Time: 10:15AM – 3:30PM

Location: Big Horn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 03/24/2026 Photo Album

The Arkansas River was on fire yesterday. Well, not literally, although I had to detour thirty minutes out of the way to avoid using CO 115, as it was closed due to the 24 Fire at Ft. Carson. Before the news of the fire, I was quite determined to return to the Arkansas River after my stellar outing on 03/09/2026. Upon learning of the fire, I checked out other options such as the South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon and the Eagle River. The unseasonably warm weather caused the water flow graph for the Eagle River to turn upward with a fairly decent slope. This spooked me with concerns over early snow melt and turbid conditions. I sensed that the progression of spring hatches in Eleven Mile was lagging the Arkansas as a result of the cold bottom release from the dam and the narrow width of the canyon.

Section Number Three

After pondering the variables, I decided to depart early and follow the detour route to Pueblo and then head west on US 50 through Canon City. I arrived at my chosen pullout by 9:45AM after departing at 7:00AM, The temperature was in the low fifties, but the high was expected to reach 90 degrees. I elected to wear my fleece hoodie with the intent of tying it around my waist and under my waders, as the temperature climbed. I chose my Sage One five weight as my casting tool.

Now We Are Talking

Beast of a Rainbow

As I approached the river, I noticed that it was tinged with sediments, but the clarity was adequate for fish visibility. In fact, the turbidity was probably a boon for the angler, as it helped prevent detection. Between 10:15AM and 11:00AM I worked a deep run along the high bank near US 50, but I failed to ignite any action. I was using a gray body chubby Chernobyl, a 20 incher and an olive perdigon. In fact, these three flies remained on my line for the entire day. After my fishless first forty-five minutes, I contemplated a change, but I maintained my offerings, and persistence paid off.

Love It

This Chubby Eater Surprised Me

At 11:00AM I crossed the river and walked upstream to a stretch, where the river fanned out into a nice long pool. I moved toward the top, and I finally saw the chubby dart, and I landed a twelve inch brown trout. I was on the board. Next I moved downstream to another section where the river ran tight to a bank along the highway. I started in a long pool that fanned out to a shelf along the right shoreline. Much to my amazement the action began to click. I discovered that casting upstream to the seam next to the fast water resulted in some hot action. Before breaking for lunch, I netted five additional trout, and these were very fine fish ranging from thirteen to sixteen inches. The first two from this area were a brown and rainbow, and I was shocked at their length. All the landed fish were larger than twelve inches during this time, and all nabbed the 20 incher. The dark colored stonefly imitation was likely visible in the cloudy water conditions.

The Release Suggests the Size

After lunch I resumed my migration up the river, and the willingness of Arkansas River trout to ingest my flies continued unabated. I doubled the fish count from six to twelve by 1PM, boosted it to sixteen by 1:30PM, and then landed an additional six between 1:30PM and quitting time at 3:30. Obviously the pace of catching slowed as the afternoon wore on, and the temperature gauge spiked. I only spotted a handful of blue wing olives, and only two sporadic rises revealed a fish. Roughly half the trout landed between noon and 3:30PM consumed the 20 incher and the remainder snatched the olive perdigon. I also suffered at least five long distance releases and a couple foul hooked fish. I snagged quite a few sticks, but I was able to rescue all the flies from these challenging situations.

Another Fine Spot Bankside

What was the quality of these fish? Outstanding. I can recall only one fish below twelve inches, and the remainder were all in the twelve to sixteen inch range. I estimate the average size of the fish was skewed to thirteen to fourteen inches. Tuesday was my second outstanding day on the Arkansas River, and I am very anxious to return. I have my fingers crossed that some cooler weather arrives on Friday, thus, putting a halt to the premature run off. 2026 March fly fishing has been prime.

Fish Landed: 22