Time: 10:30AM – 2:30PM

Location: Hayden Meadows area

Arkansas River 07/16/2025 Photo Album

After a decent day on Tuesday, I was debating where to go for a second day of fly fishing. My initial thought was to try a newly created state wildlife area on a small mountain stream, but then I recalled that I enjoyed some productive days with gray drakes on the Arkansas River in Hayden Meadows around the mid-July time frame. I made the decision to drive to Hayden Meadows.

I arrived at a wide pullout near the river at 10:00AM, and I was poised for action by 10:30AM. I once again chose my Sage R8 four weight. The air temperature was 62 degrees, and a light haze was visible against the mountain peaks.

The river was very clear and churning along at decent velocity. The Arkansas River is a fairly large waterway for being located at a relatively high elevation. I saw no insects or rising fish, so I began my day with a yellow size 8 fat Albert, a prince nymph, and a salvation nymph. Between 10:30AM and 11:50AM I worked my way up the river and prospected likely trout lairs. In spite of some fairly intense fishing, I managed to land only one fish in 1.5 hours of fishing. The one netted fish grabbed a beadhead hares ear, after I swapped out the salvation nymph.

A Nice Fish At Least

During the morning time frame I connected with four trout, but only the hares ear consuming brown trout rested in my net. One brown ambushed the fat Albert and broke off three flies in short order. I hooked another fifteen inch brown, but as I played the fish, the fat Albert slipped free, and I foul hooked the fish in the tail area with a trailing nymph. A third fish crushed the fat Albert but ejected the hook within a second or two. Needless to say, I was frustrated with my relatively futile morning.

I paused on a beach area to consume my lunch, and then I resumed my advancement up the river. For chapter two I switched to a double dry arrangement. The top fly was a peacock hippie stomper, and the first trailer was a yellow size 14 stimulator. On the first and second cast, a fish swirled and refused each of the flies. I persisted for a reasonable time. but the flies did not attract interest. I swapped the yellow stimulator for a size 14 parachute green drake, and once again the results were not satisfactory. In my opinion the drake looked very tasty, but I am not a fish. I was banking on the trout having long memories, when it comes to drakes.

Home of Brown Trout Landed

My next move was to replace the green drake imitation with a size 14 light gray deer hair caddis. The stomper and caddis combination created interest, but I never landed any of the eaters. I hooked up with four fish, but each shrugged off the hook after very brief battles. At one location I had two fish slash and hit the trailing caddis, as it began to swing at the end of a long drift. I thought I was on to something, but the swinging action failed to arouse interest after the initial flurry.

Between 12:30 and 1:00PM a thunderstorm rolled in, so I rushed back to the car for shelter. I removed all my gear and sat inside, while I waited for the rain to subside. Once the steady rain dwindled to a light sprinkle, I returned to the point on the river, where I exited. I wore my raincoat for the remainder of my time on the river to repel occasional very light showers.

By 2PM I noticed another angler fifty yards above me. I was vexed by this development, even though he was a reasonable distance away, as this now blocked my advancement. I stripped in my line and hooked it to the rod guide, and I walked back to the car and then beyond, until I saw a no trespassing sign. The sign gave me incentive to cut to the river, which I did, and I renewed my efforts to catch some Arkansas River fish. Alas, that eventuality was never accomplished. In the 2PM to 2:30 time period I never spotted a rise nor any sort of insect activity. In a last ditch effort to add to the fish count, I removed the hippie stomper and caddis and replaced them with a yellow body pool toy hopper. I fished it solo for ten minutes in some deep water along a grassy bank, but the tactic proved fruitless. I chose the yellow pool toy because the yellow fat Albert delivered a bit of interest in the morning session.

I never saw a gray drake. In fact the only insects I witnessed were caddis. My recent history with Hayden Meadows has not been good, and I suspect it will be awhile, until I return. The interruptions of the storm and the upstream angler only served to heighten my frustration. The small stream option probably would have been more rewarding.

Fish Landed: 1