stubby stones, Beaded Pheasant Tail, Standard Pheasant Tail, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Tungstone, Twenty Incher, Big Copper Johns, Hares Ear, Mr. Peacock, CDC Prince, Elk Hair Caddis, 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.
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South Platte River, Middle Fork
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| Flow: 150+/- 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 223 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 166 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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