Frying Pan Anglers - Colorado Fly Fishing Report 18th June

Computer problems kept us off the air last week, but we think they are now resolved so we will catch you up with the fishing news in our area. After some rain and snow on Saturday evening followed by a generally cold snowy/rainy day on Sunday we have woken to snow on the high peaks this morning. Though cold the conditions have been excellent for BWO dry fly fishing on the Pan. The browns are becoming more aggressive now as we approach the spawn and they are aggressively taking streamers on the Fork.

The season is progressing well into Autumn now with a lot of leaves floating down the river. Throwing streamers into eddies collects a lot of debris on the retrieve and with the gusts of wind, it requires a little more care when floating dries.

The few cold days have dropped off the number of fishermen along the river quite dramatically. The hunting season is now well underway, so the preponderance of traffic along the Frying Pan over the weekend was hunting vehicles with the odd ATV in tow.

Take care if you want to hike into the high country for some stream fishing and wear some orange just for safety.

The coming week should offer more of the same with it getting colder and a little snow towards the weeks end. There will be a few more weeks on the river until the sun gets so low that the snow sticks and does not melt for a while. So if you have a mind to catch the last of the autumn fishing while the weather is still OK, we would love to see you.

The water continues to run at 113cfs but it is understood that the Bureau intends dropping the flow to under 100cfs in November. Ideally if the water was left at the present level throughout winter that would be best for the fish. Dropping the flow to under 100cfs will be tough for the fish during winter but certainly better than in the recent past when the flow was dropped to 60cfs.

The browns are beginning to stage for the spawn and many of the reds are barely covered by the current flow. Furthermore, the ease of access for wading will mean that the fish will have few areas left where they can seek some protection.

The fish are now more confined in the river and have moved to the deeper pools during the brighter parts of the day. With the arrival of the cooler weather and the near freezing temperatures overnight the activity has slowed down early in the mornings, so there is no need to rush out onto the river at the crack of dawn.

We are now in mid-Autumn with the last of the PMD's still coming off intermittently. The principal hatches at the moment are midges which come of mid-morning, afternoon and evenings while BWO's will come off if there is any cloud cover or rain, or on the bright days, in the shade. There are also some October caddis about.

With the cooler weather coming, don't underestimate the effects of changes. It will get very cold if you stay on the river through rain enjoying the excellent hatches. So just be well stocked with flies and be prepared for the range of possible weather you might encounter. If there is a suggestion of cold and rain, dress for winter fishing. You will be able to peel off layers as the day progresses, if necessary.

Recommended Flies:

When the PMD's are coming off try emergers and dries. A barr's emerger, beadhead or wet pattern #18 or the FPA PMD emerger #18 work well. Also try the hunch back #18, the bubbleback #16 and #18 and the #18 FPA special emerger. If the activity is a little slow during the day, try some nymphs #16 - #18 and emergers down deeper. For nymphs try various pheasant tail patterns as well as the anatomical #16 - #18 and the FPA mayfly emerger #18.

For baetis t ry a small FPA sparkle baetis, a thorax sparkle baetis, the icebreaker or a pheasant tail before they start to rise. Also try the mighty mite, the juju baetis and the mighty may sloans. Try sizes #20 - #22. In addition, when the BWO's start coming off try RS2's and other emerger patterns behind a dry. It doesn't hurt to try the emergers behind the nymphs if the fish are staying down in the water. For dries, use parachute Adams, Matthews sparkle baetis, biot BWO, the extended body BWO and the grizzly Adams. Try sizes from #18 - #24.

Midges come off during the day, particularly if it is sunny and in the evenings so try WD-40's #20 , red and black chironocones #20, brassie's #18 - #22, midge larva patterns #18 - #22, black polywings #18 - #22 and garcia's rojo midges # 18 - #22. Try the gray loopwing emergers #20 - #22, the FPA special emergers, biot emergers both with and without the trailing shuck and gray RS2's #18 - #22. Also carry dry patterns such as the z-wing real midge, suspended midge and any similar dry black and gray patterns in sizes from #20 through to #26.

There are some caddis coming off on the Pan so try emergers and the October caddis patterns. As the fish start spawning, try egg patterns down stream but keep off the redds, as that is next years sport.

Roaring Fork

Current Flow: near Emma - 378cfs (if you want more uptodate figures check out current readings on our "Links" page).

At 378cfs the Fork is barely floatable for a single in a raft below Basalt. The quality of the water is generally excellent at the moment and the fish are responding well to streamers as well as PMD's and BWO's. Try soft hackle patterns as well.

With the browns staging for the spawning season, they are responding aggressively to streamers, both white and black thrown against the edges.

Most of the float traffic now commences at Carbondale, so the Fork is still a little busy down from Carbondale although as we move towards the end of the season the activity is diminishing.

Recommended Flies:

Overall the best results on the Fork are from nymphing although streamers have been getting the best results while floating.

During the day use PMD and BWO nymphs and emergers. See some of the patterns we have mentioned for the Pan. If you are nymphing deep down, use plenty of weight in the fast running water and pick where the fish are a little protected behind structure or deeper down in the slower water. If floating try streamers for variety.

In the afternoons and evenings the hatches there are PMD's, BWO's but mostly midges. The fish are still keeping low most of the time. So continue to use PMD and BWO nymphs and emergers. Use caddis pupa and emerger patterns as well if any caddis are in evidence. In addition as the midges become the greater biomass as the year turns colder use midge emergers behind a BWO or PMD.

Colorado River

The water in the Colorado suffered when the Fork blew out but the temperature has dropped nicely in the water. There are PMD’s and BWO’s coming off but generally try streamers if floating.

Recommended Flies: PMD's – nymphs, emergers and dries, bwo's both nymphs, emergers and dries; 20 inchers size #10 - #14; streamers #2 - #8; egg patterns.