Although we’re expecting even warmer temps through the weekend, streamflow is expected to decrease in the coming days.
Just in the past five days, more than half of our mountain snow has melted at higher elevations. Knowing this, fishing a dry dropper rig is the go-to method when fishing near Leadville and a mixture of dry dropper and nymphing rigs are the effective setups when fishing near Buena Vista.Peak water runoff is being recorded on most Front Range streams as temperatures climb across the state. River flows are typically lower the closer you are to Leadville and increase the further south you go towards Buena Vista. Anglers can count on experiencing the standard Colorado hatches with midges hatching throughout the year, Mayflies in the late spring through fall, and caddis and stoneflies in the summer. From Twin Lakes to Salida, the river goes through mountainous terrain providing deep pools, runs and pockets. The river yields long runs and riffles as it winds through open meadows from Leadville to Twin Lakes Reservoir. Low flows and ice make this stretch difficult to fish during the winter months. The upper section of the Arkansas River is best fished from late spring through fall. Depending on the section of the river, bag limits vary from 1 – 4 trout over 12” with the exception of rainbow trout. Regulations dictate that only artificial flies and lures may be used. Average trout sizes range from 12” – 16” with a max of 20”. Brown and rainbow trout are the primary residents with brown trout making up 75% of the trout population. Luckily, due to the efforts of trout activist groups, the fishery continues to improve year over year and has become a fun and productive stretch to fish. This fishery has been a major focus for improvement over the past decade as fish populations were historically impacted by the heavy mining activity that occurred in Leadville. The upper section is arguably the most wade friendly section of the river with many access points running from Leadville through Salida. The upper section of the Arkansas River is a freestone river sourced from snowmelt in the Sawatch and Mosquito mountain ranges near Leadville, Colorado. There are a lot of boats out on the water right now, so be prepared to share the river with float anglers, rafters, kayakers and booze cruisers. If this occurs, either fish a different river or fish large and flashy bugs. If the Upper Ark Valley receives a material amount of rain, water clarity will temporarily decrease. Several days of rain are in the forecast, so keep an eye on the weather and flows. Flashback Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns, Graphic Caddis, Sparkle Pupas, Rainbow Warriors, Frenchies, Zebra Midges and Perdigons are reliable trailers. Pat’s Rubber Legs, Twenty Inchers, San Juan Worms and caddis larva patterns are all productive in the lead position. We fished the Upper Ark a few days ago and a black/tan Pat’s Rubber Legs and black sculpin streamer did the heavy lifting. Absent bug activity, heavy nymph rigs and streamers are the way to go. Pat’s Rubber Legs, Graphic Caddis and common searcher/attractor patterns are solid dropper nymphs.
Single and double dry fly setups will work well but we tend to find better results with a dry dropper setup. Trout are looking at the surface to feed during the morning for terrestrials and the late morning/early afternoon for caddis. With all that said, flows are still on the high end, so continue focusing on the softer sections of the river (banks, slack water, outer seams, soft pools etc.) and if you’re wading, don’t expect to get much further than a couple feet from the bank. With much improved water color and clarity, the fishing has really picked up. Flows dropped ~700 CFS and leveled out around 1,000 cfs.
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