Report for September 20.
Overall, things across the high country have been relatively normal. While we have had a wetter than normal pattern for this time of year, any negative effects of that rain have been merely an inconvenience and temporary in duration. As of Friday morning, things have started to dry out and clarity, which has been spotty on some local rivers, is returning to solid visibility from the top of the drainage down. With a dry forecast over the next few days, expect conditions to get even better.
One of the benefits of the moisture is the added native flow in most rivers, which is easing the water call on the Colorado river system. Due to this there has bee an easing in dam releases from Green Mtn Reservoir into the Blue and downstream to the Colorado. Flows have pulled back substantially over the past few days and have once again made wade fishing an option in the canyon below the dam. At the same time, ending the floating on that same stretch. Additionally, this has dropped the volume on the Colorado through Gore Canyon and below. There is still plenty of water for floating the upper river and at the same time wade fishing at these levels offers a wider range of access, as strong waders can cross the river in many places, opening up the North bank.
We don’t expect this to last, as the atmosphere dries out and native flows drop, tailwater releases should ramp back up. As is the case with the Williams Fork, which has risen back up over 200 cfs after starting last week above 300, before dropping to just 21 for a couple of days during the peak of the rain cycle. This should also aid in the flushing out of any remaining tint in clarity on those rivers downstream.
This is a great time of year for those that fish and we have seen signs of a fantastic fall ahead of us. The almost daily chance of rain, has fed a steady stream of cloud cover that continues to provide great conditions for rising fish. There are still a good mix of summer bugs including Caddis, Tricos and even a few Golden Stones scattered around. As well as the advent of Fall Baetis showing up just about everywhere.
And yes, to you Streamer Junkies, the Fall ritual for Brown’s to procreate is producing some explosive fishing at times on the big and gaudy stuff stripped across the current. Check out the photo below of the Brown with the Sculpin protruding from his throat. He didn’t even finish swallowing that before grabbing our #6 Hopper off the surface, talk about gluttony.
Aside from the individual hatches on each river, as listed to the right, just about everywhere is seeing a decent amount of action to Terrestrials. This time of year the Hoppers are very active and due to that, prone to falling/blowing into the river. Though, not to be overlooked is the action on the other members of the Terrestrial family: ants and beetles. While not as glamorous or explosive strike inducing, these actually make up a good part of the Terrestrial intake of trout and have been very productive for us this summer.
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: 110 cfs. |
| Conditions: Denver Water has bumped up releases into the Tailwater stretch below Dillon and that is great news for townies. Initially this should produce some increases Mysis fishing, which has already been better than a sub 100 cfs flow generally allows. According to Denver H2O this flow should last for at least a month, maybe even longer, depending on how much rain we get in the near future. Look for Blue Wing and Midge action to continue both on nymph and adult imitations. Dry fly fishing overall has been very good although, it can vary from day to day, most days are seeing anywhere from 2 to 5 hours of surface activity. That is the biggest story on the Blue at the moment: How great the dry fly fishing is day in and day out. The past couple of weeks we have had guide trips in town not even tie a nymph on. This is partly due to the continued Monsoonal flow providing good cloud cover but, there have still been some great days with dries on sunny days as well. Nymphing remains solid on a wide variety of patterns from the usual Tailwater staples of Midge larva along with Mayfly nymphs in both BWO and PMD variations. As a bonus, we are seeing continued results on typically spring patterns of San Juan Worm and Egg imitations. Overall traffic has been mild for town, as there are plenty of other choices out there right now but, occasionally there will be a day where it seems as if everybody had the same idea to fish close to home. As you move north, downriver, there remains some spotty action on both Caddis and BWO stuff, particularly as you get closer to Green Mountain where the river has a chance to warm up the further from the dam you get.
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, Split Case PMD, Extended Body PMD, Parachute Purple, Royal Coachman Trude, H&L Variant, Royal Wulff
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Blue River Below Green Mountain
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| Flow: 200 cfs. |
| Conditions: A big drop in dam releases here for the moment. It looks as if this is mostly due to steady rainfall keeping native flows in the river high enough to meet downstream demands. Not sure how long this will last but, while it does, it is great news for wade anglers. At this flow foot traffic is once again possible on both banks, as crossing is manageable for strong waders. The typical large nymph rigs have been working best, with a good assortment of stuff doing the trick and reports of an increase in Blue Wing activity is encouraging for the coming days. Dry fly action had been limited at higher flows but, now may be a worthwhile endeavor on a cloudy day at this level. Still a good option for those looking for some solitude and the chance at some quality fish. 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 BWO or Caddis imitation. At this flow, floating is pretty much done for the time being. We’ll keep you updated as things are sure to change again here as the water call comes back on line.Flies: Big bead heads: Hare’s Ear, Tungteaser, Pheasant Tail, Stubby Stone, Twenty Incher, Rubberlegs, Psycho Prince, Mr Peacock Ice, Flossy Worm, Split Case BWO, Barr’s BWO, Juju Baetis, Chartreuse Copper John
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.
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Colorado River Above Kremmling (Parshall)
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| Flow: 530cfs. @ Parshall |
| Conditions: Another bump in releases from the Williams Fork have added a slight step up in flows here as well. This is a great level for wade fishing here at any time of the year, let alone the end of September. At these flows there will be bank-to-bank cover and well dispersed trout. One of the greatest benefits to this situation is the added opportunity to fish terrestrials along the bank, which is where they tend to be the most successful, as they are most likely to fall in naturally from vegetation adjacent to the bank. When stream levels drop and leave exposed rock along the banks, those terrestrials tend to fall on dry rock and are able to crawl back to the safety of the bushes. In addition to the Trico and Baetis hatches emerging from the river, be prepared to throw a couple of Ant and Beetle patterns as well. Fishing has been productive early in the day with nymph and emerger patterns for those Tricos and as the day moves into afternoon, make the switch over to Blue Winged Olive focused patterns. Take your bug spray, as the mosquito population seems to be hanging in there without a freeze yet to knock them down. 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.
Flies: BLM Black, Two Bit Hooker, Drowned Trico, Zebra Midge, RS2, Poxybiot Nymph, Pheasant Tail, WD-40, Split Case BWO, Juju Baetis, Baetis Big Bear, Para Extended Body BWO, CDC Baetis Dun, Winger Parachute, Garcia’s Mini Hot, Stimulator, 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: 830 cfs. |
| Conditions: While clarity has been up and down over the past week or so, that looks to be stablilizing and once again offering good conditions further donwstream, at least to Two Bridges and that should improve over the weekend. The flow has dropped slightly but, that should be temporary as we expect Green Mtn releases to climb back up to seasonal levels, adding another couple hundred clear CFS to the river. It’s looking like a great start to Fall fishing on one of the best destinations for this time of year. Strong late summer flows are providing the best looking water of the year below Kremmling, still manageable for wade anglers, yet offering very good levels for floaters. The Trico emergence continues most mornings with good results on imitative patterns for that hatch, with the Baetis starting to pick up in numbers later in the day, particularly on the cloudy afternoons. In amongst all of that there is steady dry/dropper fishing with Hopper and large attractor patterns on the top, suspending beaded searching nymphs in tandem with a second dropper for the hatch. The Monsoon Flow has been very favorable to fishing here as that cloud cover just about every afternoon makes for some overall fantastic fishing as well as the potential for dry flies most afternoons. Keep an eye out for fish to be sipping falling spinners in the foam mats as well as rising to Blue Wings later in the day. Late afternoons into evening have been great on a double dry rig with an attractor in the lead trailing a small Baetis adult. And yes, for all you streamer junkies, day to day action on the big stuff has been fairly productive. For the most part, clarity has been stable on the upper stretches down to at least Two Bridges, below there things have had some inconsistencies with the odd run-off. Weekday traffic has been mild, with weekends seeing some crowding in the Pump to Radium and Rancho to State sections.
Flies: Tungteaser, Rubberlegs, Beaded Pheasant Tails, Beaded Hares Ears, Tungsten Prince, Tungsten Yellow Sally, Drowned Trico, RS2’s, Split Case BWO, Barr’s Emerger, Juju Baetis, Blue Ribbon Emerger, Two Bit Hooker, Gidget Olive, Fuzzy Wuzzy, Parahopper, B/C Hopper, Chubby Chernobyl, Parachute Extended Body BWO, Para Adams, Para Wulff BWO, Miscellaneous Terrestrials
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Colorado Below Glenwood Springs
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| Flow 2200 cfs. |
Conditions: Clarity continues to be the big issue on the lower river. Just when things clear up enough, say around 18-24 inches and are producing some good results, a localized downpour on some tributary upstream will flush a bunch of color back into the river. As this river collects so much upper basin water, it can be a volatile river during the Monsoon. So we’ll say this: If you are in the area and it looks like there is visibility anywhere north of 12″, Fish it. But do not put all of your fishing eggs in this basket. If it is clear, action will be strong on medium to larger sized beaded searching nymphs along with Blue Winged Olive imitations and some streamer patterns for good measure. The problem is this section collects water from such a wide range, the run-off could come from any number of tributaries. Crystal, Roaring Fork, Eagle Upper Colorado – they all have an impact here. We’ll keep an eye on it and update as soon as it gets a foot and a half or so of visibility. We hope that is soon, as this spot really heats up as the Fall approaches.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, Barr’s Emerger, Zebra Midge, Juju Baetis
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Arkansas River Above Buena Vista
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| Flow: 310 cfs. @ Granite, 183 @ Hayden |
Conditions: In the far upper reaches of the basin, fishing remains steady on a mix of dry/dropper and even double dry fly set ups. There are still some Caddis around and Blue Wings should start to fill in for the fall. This is also a great time and place to fish smaller terrestrial such as ants and beetles. Work continues on the stream restoration project and has dropped below the Hwy 24 bridge and is moving down from the Hayden Meadows parking area to the Kobe Bridge, where it should wrap up later this season. There will still be some continued, albeit short lived occasions of discoloration to the river but, it should be easy enough to fish around those. The big news is the end of the stream flow supplementation program which on low water years such as this, maintains enough water in the river below Granite to float a boat. Now that the extra water is shut off there will be some great additional access for wade fishing that has basically been un-fished for the past 3 months, leaving some uneducated trout behind. Look for some of the narrower, canyon type water that will be too rough under higher conditions, such as just below Granite and into the Numbers. Hopper or Attractor dry flies suspending beaded searching nymphs in tandem with Baetis imitations should do the trick. You might still find some Golden Stones around as well.
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, Colorado Green Drake, CDC Parachute Green Drake, Foamulator, Pearl and Elk Caddis, Peacock Caddis, RS-2, Zebra Midge, White Streamers
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Arkansas River Salida Area
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| Flow: 580 cfs. @ Salida |
| Conditions: There have been some day to day clarity issues through this stretch but, those are clearing out quickly, leaving some great conditions once again on this Fall favorite. Even with a slight bump from recent rains, flows have dropped to late summer levels and this is great news for wade anglers, as the entire river becomes very manageable for foot traffic. Not to mention that the amount of rafters will be almost non-existent. Yet, there is still enough water through most sections to float without running over all the fish. Hopper fishing has continued to stay strong and with low flows hanging a dropper below those terrestrials is about the most thorough way to cover most of the river at the moment. Beaded searching nymphs along with small Stones and Baetis imitations should do the trick. This is a great time of year to venture into the depths of Brown’s Canyon as boating is all but impossible and the fish in there have had very little pressure over the last 3 months while flows were kept higher to move rafts down the river. Now, with a lot less white water covering the best lies, anglers should have an easier time getting the right drift to some not so wary fish. At this low level there is still a chance to float certain stretches of the river below Brown’s and that action remains very good at times. Again the Hopper fishing is strong and if you wanted to add a dropper, results should be deadly. That being said, don’t overlook ants and beetles as well. With the potential for Monsoon showers and afternoon clouds, we are seeing some incredible surface activity along the river. A mix of attractor dries and generic Mayfly imitations can work for those committed to the dry fly lifestyle.
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 70 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.
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, Fuzzy Wuzzy, Streambank Hopper, Parachute Hopper, Para Ant, 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: 926 cfs. |
Conditions: Clarity has been a little bit iffy on the lower river with passing Monsoon rains and can cause some day to day frustrations. If that does happen make your way further upstream and even into the Frying Pan in the search for clean water. The big summer hatches have moved up river and are going to be most widely distributed between Basalt and Aspen. For those of you that are less familiar with this stretch of the river, now is the time to check it out. A much smaller river, as you are above the Crystal and Frying Pan Rivers, this is a wade fishers delight characterized with a lot of pocket water broken up with the occasional deep run. Perfect for throwing dry fly and dry-dropper rigs. Look for Green Drakes, Yellow Sallies, PMDs, Blue Winged Olives and Caddis. Keep your eye on the water while moving upstream so not to spook the suspended fish. Sight fishing can be quite effective in this area. By watching the water above as well as below the larger boulders you can spot more of those active feeders. As for the lower river water levels are getting pretty low and nymphing has become the more productive method throughout the day. Small Mayfly and searching patterns have been the most consistent.Flies: Twenty Incher, Tungteaser, Stubby stones, Beaded Pheasant Tail, Standard Pheasant Tail, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Tungstone, Big Copper Johns, Hares Ear, Mr. Peacock, CDC Prince, Elk Hair Caddis, Ginger Variant, Stimulator, H&L Variant, High and Dry Green Drake, Parawulff Green Drake, Hot Wire Prince, Two Bit Hooker, STD Baetis
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South Platte River, Middle Fork
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| Flow: 30ish cfs. |
Conditions: Flows are getting pretty low and that can create some wary fish. That being said, if you can make your way up and down this small water at this time of year, it can produce some big results as Fall Run Browns have made their way into this stretch. Those fish in particular will be very spooky but, a little patience can pay off. Dry/dropper rigs should cover most of the spots and terrestrials on the surface as well. 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. One last thing to note: This is actually the time of year to start looking for larger Browns moving up in anticipation of the Fall run. This run happens a lot earlier than the uninitiated realize and by the time October rolls around those big bucks are back safely in Spinney. That being said, it might pay off for the patient angler to approach the stream softly and study the water before charging in and whacking away at the resident fish.Flies: Stimulator, Elk Hair Caddis, Parachute Hopper, Red Legged Hopper, Flying Beetle, Para Ant, Melon Quill, Parachute Adams, 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 99 cfs. |
Conditions: Finally, a little stability here in streamflows, creating some steady conditions for chasing rising fish to Tricos in the mornings. As the day moves to afternoon, things will slow as it becomes tougher to find feeding fish as the drop below the surface. 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. Crowds have been relatively light, with other fall diversions reducing traffic here to manageable levels. 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, Trico Spinner patterns, Drown Trico, Buckskin Caddis, CDC Caddis Emerger, Caddis Candy, Caddis Larva, Barr’s Emerger BWO, Juju Baetis, RS2, Poxybiot Nymph, Egg Patterns, Pure Midge Larva, Cap’n Hook
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Williams Fork River Below Dam
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| Flow 238 cfs. |
Conditions: A little bit up and down here over the past couple of days may have the fish feeling a little insecure as the try to re-establish themselves in a safe lie in the river. Once that happens this should be a good flow for prospecting throughout the entire river. This will be a very robust amount of water in this relatively small Tailwater and crossing will be near impossible. Nymph fishing should remain the most productive method but, not necessarily deep nymphing, as we have had some recent success on midge emerger patterns fished higher in the column. So mix up your depth and weight amounts as you cover the river. Along with the midge type stuff also look for action on Caddis, Stonefly and Baetis nymphs along with some San Juan Worm imitations. And given the time of year it may be worth your effort to throw a few streamers along the way, as Browns from the Colorado will be moving up here looking to spawn later this Fall. Don’t overlook the pockets and riffles as fish move in to feed and seek a level of comfort from predators.Flies: Caddis Larva, Flash Back Pheasant Tail, Hatching Midge, Split Case BWO, 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, BWO dries.
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Antero Reservoir
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| Conditions: Things have fallen off for the most part and fishing has become spotty as best. Still seeing some results and a mix of Stillwater nymph patterns for Chironomid, Calibaetis and Damsels but, there is no large emergence at this time. 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. This time of year may also see some success on Leech and Crayfish imitations crawled along the bottom.
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: Not much different here than the upstream impoundment at Antero. With out a major emergence happening, your best bet will be to fish a multi-fly nymph rig with a mix of Calibaetis, Chironomid, Damsel and even small Midge imitations. Fish them in a variety of depths as you try to establish any sort of pattern to the feeding. This is also a good time of year to cover some water by slowly retrieving Leech and Crayfish patterns along the bottom. However, at least here you do have the option to try and find some Pike although, that has been slow as well. If you are so inclined head next door to 11 Mile and fish the flats for Carp. We have actually had some decent action slowly moving through and casting to some of the cruising fish. It might be the closest thing to a slat water flat we have.
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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