Runoff Persists

This view is from the path just upriver of the Buena Vista whitewater park on the evening of Friday, June 28, 2024. Notice how the water is still up onto the path in some places and even washing it away.

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:

High flows are still persisting along most of the river. The clarity is fishable, but wading is still challenging and even dangerous in spots and the flows are just way too fast for effective float fishing for most anglers. I would anticipate at least another week before we start to approach optimal conditions. With that said, fish can still be caught right now if you really know what you're doing and where to go. So, get out and give it a shot.

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 are seeing highs in the upper 70’s and low 80’s in the BV area and much much warmer downstream. It looks like we are getting into our summer monsoon season weather pattern characterized by beautiful bluebird mornings and scattered thunderstorms most afternoons. If you want perfect weather, then get out in the mornings. If you are going to be out all day, then make sure to bring a raincoat no matter what the forecast on your phone is telling you. Trust me. The US Drought Monitor has had the Upper Arkansas portion of the basin mostly free of all drought conditions for at least a year, and the National Weather Service projects that we should see equal chances of normal precipitation through monsoon season this July and August.

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:

Even though our air temperatures are about as high as they get around here, the water temperatures will stay fairly cool since much of the water in the river is still snowmelt. Probably 40’s and 50’s upriver of BV and Salida and 60 degrees or so in the afternoons downriver of Salida.

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 affected, which will affect their metabolism, which will affect 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 a still pretty high 2730 cfs. Flows had been trending down earlier in the week, but a small release from Twin Lakes and continued snowmelt likely from the very northern end of the basin has bumped the flows back up into the 3000 cfs range for a good bulk of the river. We are certainly past peak runoff the question is how long high flows will last. This has been the biggest runoff we’ve seen in years.

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:

Water clarity is pretty good right now, especially upriver of BV. Probably at least a couple feet of visibility in most places with clearer water the further upstream you go. Of course, we are seeing more frequent afternoon thunderstorms as we get into monsoon season and a poorly placed storm can mess up the clarity in a hurry.

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:

Look for trout in shallow water up against the shore and they will avoid much of the main channel of the river. I often think of the Arkansas as two small creeks during runoff and through the summer. There is one 5-foot-wide creek on one side and another 5-foot-wide creek on the other. Also, you should be exploring up into side channels around islands as even small side channels now have water and fish in them. Don’t underestimate how shallow or how close to structure they will sit. They’ll likely be touching structure with a fin and may not move far for your fly.

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 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 river has a lot of food options for the trout, but the general thinking is that that they would rather get easier bigger meals than working hard for lots of smaller ones. So bigger stoneflies, like Golden Stones should be on the menu. There are also a lot of young trout in the river that may struggle to find the right water to hold in. So, small trout often become meals for bigger trout during runoff. Also, we can see Gray Drakes upriver of BV, especially in Hayden Meadows. However, Hayden has a little bit of every bug a fish could want in the summer, so be prepared for hatches of just about anything up there right now.

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:

Make sure you have plenty of runoff staples, like Pat’s Rubber Legs and Wooly Buggers. The streamer fishing can sometimes be excellent when the water is high and off-color. For me, Wooly bugger variations like the Thin Mint work just as good as some of the more complicated and more expensive double-hooked articulated flies. A classic size 10 Parachute Adams is a good Gray Drake imitation that could be used anywhere upriver of BV. Size 12-ish Chubby Chernobyls are very effective this time of year and will hold up heavy Perdigon patterns like a size 14 Brown Spanish Bullet or size 16 Sunburst Perdigon. Lastly, weight can almost always be helpful on a river like the Arkansas, but especially at higher flows. Tungsten beads are a must.

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:

If you’re using bigger stonefly patterns or streamers, then shorter heavier leaders can be helpful. The only exception to that would be if you are doing a lot of high-sticking or tight line/euro nymphing. I suggest starting with a leader in the range of 7.5-foot 3x nylon and then add tippet as needed. Streamers don’t need a tapered leader or have much length, so 5-6 feet of 0-1x level tippet is sufficient.

I always prefer a rigging style that is versatile. The Arkansas River is ever changing and requires a variety of approaches to consistently catch fish. 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, and as a result I want one rigging system with one rod that can be adjusted to utilize the best aspects of all styles of fly fishing. Having multiple types of rods and lines and systems is cumbersome and not practical around here. If you want to read specifics of my particular rigging system, click here.

Float Fishing:

I floated the Milk Run today just downriver from BV and the flows were pushing 3000 cfs. The clarity was certainly fishable, and we did move some fish with streamers, but it was very challenging. The flows are just so fast. In my experience the vast majority of anglers do not possess the skill necessary to cast streamers at this speed. Also, you must be an experienced oarsman to run the river right now. No novice should attempt floating in these conditions. But if you know what you are doing, and you just want to run some big water and maybe you can get a fish or two then give it a shot. But you’d really be on a rafting trip and not a fishing trip. In my mind, I really would prefer the flows to be no higher than 2000 cfs to make float fishing effective, and 1000 cfs is really ideal. For comparison, during our spring and fall season flows are usually under 500 cfs and sometimes even under 250 cfs.

Boating on the Arkansas is whitewater rafting. Whitewater rafts outfitted with custom fishing frames are the norm and this river is way too rocky and technical for hard sided drift boats. No section of this river at any time of year is appropriate for a drift boat. With that said, not all of this river is hard-core whitewater. There are plenty of sections that offer mostly class II water for families or the novice boater. Like the Milk Run near Buena Vista and Big Bend to Salida East among others. Most float fishing occurs downriver of Buena Vista as the water upriver of there is either just too small or way too fast and technical for effective float fishing. Always do your research before setting out on the river for the first time. Also, check the flows for the section you plan to boat as flows can change overnight here making what was fun and splashy whitewater to something that may be way out of your league. Please always wear your PFD. Anglers can easily fall out of the boat in relatively calm water while they are more focused on fishing. Even the “calmest” water on this river can be life or death without a PFD. Also, please respect private property. In Colorado the landowner owns the riverbed, and it is trespassing to not only eddy out on private land but also to set anchor. Do you best to free your boat immediately if you inadvertently get stuck on a rock. Not all private land is obviously posted, but you must still respect it. You would probably want it that way if it was your land. Remember your actions reflect upon all boaters.

Sections:

Hayden Meadows is very high and overflowing the banks in many areas. The meadow around the river may be pretty boggy and saturated right now. With that said, it is very fishable and worth a wade trip right now. Just don’t expect to be able to cross the river yet. Look for fish under cut banks. Currently, 739 cfs. Approximately 9,500 feet in elevation.

Granite is similar to Hayden right now but has more velocity shelters and rocky edges the fish can take advantage of. The clarity is very good, especially below the confluence with Lake Creek. Currently, 1,910 cfs. Approximately 9,000 feet in elevation.

Below Granite to Buena Vista is also very high and continuing to rise. There is some very big whitewater upriver of Buena Vista and that area may be difficult to wade right now. The clarity is good, however. Currently 2,650 cfs. Approximately 8,000 feet in elevation.

Brown’s Canyon is definitely more of a whitewater rafting trip than good float fishing right now. There’s a huge plastic and Hypalon hatch that happens pretty much all day long. Wading here may be challenging and the only way in on foot is a seven-mile hike from Ruby Mountain to the north. Currently 3,030 cfs. Approximately 7,500 feet in elevation.

Big Bend and Salida also is higher than ideal with the water up in the willows in most places making wading and casting difficult. You must take the river left boat chute though the Scout Wave if you float through downtown Salida. Hitting the wave is very dangerous right now. Currently 2,660 cfs. Approximately 7,000 feet in elevation.

Upper and Lower Bighorn Sheep Canyons as well as Pleasant Valley are also much higher than ideal for fishing. Currently 2,760 cfs. Approximately 7,000-6,000 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 biggest whitewater (class III-V) on the river and only experienced boaters should attempt it. Therefore, it doesn’t get as much fishing attention. That doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of fish here, but many anglers avoid this section. Currently 3,050 cfs. Approximately 5,500 feet in elevation.