Now Is The Time
Looking downriver toward Pleasant Valley near the town of Howard on Friday, April 5, 2024.
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:
Now is the time. This is it. The answer to one of the most common questions I am asked is that now is the best time of year to be fishing the Arkansas River. 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:
Spring weather in Colorado can be quite a roller coaster. That’s for sure. It will be in the 60’s and sunny in the Salida area all week, but it’s also supposed to snow this weekend. The good news is that when it is cloudy and snowy at this time of year the river fishes even 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.
Flows:
The current flow at the Wellsville gauge is 247 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.
Currently, the upper portions of the Arkansas River basin that most affects the trout waters are at 117% of median Snow Water Equivalent according to the National Water and Climate Center, and we are probably at our peak snowpack in the mountains. Additionally, the Colorado River basin is firmly 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.
Of course, trout in a river like the Arkansas typically do a little better with lower flows but catching them might be a tad easier when the flows are just a little up because the water won’t be as crystal clear as when it’s down.
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:
Now that we are getting daily Blue Wing Olive hatches the fish have spread throughout the river and away from their slow-water winter habitat. But keep in mind that most of our fish are structure-loving Browns, so they will still be along the bottom, edges, or eddies. The Rainbows are generally more willing to be in faster water further from structure, but as they are spawning now, they can be found in slow deep water near gravely riffles.
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:
Blue Wing Olives, Blue Wing Olives, and more Blue Wing Olives. This is the best hatch of the year. The fish have been waiting for it all winter and it’s on. The nymphs will begin to move around mid-morning and then will emerge and hatch at some point in the afternoon. The fish love eating them because for one, there’s just a ton of them, and for another they’re easy to get. 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. This is especially true for cloudy/rainy/snowy afternoons. If it’s a sunny or windy day, the fish will feed on the emergers just under the surface better than the duns that just get blown away.
You’re missing out if you’re the type of angler that always waits for the famous fisherman hatch-sorry I mean Mother’s Day Caddis hatch when fisherman swarm the river- sorry again I mean caddis swarm the river. Springtime Blue Wing Olives, not Caddis, are the first big hatch of the year.
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 your favorite size 14 caddis dry, 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:
When rigging up my flies I usually start with a versatile rod so that I can adjust my approach quickly and easily from tight line nymphing to streamers, to dries when the conditions call for a change. 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 mostly open from ice, but it is extremely low flows and still pretty darn cold up there. Currently 0 cfs because the gauge is iced up. Approximately 9,500 feet in elevation.
Granite is ice-free and fishing well. 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 90 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 221 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! You will probably find the densest Blue Wing Olve hatches in this section and below. Currently 202 cfs. Approximately 7,000 feet in elevation.
Upper and Lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon is 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 247 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 253 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 336 cfs. Approximately 5,500 feet in elevation.