Winter Is Here
Looking upriver from the Hecla Junction campground. If you are going to wade across the river in Brown’s Canyon, this spot below the campground is where you want to do it. Not the boat ramp. It’s much safer here.
Overview:
This may be my last fishing report until March. Not because the fishing is slow during the winter, but mainly because I’ll take a break for a bit. The fishing can actually be pretty consistently excellent in the winter on the Ark and much of the advice I’ll describe here works all winter long. So, get out and fish.
In my opinion, you can’t do much better than the Arkansas River. Its first 150 miles is the longest stretch of Gold Medal fishing in Colorado. Which means it probably has more fish than any other river in the state. The Ark’s wild brown trout may outnumber rainbows 10 to 1, but the rainbows can often be of trophy size. With different types of water from meandering meadows to swift pocket water to deep pools, there is something for every angler on tons of public lands. It also offers some of the best whitewater in the world and you should expect fast and technical rafting and not a lazy drift.
Weather:
Our nighttime temperatures can get quite cold around here, but daytime temperatures from BV on downriver will almost always warm up above freezing. Any day with calm winds and sunny skies is really very pleasant. Prime fishing time is between 10 and 2 pm when the sun’s warmth has penetrated to the insects on the bottom of the river and gotten them to move around. The trout will respond to that bug activity by feeding mid-day.
The weather in the Arkansas Valley is some of the best in the state. Known as Colorado’s “Banana Belt” it is characterized by sunny days and a rain shadow created by the numerous 14,000 foot peaks on the west side of the valley. So, the summers are cool, and the winters are much warmer and drier than the rest of the mountains. It is hands down the best winter fishing in the state. Most of our snow, less than what a city like Chicago or Boston would get, falls between March and May. Most of our rain falls as daily thunderstorms during what we call “monsoon season” in July and August.
Flows:
The current CFS at the Wellsville gauge is 371. Wintertime flows can fluctuate between 250 and 500. If we get some more early season snow up high the flows may go up. Generally, the lower the flows the better it is for the fish.
The Arkansas is a freestone river, and its headwaters are undammed. However, the flows are augmented at times, mainly from the Fry-Ark Project that moves west slope water via pipeline into Twin Lakes and then into the Arkansas through Lake Creek. As much as 20% of our water can come from the west slope. This spares the river of the high temperatures that can cause trout to struggle, and it doesn’t freeze throughout most of its length in the winter. Look to the Arkansas when other rivers are too cold in the winter or too hot in the summer.
Habitat:
The brown trout are just now finishing their spawning season. Their eggs will be in gravel found in shallow riffles long after the spawning season has concluded, and so many anglers end up walking on those eggs as those locations often provide us with an easy place to wade across the river. You should be aware of those locations and avoid them all winter if you’re the type of person who wouldn’t walk there during spawning season.
Look for fish in the slowest water you can find. It doesn’t always have to be deep, just slow. In fact, you’ll often find fish eating midges over shallow sandy spots on sunny warm days. The fish will be very spooky there, however, so be careful how you approach the river. If you’ve never noticed trout in that type of habitat in the winter before, then you probably have not been careful in how you approach the water. You can also find fish hiding in slow water just underneath the edge of any ice shelves. Do not break or walk on the ice. Not only is that dangerous, but it also takes away a great place to find fish and the ice will conceal you. I can’t overemphasize enough how important it is not to spook fish this time of year. The trout will group up in the best slow-water habitat and if you spook one fish you will likely spook many at the same time. Try and catch a fish at the end of a run and immediately direct it downstream and out of the run as you fight it. Do your best to avoid letting a fish fight you upstream into a run and therefore spooking the rest of the fish. Then move to target the next fish up the run. Leave your thingamabobbers and air locks at home. Use a yarn indicator or sighter instead. Stay low and don’t stand on top of boulders or bluffs and wear muted clothing. Lastly, target only the best slow-water habitat in the winter. They are not spread throughout the river at this time of year and may not be in marginal habitat at all.
Because the fish are generally congregated to specific slow-water runs, float fishing does not give you much of an advantage over wading since there is no need to quickly cover long stretches of river. I usually put my boat away until March and go on foot so I can be more thorough in the winter.
Trout habitat in the Arkansas is generally characterized by the cobble and boulder strewn riverbed. The only part of the river that doesn’t have a lot of boulders is Hayden Meadows. Hayden is known for its grassy and cut banks. Downstream from there the river is fairly steep and rocky creating many whitewater rapids and tons of pocket water. The many canyons the river flows through are known for their larger pools that provide shelter for both Browns and Rainbows and rocky banks that the Browns love. Structure is key for this Brown trout dominated fishery.
Food:
The fish will primarily eat midge larva in the winter. But the occasional small blue wing olive hatch will get them feeding, too. Sow bugs can be found in their diet as well. Also, our fish are still very opportunistic in the winter and will not pass up larger food like golden stoneflies and small trout. They probably won’t chase very far for anything, however. So, dead drifted presentations that hit them in the nose are best.
Generally speaking, the Arkansas has mostly small insects. In the summer, the trout will find some larger Golden Stoneflies and Grasshoppers, but they likely eat more small Mayflies and Midges than anything. Historically, the Arkansas has been known for its sky darkening clouds of Mother’s Day Caddis, but as the overall variety of insect life has increased the caddis hatch has become a bit smaller and more localized. Ultimately, this is a good thing for the trout but may be disappointing if you are an angler who likes to chase hatches. There really aren’t any vertebrates in the Arkansas other than the native White Sucker and non-native Rainbow and Brown Trout. The native Yellow Fin Cutthroat Trout are now extinct. So, while the trout will cannibalize each other, insects are the main dish on the menu.
Sections:
Hayden Meadows is one of the few places that is frozen and unfishable in the winter. Ice is already starting to form and by Christmas it will be closed up. Currently 63.9 cfs. Approximately 9,500 feet in elevation.
Granite won’t freeze completely but can have somewhat limited fishing opportunities throughout much of the winter. Currently, 84 cfs. Approximately 9,000 feet in elevation.
Below Granite to Buena Vista will be mostly open except during cold snaps, but the slower eddies that hold the fish also hold too much ice. It’s probably best to move downriver during the coldest winter months. Currently 144 cfs. Approximately 8,000 feet in elevation.
Brown’s Canyon has the slow water habitat that the fish are looking for, but it just doesn’t get much sun on the water because of the steep canyon walls. Therefore, your prime time of day is drastically shortened. Currently 349 cfs. Approximately 7,500 feet in elevation.
Big Bend and Salida has very mild, some might say warm, winter weather and is a great place to fish. There will be some ice shelves that form during cold snaps, but the small amount of ice that forms in eddies and slow runs only serves to benefit the fishing. Boat access from the CR 166 angler-only boat ramp will be closed all the way to downtown Salida to remove the Shavano Hatchery’s low head dam. We’ve been waiting for this to happen for years now, and it will be better for the fish and all river users now that that drowning machine will be gone. I’m not sure when the project will be complete, however, so I’m prepared for that section to be closed to floating for much of the winter. Currently 291 cfs. Approximately 7,000 feet in elevation.
Upper and Lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon has some of the best wintertime habitat on the river. It also has lots of easy wade access off Highway 50. Honestly, when I’m fishing in the winter it’s usually in one of these two canyons. If you were to float in the winter, this might be where you’d do it. Be careful in Lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon due to the large pile up of ice that can occur between Cotopaxi and Texas Creek. The way the river bends in this lower section catches ice chucks that float from upriver and eventually creates an impassable ice dam. Therefore, it may not be advisable to float the lower sections. Currently 371 cfs. Approximately 7,000-6,000 feet in elevation.
Pleasant Valley has much less wade access but would be a great place to fish due to the abundant sunshine the area receives all winter. Currently 371 cfs. Approximately 6,500 feet in elevation.
The Royal Gorge is beyond the limits of the Gold Medal designation and is a little harder to access on foot since the road doesn’t follow the river here. It also has the very biggest whitewater (class IV-V) on the river. Therefore, it doesn’t get as much fishing attention. That doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of fish there, however. With that said, the water sees virtually no sun in the winter due to walls that are well over 1,000 feet tall. So, I would avoid it this time of year. Currently 315 cfs. Approximately 5,500 feet in elevation.
Suggested Flies:
I don’t fish a lot of dries during the winter, but if you did it would probably be BWO’s or midges. Or maybe they would take a chance at a big attractor like a Chubby Chernobyl if you don’t scare them with it. When nymphing, I love 2 Bit Stones and other very heavy stonefly patterns or small streamers, like a Wooly Bugger, in sizes 12-8 as a point/anchor fly. Make sure your nymphs have plenty of tungsten and lead on them. Small (size 20-22) midge patterns like Zebra Midges in various colors or small (size 16-20) mayfly patterns like Barr’s Emerger do well as a trailer/tag fly. I’ve found a lot of success with a Walt’s Worm in size 14 or 16 in the winter as well. Flies that have hotspots and other attractor-type features may get a fish to move further for a fly than they normally would given the conditions, so Frenchies or a Sexy Walt’s Worm may be worth a try.