Report for June 18th
Game on! Run off is over and things are turning on faster than you can say Green Drake. Substantial drops in river volumes on every river in the area, with big increases in clarity have made for some of the best conditions for the year. The time just after run off can be some of the most productive fishing all year.
We area already seeing the start of some of the big summer hatches of PMDs, Yellow Sallies, Caddis and dare we say: Drakes. As quick as the flows have come down from their peak last week, water temperatures are starting to climb to optimal levels for specific emergences. We are seeing PMDs and Sallies on the Colorado already a week into it, while down on the Arkansas, we have just seen the first few.
Float fishing is already at prime flows, while the wade fishing is improving each day. Look for the next couple of days to come around on the Arkansas, Eagle, Middle Fork South Platte and Roaring Fork. From the other end of the spectrum is the resurgence of the Williams Fork. Finally there is enough water in the reservoir to start releasing healthy flows again into river.
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: 55 cfs. |
| Conditions: Things in town have settled down with regards to the run-off event on Straight Creek. While the flow from that tributary between the highway and the dam continues to add enough water to double the volume of the river, it is coming in relatively clear and conditions have stabilized below their confluence to make fishing a good bet all day. 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.
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: 73 cfs. |
| Conditions: Low flows continue as water managers are trying to store as much water as possible this spring. However, the reservoir is finally gaining some volume and starting to look healthy. If things go somewhat normal with regards to remaining snow melt and summer moisture, we could see flows start to bump up sometime mid to late July. 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: 200 cfs. |
| Conditions: The Salmonflies have finished up here as well. It was certainly a great hatch this year and will hopefully be an indicator of the rest of this season’s hatches. Fishing is currently staying strong as low water levels and hot days have driven water temps up to mid-summer levels. 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. Just the past few days, we have finally gotten some additional water releases from the Williams Fork which should improve the river quality overall below that. This will help bring water temperatures down, initially this may stall some of the hatching insects but, that should be a short lived interruption. 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: 500+/- cfs. |
| Conditions: The Salmonflies have wrapped up for the year but, fishing does remain solid. We have seen a quick change in 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. Our concern is going to be for how long? 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 pushing 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. 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. At times clarity down low has been marginal but, results indicate fish are on the feedbag.
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 5380 cfs. |
| Conditions: Sudden drops in snow melt and receding river levels have brought this back to a viable option. While it may seem that clarity is still a little off color, all you really need down here is 12-15″ with a slight green tint to it versus brown. After being big and dirty for the past several weeks the fish are definitely looking to regain some of the calories they may have missed out on. While the stained nature of the water may lead you to heave some streamers, don’t overlook the solid action on the bugs. 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. Also worth noting, not many anglers realize that this is the spot to be for early Green Drakes. Before they can move up and into the Roaring Fork where eager trout and anglers alike wait for them, there is a sizable emergence of beefy Mayflies here. Followed by PMDs and Yellow Sallies.
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, Zebra Midge, Rojo Midge, Poison Tung, Juju Baetis, STD Baetis, Tungsten Split Case BWO, Para Ext. Body BWO, Parachute March Brown, Gulpher Special, Various Egg imitations.
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Arkansas River Above Buena Vista
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| Flow: 744cfs. @ Granite, 450 @ Hayden |
| Conditions: Flows are dropping like a rock after last week’s peak to Run-Off 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. And that will grow every day as flows continue to recede to mid summer levels over the next week or so. As this happens, water temps will start to rise again and kick off a fantastic Caddis hatch that should be around for a couple of weeks. Soon to follow will be PMDs, Drakes and Sallies. 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: 1170 cfs. @ Wellsville |
| Conditions: Big drop in flows have brought some fantastic float fishing back to the lower river as well as some good wade fishing if you are willing to cover some water. Visibility is clear and robust flows have pushed a good deal of the fish to the edge water where a good drift in the right spot will almost certainly produce an eat. There are already a few PMDs and Yellow Sallies emerging and patterns for both are taking plenty of fish. Although, 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 threw at them. Foam dries holding up a 2 nymph dropper was 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.
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: 2000-2,500 cfs. |
| Conditions: 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 into the 2,000 cfs neighborhood with clarity of 2 to 3 feet. This should continue to improve even more over the next few days and the next couple of weeks will be spectacular. Early on in this event, during the day look for nymphs to produce the majority of results, with some decent interest in dries. This will evolve into a steadier dry fly happening over the coming week or two. But for the time being, the real dry fly action will be in the evening as skated Caddis and big Stimmies will produce some good action along the banks. Over the next few days we anticipate the Drakes moving up the Colorado before turning into the Fork and then that will be where the big fun starts. We’ll keep you posted on the Drake progress.
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, Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulator, H&L Variant
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South Platte River, Middle Fork
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| Flow: 250+/- cfs. |
| Conditions: Stream flows are still up and on the high side but, run-off appears to have peaked and volume is receding. Clarity is not overly horrible and there is still some potential if you are willing to cover some ground. With the nature of this stream being shallow gradient as it winds through meadows, there are some good bends in the river that will offer a chance to get some flies in the water where fish are taking refuge from some of the faster runs. 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 203 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 week 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 120 cfs. |
| Conditions: Stop the Presses. Finally a boost in flow to trout friendly levels. 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.
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 are really starting to pick up as the Chironomid hatch is in full swing. 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. Calibaetis are already popping just down valley at Spinney and won’t be far behind here. 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, 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: Starting to become a good option with many rivers getting higher and off color. Early season means fish tight-in, cruising the banks and a lot of the traffic has been from shore. Sight fishing can be productive when that is the case. Fish a couple of nymphs suspended under and indicator or slow crawl a smaller leech pattern to start.
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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