Animas River
Antero Reservoir
Arkansas River Tailwater
Big Thompson
Blue River
Boulder Creek
Cache la Poudre
Cimarron River
Clear Creek
Colorado River, Upper
Colorado River, Middle
Colorado River, Lower
Dolores River
Eagle River
Frying Pan River
Gunnison River
North Platte River
Rio Grande
Roaring Fork River
Rocky Mountain National Park
San Miguel River
South Platte River, 11-Mile
South Platte River, Below Spinney Mountain Reservoir
South Platte River, Cheeseman-Chatfield
Spinney Reservoir
Taylor River
Uncompahgre River
Yampa River
Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby: |
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Royal Gorge Anglers |
Breckenridge outfitters |
Water flow: Icy at Hayden Meadows, 214 cfs at Granite; 253 cfs at Wellsville
Visibility: 60 inches
Water temperature at mid-day: 39 Degrees F
Water condition: Clear
Best time of day to fish: 10am-2pm
Best stretch: Sunny areas between Big Bend and Coaldale
Best access point: Big Bend, Salida East, Rincon, Vallie Bridge.
Fly fishing hatches in order of importance:
Midge larva/pupa, stonefly nymphs, caddis larva, baetis nymphs.
Fish species: Brown and Rainbow Trout
Fishing season: Year Round (Prime March 1 - October 31)
Nearest airport: Colorado Springs Airport
Recommended fly fishing leader: 9 Foot Leader
Recommended fly fishing tippet: 5X Tippet
Best fly fishing rod: 9' 5 Weight Fly Rod
Best floating fly line: WF Trout Fly Line
Best sinking fly line: Bank Shot Sink Tip Fly Line
The Arkansas River traverses about ninety miles between its headwaters above Leadville to the point where it rolls onto the prairie near Canon City. Over that distance, it flows through a high alpine meadow, drops through steep canyons of granite boulders and Ponderosa Pine, and courses through a high desert canyon. In each environment, populations of wild brown trout inhabit a river environment that teems ...
Nymphing is your most productive method, but some anglers will continue to fish a deep dry-dropper combination through the winter with success. Focus on the deeper, slower runs and pools where fish reside throughout the winter, or probe the transitional water near these pools, as fish will sometimes hold in shallow water to warm themselves on sunny days. They will almost always be close to the deeper water, if not in it.
Warmer weather in the short term forecast should give anglers better opportunities on the river this week. Nighttime lows are in the high teens and 20s and daytime highs are in the 30s and 40s. This mild weather should give us a wider window of opportunity to find feeding fish. You may still see a little slush flow in the river early in the morning, but the 10am-2pm timeframe should present a clear river.