The Colorado Angler Fishing Report – June 30
June 30th, 2016
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, 2016
Things have really turned on just about everywhere. Flows are down to manageable levels on every river within striking distance and summer hatches are emerging from each of them. As the saying goes “You can’t swing a dead cat around here without hitting some great fishing.” Strong hatches of Caddis, PMDs and Yellow Sallies can be found on most rivers with others offering the addition of Green Drakes and Golden Stones. Above average June temperatures have helped to get water temps up to the right levels to get these all started. Now it looks like a short Monsoon pattern for the next few days should help keep those temperatures right where they need to be, as well as provide the cloud cover that is ideal for trout comfort for getting them to look to the surface. The first couple of weeks after peak can offer some of the most eager feeding of the season, as every fish in the river is on the hunt to replace calories spent fighting the spring’s run-off. Often the key will be simply identifying the water where fish are sheltering and getting a cast in it. Usually matching a hatch isn’t that important even with summer hatches now starting to emerge. Go stocked with a selection of your favorite searching patterns and throw in a few general imitations for Caddis, Stones, PMDs and Drakes just in case you see any of those popping early. 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 |
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| Flow: 602 cfs. | |
| Conditions: We are now a week into Dillon Reservoir being full and spilling over the top into the Blue River below and the results have been as anticipated. Excellent. With water temps jumping sharply from their bottom-release, typically near freezing lows in the 30s, now up into the high 50s to low 60s we have seen an actual emergence of insects. Including Caddis, PMDs and Golden Stones. This has resulted in some fairly decent dry fly fishing at times throughout the day. Although flows are still high, they have dropped dramatically and should continue to steadily drop for the next couple of weeks. Continue to focus on the soft water along the edges and below structure. As those flows drop, more water will be back in play as the deep riffles will no longer be shallow rapids and pockets will be exposed. Aside from the dries, nymphing will continue to offer the most consistent action for the entire day. Look for high water staples such as Egg patterns and San Juan Worms to be effective along with nymph imitations for the Caddis and PMDs. The big change will be the loss of the Mysis Shrimp in the river as the water spills over the top. Although there won’t be any in the system for the near future, you may still find fish that feed on imitations for them out of habit. Yes the river is dropping quickly but, this is still a very robust amount of water for many anglers that are only familiar with the Blue during low water releases in the winter. For a little understanding on how to approach the river at these higher levels, read on about general tips for high water tactics on the Blue.
The Spring flush continues and the release from Dillon is still very high. As the water is much bigger than typical, you will need to make some adjustments in order to be successful. First, will be to your set-up. Bump up your weight considerably from what is normal when the river runs at winter flows around 100 cfs. Start with at least two BB to a single AAA size weights and add from there. Don’t be afraid to add too much and have to reduce it if you hang up too often. Generally speaking, weight is the single most common factor that separates the nymph caster from the successful nymph angler. As well, you should be able to up your tippet size to 3 and 4x, either in mono or fluoro. Next you need to adjust your approach to the river. As flows start getting this high, the main channel in some runs will be getting fairly heavy. Look for the soft water and focus your drifts there, working out into the current as fish response dictates. The majority of the fishing will be best covered with a tandem nymph rig with San Juan Worm, Egg and small Mayfly imitations. Now that water temperatures are rising we might see an influence from that as to best time of day to fish. Up until now that hasn’t had an impact but, generally speaking, earlier seems to be more productive until the wade traffic on the river starts to impact fish comfort. As well, later in the day as angler numbers dwindle the fish regain a little bit of stability and resume feeding. Including into the evening hours. The biggest issue for most anglers will be the potential for crowds. This should only increase as run-off ramps up in the next week or so and available options on freestone rivers dwindle. This is the point where we lobby for courtesy and etiquette to win out over self interest and ego. Be patient and show your fellow angler a little courtesy by not crowding into water that may not support more than one angler. Take a look up or downstream and come back to that spot later in the day.
Town Flies: Flossy Worn, Bacon and Eggs, Gummy Worms, Sparkle Worms, Split Case PMD, Poxybiot Nymph, Desert Storm, Rainbow Warrior, Black Beauty, Brassie, UV Emerger, Biot Midge, Lil Spanker, Tungsten Psycho May-Black, Kingery’s Cap’n Hook, Rojo Midge, Tube Midge – Black or Red, RS-2 – Black or Dun, WD40 – Black or Chocolate, Two Bit Hooker, Zebra Midge, Otter Soft Milking Egg, Bead Eggs, Wooly Bugger Black or Olive, Pat’s Rubber Legs, . And work in a streamer every once in a while, as well. Often over looked but, randomly deadly. |
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Blue River Below Green Mountain |
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| Flow: 927 cfs. | |
| Conditions: Starting to see a slow reduction in flows below Green Mtn. as native inflows in the Blue River drop post run-off. Just like Dillon Reservoir up valley, this too is overflow from a full lake. The greatest part of that is the warming of water temperatures, driving fantastic hatches as we hit the prime summer season. Look for a strong Caddis emergence, along with good numbers of PMDS, Yellow Sallies and Golden Stones. Followed closely in the next week or two by a very good Green Drake hatch. At this level the river is still very robust and crossing will be out of the question. Focus on the edge water along the banks and below rocks, as well as the insides of corners and eddy lines. There won’t be too much room for wading but, the fish are pushed out along the banks in that same water that foot traffic is limited to. The current trend is moving down quickly, more than 100 cfs each of the past couple of days. This rate of decline will slow in the next few days and wade fishing should improve. Nymphing will still offer the most productive method throughout the day but, mid-day and into the evening should find fish looking up for those bugs that are emerging now. We expect this spot to really intensify over the next week or so as the bugs multiply. As with all big water options, when nymphing make sure to bump your weight up enough to counter the higher flow. Some of the quiet water lies available now aren’t very large so, it will be important to get your flies down immediately. There won’t be the long consistent drift of a late summer run, where you have time for your flies to descend over a 40 foot distance. In a word you need to cannonball it. Bump tippet size up to 3 and 4x, as clarity will now allow for that and you’ll need the extra strength to hold onto anything that you hook. These levels are once again high enough to float and we expect that to pick up in popularity over the next couple of weeks, and clearance under the bridges should improve. If you go, know where you’re at and stay legal.
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: RS-2, Tung Psycho May, Split Case PMD, Barr’s PMD, Lil Spanker, Big Spanker, Otter Egg. 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. Under 500 become questionable for clearance of certain boats. |
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Colorado River Above Kremmling (Parshall)
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| Flow: 1103 cfs. | |
| Conditions: A huge drop in flows over the past week, as upstream dam releases have been curtailed with the end of run-off. Great news for wade anglers on the upper Colorado. Flows may still be slightly higher than some find comfortable and crossing could be limited in some spots but, wading should be wide spread allowing for you to reach any spot. Just in time as summer hatches heat up. Look for good numbers of Caddis and Yellow Sallies along with PMDs that are increasing daily. Early in the day start with a nymph rig or dry-dropper in the tail outs of runs and pools. Then in the morning as water temps rise and drifting insects become active, work your way up to the bottom to middle of riffles where fish will be feeding on the drifting nymphs. Once the emergence is apparent switch over to dries in the riffles and flats. At this flow the river will be full bank-to-bank,offering a well disperse population of fish. Take advantage of this and look for some of the drifts that may be less obvious (along a slow bank cut or in among a log jam). Clarity will be much improved, but the volume of water should still allow for an extra tippet diameter, probably 3 to 4 x in most spots. Don’t forget about the water above Parshal either. It will still be high but, it is above the confluence with the Willie’s and should be about 425 cfs lower flow. And we would be remiss without reminding you to go prepared for some epic Mosquito activity as well. With all the water this spring, summer populations of those blood suckers have exploded.
Flies: Twisted X, Mini Foamulator, Hippie Stomper, Stimulator, Garcis’s Mini Hot, PMD Teaser, Silhouette Dun Sulphur, Snowshoe Caddis, Sparklebug Caddis, Elk Hair Caddis, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Hurless Stone Nymph, Flossy Worm, Gummy Worm, Tungsten Yellow Sally, Iron Sally, CDC Pheasant Tail, Bead Prince, Psycho Prince, Hammerhead Nymph, Lil Spanker, Tungsten Hackled, Buckskin #16-20, Pheasant Tail #14-22, Black Copper John #20-22, Small Prince Nymphs, Black Pheasant Tail, Tung Psycho May, Split Case PMD, Tungsten Micro Mayfly Brown |
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Colorado River Pumphouse to Dotsero |
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| Flow: 2450 cfs. @ Pumphouse | |
| Conditions: Flows have fallen back to a fantastic level for float anglers and a more manageable level for waders. Clarity is 3 feet or more in most spots and conditions couldn’t be more ideal to take advantage of multiple hatches emerging from the river. While this level is still higher than many private boaters are familiar with, or comfortable at, now is the time to get out on the Colorado. Strong hatches of Caddis continue to provide daily action and good amounts of PMDs and Yellow Sallies are good day-to-day. As well, we are seeing some lesser hatches of small darker stones in olive and brown. Dry-dropper fishing is an ideal way to start off the day for the current conditions and insect activity. As the day, and insect hatches ramp up, you can switch to dries and target rising fish along the banks and on eddy lines. If the dry action never materializes, just keep pitching the dry-dropper set-up. We have found that clouds have made for some great double-dry action, or if you are into throwing the meat, the streamer fishing under the clouds has been pretty hot. At this flow the river is still full bank to bank and into the willows in some spots. Focus on seams, pockets and edges that offer trout a sheltered lie close to a feeding lane. There will still be a fair amount of submerged structure, so be prepared to lose some bugs.
An additional thought on floating at these flows. Too often, we as fishermen don’t plan for the unthinkable of a boating mishap. A little extra planning can go a long way to making that little more than just a damp inconvenience. As they say “Rig to flip”. We encourage you to secure all your loose equipment as well as possible. Hopefully this will prevent you from having to check every eddy downstream for the next 5 miles for your fly boxes. Lighten your load as much as possible before you launch in order to make your boat more maneuverable. Pay attention to shifting currents and eddies. And for God’s Sake, wear your life jacket. We don’t care how uncomfortable and hot they may be, there’s nothing macho about drowning.
Flies: Chubby Chernobyl, Twisted X, Tantrum, Mini Foamulator, Hippie Stomper, Sparklebug Caddis, Stimulator, Para Extended Body PMD, PGF, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Mr Rubberlegs Brown, Hurless Nymph, BH Hares Ear, BH Prince, BH Prince, BH Pheasant Tail, Tung Psycho Baetis, Lil Spanker, Big Spanker, Duracell Jig, Hammerhead Jig, Psycho Prince, Eggs, G6 Caddis, Stimulator, Hippie Stomper, Elk Hair Caddis, Twisted X, Chubby Chernobyl etc |
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Colorado Below Glenwood Springs |
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| Flow: 7150 cfs. | |
| Conditions: Big improvements on the lower river. Although it is still big and will be overlooked for the more attractive Roaring Fork, fishing has returned to the Colorado below Glenwood. Strong hatches of Caddis and Green Drakes have been driving good action, as well as lesser amounts of PMDs and Yellow Sallies. But, those are building and should intensify over the next week or two. With such big water focus on the edges where you can find any softer lie out of the current. Big pockets, inside seams of riffles and eddy lines all provide good feeding lanes, as well. Most anglers prefer to run deep nymph rigs for this bigger water until they find pockets of rising fish. Although not as productive with dry-dropper rigs as other smaller rivers, we still find it worth the effort to fish with a big foam Stonefly or Attractor instead of a bobber. Nymph imitations for Stones-both large Golden Stones and smaller Yellow Sallies, as well as Green Drakes, Caddis, PMDs and beaded searching patterns all work well. If you aren’t familiar with this stretch of river it can be intimidating due to it’s size and structure. Just remember to break it down into smaller pieces as you look at it and not try to fish the entire river at once. It is big water more ideally covered with a boat and wading can be a tough endeavor the first time or two but, once you get dialed in on where to access and where the fish are holding, results can be solid. This stretch consistently produces some of the nicest Rainbows on the Colorado River. Being so low in the drainage, the clarity here never really gets “Gin clear” and if you are not familiar with what is normal, it may be hard to judge it. There is always some color to the water, the shade of which is more important than amount of visibility. With that in mind there is a simple rule of thumb to follow when assessing if the clarity is adequate for a day on the water: Green is good, Brown is down. Generally all you really need in that green is about a foot to fifteen inches.
Flies: Mr Peacock Ice, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Tungteaser, Bead Prince, Hot Wire Prince, Twenty Incher, Tungsten Pheasant Tail, Bead Hares Ear, Sp;it Case Green Drake, San Juan Worm patterns, Zebra Midge, Lil Spanker, Tung Psycho May, Big Spanker, Rainbow Warrior, Magic Fly, RS-2, Bead Eggs, Otter Egg, Flossy Worm
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Arkansas River Above Buena Vista |
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| Flow: 787 cfs. @ Granite. 514 Hayden Meadows | |
| Conditions: Starting to see major improvements on the upper basin, particularly above the confluence with Lake Creek. Flows are still elevated but, much improved from peak over a week ago. Clarity is surprisingly solid at over two and a half feet. Strong hatches of Caddis and Stones are driving solid feeding by trout hungry to replenish calories spent battling high water. As well, there are some strong localized Green Drake hatches in certain stretches. (These are not river wide but, where they are hatching, action has been solid.) Focus your efforts on any available quiet water that you can find. Look for any side channels and other areas where flows are diminished or buffered, such as the inside of any bends in the river or back eddies. Caddis and Stonefly imitations, both dry and nymph, have been very productive, with hopper and large attractors anchoring your dry dropper rig. Beaded searching nymphs and streamers have been very effective at covering the water as well. We are post peak and flows are dropping steadily, offering additional water and better access every day. Downstream from Lake Creek, there is improving access, it will just be more limited particularly as you get into the canyon stretches below Granite and into the Numbers. But, even then focus on the edge water where fish can shelter from the heavier flows of mid-channel. Dry-dropper set ups using a Golden Stone or foam attractor holding up a variety of beaded searching patterns, Yellow Sally and Caddis nymphs.
Flies: Swisher’s PMX Golden, Chubby Chernobyl, Tantrum, Stimulator, Elk Hair Caddis, Para Wulff, Jake’s Green Drake, Dry Ice Drake, Furimsky’s Foam Drake, Lil Spanker, Big Spanker, Beaded Hares Ear, Hot Wire Prince, Beaded Pheasant Tail, Copper John, CDC Hares Ear, Twenty Incher, Mr Peacock, Holy Grail, Pat’s RL, Psycho Prince, Iron Sally, Tungsten Yellow Sally, Hammerhead Jig, Duracell Jig, Flossy Worm, Silver Bullet, Slumpbuster, Sparkle Minnow. |
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Arkansas River Salida Area
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| Flow: 1330 cfs. @ Salida | |
| Conditions: Finally, flows have dropped to manageable levels for getting back on this productive river. Wading may still be limited in some places but, there are plenty of spots to find productive soft water along the edges. And float fishing is entering it’s prime summer window. Look for fish to be stacked along the banks feeding on a mix of Caddis, PMD, Yellow Sally and Golden Stoneflies over the next several weeks. Conditions are deal for throwing a dry-dropper tight to the banks in the morning and then switching up to a full on double dry set-up as the action to your surface offering increases. After a fairly robust run-off, fish are quick to feed in order to replace calories burned during high water. The key will be to get a cast into that edge water, with a decent presentation/drift, fly selection is not quite as critical now as once that water drops to mid summer levels. That being said, streamer fishing can be very productive under these conditions if you can hit the holding lies.
Flies: Swisher’s PMX Golden, Chubby Chernobyl, PMX, Twisted X, Stimulator, Caddis Dries, 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, Hammerhead, Duracell Jig, Zebra Midge, Poison Tung, Rainbow Warrior, Brassie, Lil Spanker, Big Spanker, Silver Bullet, Sculpzilla, Slumpbuster, Olive/Black Wooly Bugger, Kreelox |
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Roaring Fork River at Glenwood Springs |
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| Flow: 4090 cfs. | |
| Conditions: Flows have dropped down enough to make this a solid destination again. This is without a doubt the best time of year for this river. With good hatches of Green Drakes, PMDs, Yellow Sallies, Golden Stones and Caddis and every fish in the river needing to replace calories burned during the past month of run-off, action has been fantastic. Clarity is solid at 3 feet and greater most days. There is the chance for that to turn if a rain storm moves through and mucks up the Crystal. At these levels the river is still moving along rather quick and up in the willows in spots. Focus your efforts in the quiet water lies along the edges where fish are still sheltering from the heavier current mid-channel. Be prepared to lose a few flies as well, as there is still a fair amount of submerged debris. Start the day off with a large foam attractor of Golden Stone on the surface, followed up with a mix of Caddis, Drake, PMD, Yellow Sally and beaded searching nymphs. Look for rising fish to start late morning for PMDs and Drakes, at which point you may want to switch up to a double dry rig. Mid-afternoon action has generally returned to the droppers, particularly on sunny days when it gets hot. But, if you want the best action of the day, then stick around until evening, when the Green Drake emergence right before dark can drive some of the most frenzied dry fly action on any river in the state. Right now that hatch will be in the lower river, making it’s way upstream over the next couple of weeks.
Flies: Chubby Chernobyl, Swisher’s PMX Golden, Twisted X, Jake’s Green Drake, Colorado Green Drake, Brook’s Srpout Flav, Sulphur Dun, Para Extended Body PMD, Stimulator, Caddis Dries, Hippie Stomper, Tungsten Split Case Green Drake, CDC Green Drake Nymph, Twenty Incher #12-14, Tungteaser #12-14, Beaded Pheasant Tail #12-14, Pat’s Rubber Legs #8-10, Psycho Prince, G6 Caddis, Tungsten Yellow Sally, Tungstone, Beaded Hares Ear #12-14, CDC Prince #12-16, Hot Wire Prince #12-16, Standard Pheasant Tail #12-16, Tung Psycho May, Lil Spanker, Big Spanker, Duracell Jig, Root Beer Float |
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South Platte River, Middle Fork |
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| Flow: 160 +/- cfs. | |
| Conditions: Flows continue to fall and are finally at a level that offers good action. Early summer on the middle fork is a dry fly anglers dream. Good hatches of Caddis, Sallies, PMDs and Drakes can provide good surface activity from late morning into mid- afternoon. Longer if the clouds roll in. Start the day of with a dry dropper using a mid-size foam terrestrial or attractor followed up with a mix of beaded searching nymphs and imitations for the Caddis, PMDs, Drakes and Sallies. Once you start to see fish rising to naturals or better yet your dry, then switch up to a double dry rig with an attractor followed up by the hatch of the moment.
Flies: Chubby Chernobyl, Twisted X, Amy’s Ant, Mini Foamulator, Stimulator, Hippie Stomper, Parawulff, Parachute Adams, Royal Teaser, Beaded Prince, Duracell Jig, Hammerhead Jig, Red Collar PT, Beaded Pheasant Tail, Iron Sally, Tungsten Yellow Sally, Big Spanker, silver Bullet, Slumpbuster, Sparkle Minnow |
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South Platte, Dream Stream |
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| Flow: 78 cfs. | |
| Conditions: Some good reports coming in from the “Dream” at the moment. Yes, those 11 mile spawn-run fish have started to move up the river and as a result, crowds are thick. Flows remain on the low side although, not unmanageable. Combine that with the clarity and you have some spooky fish. We recommend 6-7x tippet and a light footed approach. Try not to wade if you can avoid it, as the less time in the water the less likely you are to alert the fish to something that is suspect in their environment. This time of year can see a wide range of productive patterns, as there is decent aquatic insect activity with Midges and Baetis, along with an increase in interest to spawn imitations.
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 |
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Williams Fork River Below Dam |
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| Flow: 436 cfs |
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| Conditions: Releases from the Dam continue to drop and are now getting to a point where there should be an increase in fish-able water. Although, it will still be robust and limited in spots. Water is spilling from the dam over the top, bringing water temps up enough to spur hatches of Caddis and PMDs, as well there should be a few Red Quills showing up. Look for nymphing to still be the best approach. Tandem rigs with a mix of Baetis, Caddis and small Stonefly patterns along with San Juan Worm and Egg patterns. Bump up tippet to 3 and 4x along with a good amount of weight. This will be a swift flow for the size of river that this is. If you are familiar with fishing this river at it’s mid-summer and fall/winter flows, the amount of weight needed will be substantial compared to that. Experiment with that weight until you are coming in contact with the bottom every few casts and adjust your depth to keep your flies fight down close to the bottom where fish may be sheltering.
Flies: Split Case PMD, Tungstone, 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 |
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Eagle River |
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| Flow: 1000 cfs below Edwards | |
| Conditions: Flows are prime on the Eagle and now is the time to take advantage of one of the best rivers in the state while it lasts. Without a major impoundment upriver, the Eagle is entirely native in it’s flow regiment. There is no late summer release that will keep it high enough to float. So, go now. Hatches of Caddis, PMDs and Yellow Sallies are starting to emerge from the river and fish are responding well to the variety. Seeing as it is still a little on the full side, focus on the edge water where fish are still sheltered from higher mid-channel flows. Dry-dropper in the morning (or all day if you like) then switching to dries as individual hatches emerge and spur surface activity. As well, the last two hours of daylight can be some of the most incredible dry fly fishing in the state. Attractors and Caddis imitations along the banks and willows should produce non-stop action as the hatches ramp up. Flies: Pat’s Rubber Legs, Tungteaser, Bead Head Hare’s Ear, Psycho Prince, Bead Head Pheasant Tail, Buckskin Caddis, Lil Spanker, Big Spanker, Root Beer Float, Tung Psycho May, RS-2, Zebra Midge, Standard Pheasant Tail 18-22, G6 Caddis, Lite Bright Caddis, Tube Midge, Desert Storm, Barr’s Emerger, Juju stuff. |
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Spinney Mountain Reservoir |
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| Conditions: Action has been fair to good depending on the day and weather. We like to fish the main body of the lake adjacent to the weed beds with either a static nymph rig or a slow retrieve streamer/damsel set up. For the nymph rigs a 2 or even 3 fly set up works with a mix of Chironomid, Calibaetis and Midge imitations, as well as some beaded searching patterns such as mid-sized Copper Johns, Hares Ears and Pheasant Tails. By running a multi-fly set up you can cover a good range of depths (for example top nymph at 4 feet, middle fly at 5 and 1/2 and bottom at 7) and see if there is a pattern to what depth is working, as well as which particular fly. This will change over the course of the day so, don’t get stuck at one depth for the entire day. As action slows make sure to continue to experiment with that depth of your indicator. The other tactic that can work early in the season right after the lake opens is to fish along the Dam with egg patterns for fish that are cruising in a spawn type behavior.
Flies: Chartreuse Copper John, Bead Pheasant Tail, Bead Hares Ear, Flash Back Hares Ear, Jumbo Juju, Rojo Grande, Yankee Buzzer, Zebra Midge, Skinny Nelson, Gaviglio’s Calibaetis Nymph, Eggs, Rapunzel, Hale Bopp Leech, Mohair Leech
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Delaney Buttes Lakes |
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| Conditions: Ice is off and it is starting to pick up along the shore and fish are cruising feeding on Eggs, and Midge/Chironomid type patterns. Should start to pick up along the weed beds now that the sun has started to warm water temps up a little. Look for Midges to be active over the next several weeks and then Calibaetis just about the time that rivers are hitting peak run-off and you need a alternative to moving water. Flies: Eggs, Rojo Grande, Jumbo Juju, Zebra, Skinny Nelson, CDC Pheasant Tail, Hare’s Ear, Gaviglio’s Calibaetis, Duracell Jig, Hammerhead Jig etc |
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