Amazing Fishing Continues
Every foamy spot between Trading Post and Texas Creek was full of thousands of Blue Wing Olives and trout sipping them on the afternoon of Thursday, April 18th.
Italic text = most up to date and pertinent fishing conditions. The rest of the text is general tips and info on the Arkansas River that is consistent between all my Fishing Reports that some readers may want to skip.
Overview:
The best time of year to fish the Arkansas continues. This river has the best spring fishing and weather in the state. So, get out and fish.
In my opinion, you can’t do much better than the Arkansas River. Its first 152 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:
We’re at a time of year that the weather is now predominantly comfortable most days. The sections of the river below Salida are seeing 60’s-70’s most days. And even when you see a forecast that calls for rain or snow, that type of weather only lasts for a short period of the day and then it’s right back to warm sun. We never have all day soakers in this part of Colorado and even if we did it would only make the fishing better.
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.
Water Temperatures:
We can see 40-degree air temperature swings from night to day this time of year. So, we can also see big swings on the river as well. Upriver of Buena Vista may still be challengingly cold first thing in the morning and then warmup to almost 50 degrees in the shallows. Browns Canyon may be similar due to the fact that the sun won’t get over the canyon walls until later in the day. From Salida on downriver midday temperatures in the shallows are easily mid 50’s unless we get a very cloudy day.
The relationship between trout and water temperatures is critical but it’s important to understand many nuances that affect that relationship. Generally speaking, trout need a specific amount of dissolved oxygen to maintain their metabolism. If the water is too cold or too hot then the oxygen levels will be effected, which will effect their metabolism, which will effect how readily they will feed. With that said, it’s important to understand that water temperature is not consistent throughout a river from upriver to downriver or from shallow to deep. The Arkansas cover thousands of feet in elevation change over the 152 miles of its trout water. So, the temperature will be drastically different at mile 1 than mile 152. Likewise, the Arkansas is known for its greatly contoured riverbed. Deep pools and pockets broken up by fast moving tumbling riffles and whitewater can provide plenty of cold well oxygenated refuge even on the hottest summer afternoon. Because of this, if the Arkansas ever sees temperature related fishing restrictions, then we have a very serious climate problem on our hands.
Flows:
The current flow at the Wellsville gauge is 302 cfs. Which is very typical for this time of year and really helps not just the bug activity that the trout rely on but also provides better spawning conditions for our Rainbows. The upper portions of the Arkansas River basin that most affects the trout waters peaked around 117% of median Snow Water Equivalent according to the National Water and Climate Center in the last couple weeks. Additionally, the Colorado River basin peaked above 100% so we should see a decent water year. Beyond that, the US Drought Monitor has had the Upper Arkansas portion of the basin mostly free of all drought conditions for at least a year. The National Weather Service projects that we should see equal chances of normal precipitation through monsoon season this July and August.
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.
Clarity:
The flows coming out of Twin Lakes bumped up about 40 cfs about 10 days ago and that increase in flow clouded the water a bit, but it is mostly cleared back up again throughout the river. With the exception of Hayden Meadows, which is as crystal clear as it gets, much of the river has been just enough off-color to help the fishing a bit.
Trout use their sense of sight heavily when feeding. It is much more important than their sense of smell. So, having the right water clarity is critical to fishing success. Like most high mountain rivers, the Arkansas is pretty clear. But the clarity is not consistent like it is on many tailwater rivers. Typically, the fall, winter, and spring, can be pretty low and clear, but any weather event that can raise the flows will affect the clarity. If the water is a little off-color then the fishing can be easier, but if it is reduced to under a foot of visibility you might as well stay home. Run-off in late May and early June will almost certainly destroy the clarity to unfishable levels throughout most of the river. But an afternoon thunderstorm in July or August may only effect specific sections below affected feeder drainages.
Habitat:
Blue Wing Olives are dominating a trout’s diet right now and they tend to accumulate in foamy eddies and seams. The small mayflies don’t provide a ton of food for a trout unless they are able to eat a lot of them. So, this type of water tends to collect the bugs and make them an easy target for a heavily feeding trout. Foamy spots also allow a trout to hold without expending large amounts of energy in very well oxygenated water. With that said, don’t overlook structure laden edges as well. Rainbows are still spawning so some big fish can be found in slow protected water near the gravelly riffles that they may be spawning in.
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. Rocky velocity shelters are key for this Brown trout dominated fishery.
Food:
The spring Blue Wing Olive hatch is still going strong. The nymphs will begin to move around mid-morning and then will emerge and hatch at some point in the afternoon. After the duns emerge, they usually sit on the surface of the water for a bit making them an easy target that doesn’t take a lot of energy to hit. The bugs hatch every afternoon, but when it’s cloudy/rainy/snowy the duns sit on the water for longer than when it’s sunny/windy. So, if you don’t see as many sipping mouths as you think you should on sunny/windy days, focus your attention on fishing Blue Wing Olve emergers instead of dries. The trout are still likely feeding just under the surface.
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. Small mayflies like Pale Morning Duns in the summer and Blue Wing Olives in the Spring and Fall are just as important as the Mother’s Day Caddis at this point. Also, 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 is now extinct. So, while the trout will often eat other trout, insects are the main dish on the menu.
Suggested Flies:
My fly selection right now is focusing heavily on small mayflies, but I might try a caddis nymph from time to time. When you’re searching for fish, try flies like a size 18-20 Frenchie, Lightning Bug, or Gasolina with a tungsten bead or paired with a fly that has one. When you find actively feeding fish try a size 18-20 Barr’s Emerger or RS2 underneath a size 18-20 Gulper Special, Extended Body BWO or Brooks Sprout. If you can’t see the tiny dries, then put your emerger under a size 14 black foam elk hair caddis, and your heavy nymphs under a yarn indicator or sighter. Try any bright green caddis larva or a cased caddis pattern if you want to fish a caddis nymph.
My philosophy on fly selection is based around the fact that I’m trying to catch trout instead of tricking them into thinking, “Oh look, there’s a Hesperoperla pacifica! I must eat it.” Trout don’t think like that, humans do. Trout recognize any number of characteristics of a fly and instinctually strike or simply strike because something hit them in the nose, and they are willing to take the chance that it might be an easy meal. So, I am more focused on figuring out what characteristics bring a strike and not what characteristics look more like a bug. With that said, understanding the natural food a trout is consuming is an important starting point.
Rigging:
Springtime can be a bit windy around here so be careful to resist the temptation of rigging with extremely long and light leaders. The longer and lighter that your leader is the harder it will be to cast into the wind.
I like to start with a versatile graphite rod so that I can adjust my approach quickly and easily from tight line nymphing to streamers to dries the moment the conditions call for a change. Glass, bamboo or Euro Nymphing rods are specialty pieces of equipment meant for specific situations and for have no place in my collection. This is because I’m not a “Dry Fly” angler or a “Streamer Junkie” or a “Euro Nympher” I’m a trout fisherman who likes catching as many trout as I can in various conditions all year long. For me, that means a rod that is plenty long- at least 9 feet or longer, with as much power as I can get- meaning flex closer to the tip, but with as much sensitivity in that tip as possible. My rods are usually paired with a floating 4 or 5 weight line, but the heavy winds and big flies I often deal with makes me lean towards the 5 weight more often. With that said, I often stay away from weight forward lines because they are less versatile, not as delicate, sag more when high sticking, drag more when drifting, and don’t last as long as a traditional double taper line.
Next, I cut off the welded loops that fly line manufacturers only include for anglers that don’t want to learn knots. Then I tie on a 6 to 12 inch section of 25lbs. red Sunset Amnesia nylon (monofilament) connected to the fly line with a Needle Nail Knot and on the other end to a 7.5mm micro swivel with a simple Clinch Knot. The other side of the micro swivel gets the butt section a 7.5 foot 3x tapered nylon leader connected with another Clinch Knot. The 3x tip of the leader is connected either to a 2mm tippet ring with yet another Clinch Knot or directly to a single section of level (non-tapered) tippet with a Blood Knot.
If I’m using a dry fly, that section of tippet is always nylon, usually 18 inches in length and its diameter is matched only to the size of the fly and not to how difficult I think the fish are to catch. I believe fish are rarely turned off when they see tippet, rather they are turned off when a fly is not presented accurately or drifted naturally. Using tippet that is too small won’t help with an accurate cast and too large will drag. I prefer 5x for size 18 and smaller, size 4x for 14-18, 3x for 10-14 and so on. I tie on the fly using a Davy Knot not a Clinch Knot. Davy Knots are faster to tie, have a very small or non-existent tag end and have a very small profile on the hook eye. If I’m using a subsurface fly as a dropper, I tie another single piece of tippet to the eye of the dry fly using another Davy Knot. The length of that tippet is determined by how deep I want the dropper to sink, and the diameter is again matched to the size of the fly. The main differences are that I always use fluorocarbon and I sometimes go with a slightly smaller diameter for subsurface flies so that they sink a little faster due to the decreased drag on the thinner line. The subsurface fly is connected with another Davy knot.
If I’m only using nymphs, I put a single piece of fluorocarbon tippet onto my tapered leader to a heavy fly using a Mono Loop Knot to the eye of the hook. The length of that tippet is at least 1.5 times what I estimate is the average depth of the water I’m fishing. I then tie an 18 inch piece of fluorocarbon tippet to the eye of the hook of the heavier fly using another Mono Loop Knot and a Davy Knot to the second usually lighter fly. The Mono Loop Knots on the first fly allow it to move freely in the water similarly to tying it to a tag. I will either use a yarn indicator, like a New Zealand type, or I will tie on a piece of blaze orange Dacron Backing using a Uni Knot with the tag left long to the tippet below my initial leader-tippet connection and use it like a Euro Nymphing sighter that is adjustable.
If I’m casting streamers, I forgo the entire tapered leader for a 3 foot section of 0x nylon tippet connected by Blood Knot to a 3 foot section of 1x level fluorocarbon tippet attached to a fly with a Davy Knot. Tapered leaders are designed to dissipate your cast’s energy and slow down the fly before it enters the water which is the opposite of what I want when casting a streamer. Using a short leader without really any taper will help me deliver my big heavy fly to a distant target with power and accuracy and helps my flies sink quickly once they hit the water. I use two pieces of connected tippet, so I have a breaking point when I inevitably catch my fly on a snag. That way I only lose my fly and a little tippet instead of potentially more of my rig. This is my setup with almost any size streamer.
This style of rigging may sound complicated, but once you have the rod, line and tapered leader set up you only need to make small adjustments to attach the various flies you may use.
Sections:
Hayden Meadows is very low and still getting pretty cold nights and as a result the fishing can be pretty challenging for the average angler. The gauge is not reporting any data. Approximately 9,500 feet in elevation.
Granite is the better option to Hayden if you want to fish the upper reaches of the river right now. There has been work on the Granite bridge throughout much of the winter. The run above the bridge and hole at the boat access below the bridge does not exist at the moment and there is no data coming from the gauge at Granite because of this construction. Approximately 9,000 feet in elevation.
Below Granite to Buena Vista is not a section that I fish a lot this time of year. When the flows are as low as they are, there are many exposed boulders that make getting around a bit harder. But if you know where you’re going there can still be some success to be had in this section. Currently 238 cfs. Approximately 8,000 feet in elevation.
Brown’s Canyon is a great place to get a little “solitude” this time of year. The river is crossable at the Hecla Junction campground which gives you foot access to the rest of the canyon. Once the flows rise, it’s very difficult to get around the steep canyon walls. The low flows prohibit most all float fishing, however. Currently 326 cfs. Approximately 7,500 feet in elevation.
Big Bend and Salida is the most upriver section that would be worth floating at this point. The low-head dam that had been in this section for decades is finally gone! Currently 258 cfs. Approximately 7,000 feet in elevation.
Upper and Lower Bighorn Sheep Canyons are certainly the most popular sections on the river this time of year, if not all year. Floating this section could be really productive right now. In the afternoons, look for the possibility of trout feeding on BWO’s in the many large foamy eddies and foam lines found around the many bluffs in this section. Bighorn Sheep Canyon also has the most Rainbows in the river. Look for them in slow water near gravelly riffles because they are actively spawning right now. A rainbow trout before or after spawning is your best bet for hooking a big one on the Arkansas. The Salida East Recreation Area including the boat ramp and campground will be closed from April 15-24 for improvements to the entrance and exit to the site. Currently 302 cfs. Approximately 7,000-6,000 feet in elevation.
Pleasant Valley would be a great place to float, but if you know where you’re going it could be a good place to walk/wade, too. There is lots of private property in this section. Currently 302 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 there. It also has the 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, but there will likely be a few less anglers in this section. Currently 377 cfs. Approximately 5,500 feet in elevation.