Time: 11:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: Buena Vista Area

Arkansas River 05/09/2025 Photo Album

I am not sure if the source of my euphoria on Friday, May 9, 2025 stemmed from the continuing outstanding productivity of the olive perdigon or the discovery of a new section of the Arkansas River. With highs in Denver predicted in the seventies, I checked potential fly fishing destinations and settled on the Buena Vista area of the Arkansas River, where the high was forecast to peak in the low sixties. On the previous week I made the drive to the same area, and I enjoyed a very satisfying day of fly fishing, so a return visit appealed to me.

New Water

Every year at this time that spans mid-April until early May, I chase the famed Arkansas River caddis hatch, and that also played into my planning. The fly shop report indicated that the hatch was centered over Salida after the recent cold snap. I surmised that progression to the Buena Vista area was a possibility.

Impressive Start

Love the Spots

I set my Google maps app to a new spot, and I gambled that there was fishing access. The map that I was using suggested that was the case, but there was a risk that I was wasting time seeking out an unknown fishing spot.

Looking Ahead

I arrived at the designated test location by 11AM, and by the time I pulled on my fleece hoodie and raincoat and assembled my Sage R8 four weight and hiked a short distance to the river, it was 11:30PM. I was flying blind, and I had no idea where to park, how far away the river was and what the fishing conditions were like. Fortunately I quickly found the designated parking lot, the walk to the river was short, and the section of the river in front of me looked amazing.

Sole Rainbow

I began my quest for trout with an amber ice dub body chubby Chernobyl, an iron sally and a bright green caddis pupa. I debated using the olive perdigon, but I wanted to experiment with the caddis pupa first. On the first two casts in a deep slot behind a boulder, I hooked and landed two respectable brown trout in the twelve to thirteen inch range; and, needless to say, I was impressed. Between 11:30 and noon, when I found a nice flat rock for my picnic lunch, I added two more browns to my netted fish tally to boost the total to four. Was this for real? All the late morning trout grabbed the iron sally.

Narrow Run Along the Bank Produced

After lunch, however, I endured a brief dry spell, so I reconsidered my offerings and exchanged the heretofore unproductive caddis for the olive perdigon. It was a master stroke. For the remainder of the day the chubby Chernobyl and perdigon were constants in my lineup, and my only change was to swap the iron sally for a go2 bright green caddis pupa midway through the afternoon.

Wide Moderate Depth Riffle Was Prime

Check Out All the Subsurface Rocks

What an afternoon it was! the fish count ballooned from four to thirty-one. In total the chubby Chernobyl accounted for five, the iron sally registered the first four, one fish fell prey to the caddis pupa and the remaining twenty-one hungered for the olive perdigon. I never spotted a caddis fly, but during two extended periods of heavy cloud cover, I noticed a few blue wing olives, but not enough to generate any surface feeding. Apparently there were active baetis nymphs, and the olive perdigon was a close enough representation. Another testament to my good fortune was my ability to fish for three plus hours without losing a fly, and with tungsten beads going for one dollar each, that was good news.

Big Flapper

The river was in prime condition. The flows in Nathrop downstream were around 400 CFS, and crystal clear was the clarity status. I fished upstream along the left bank, and prospected all the deep slots, troughs, pockets and riffles. All these types of structure produced, but the most dependable locations featured the tail end of deep slower moving slots just before the adjoining currents merged and accelerated. A lift at the end of these drifts seemed to be a deadly technique. I love the feeling of confidence, when I lock on to productive flies and identify the most likely fish holding lies. Before casting I could more or less predict the result, although I covered the water thoroughly and produced the occasional nice fish from fairly marginal spots.

Chubby Again

Once again I failed to greet the caddis hatch, but in exchange I discovered a new favorite section of the river, and I reinforced the effectiveness of the perdigon style of fly. I typically dislike tying flies during fishing season, but I may have to deviate from this position, and tie up some more. Other than the expense of the beads, the perdigons are a straightforward tie with minimal materials. A thirty-one fish day is very appreciated, and although the largest probably stretched the tape to thirteen inches, quite a few were in that twelve to thirteen inch range, and all but one outlier rainbow were marvelous vividly colored wild fish. Could I sneak in another day on the Arkansas before the run off thwarts my success? Stay tuned.

Fish Landed: 31

Time: 11:00AM – 3:30PM

Location: Buena Vista Area

Arkansas River 05/02/2025 Photo Album

As I contemplated options for a day of fly fishing on Friday, May 2, I could not erase thoughts of the Arkansas River caddis hatch from my memory. My young friend, Ben, and I visited lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon on 04/25/2025, and although we had decent success, we did not witness the massive caddis event that we were seeking. We saw two caddis during our entire day on the river. Were we above or below the main emergence, or was the caddis hatch perhaps a non-event in 2025?

Clear Conditions

The cool weather early in the week confined me to short trips to the Front Range, so I was open to a longer drive on Friday. The forecast for Friday was only moderately more favorable with highs in the mid-sixties for Denver. I searched around for possibilities, and I identified the Arkansas River with highs in Salida in the low sixty degree range.

Not a Bad Start

Next I researched the DWR site for flows, and the Nathrop gauge registered 360 CFS. That was encouraging. Finally I visited the fly shop web sites, and the local experts suggested that the main body of the hatch was between Big Bend and Rincon in the Salida area. I like the river structure in the Buena Vista area, and the fly shop reported clear conditions, so I decided to make the drive. Buena Vista is a bit closer than the Salida stretch, and I speculated that perhaps the caddis would advance to Buena Vista, and I would miraculously hit the leading edge of the hatch. One can always hope.

Salivating

I departed on Friday in a westward direction and made the drive on US 285 to the Buena Vista area. When I arrived at my chosen pullout, the air temperature was 53 degrees, and the wind was a very significant factor, and it would remain one throughout my day. Unfortunately it was a headwind, and this played havoc with my upstream casts resulting in significant neck and shoulder fatigue by the end of the day.

Very Respectable

Above the Water

I wore my Brooks long sleeve undershirt and added my fleece hoodie and rain shell. For head gear I wore my billed hat with earflaps, and the choice suited me well, when the wind blasted in my face. I strung my Sage R8 four weight, and I ambled downriver for .25 mile. Along the way I saw a large tent, and this caused me concern that I would be sharing my section of the river with another fisherman or group of fishermen.

Slow Current and Depth Were Key

When I arrived at the edge of the river, I tied a size 8 yellow fat Albert with missing legs to my line. I was using the fat Albert as a strike indicator, so I was not concerned about the missing appendages. Beneath the foam hopper I knotted my 2025 favorite, the olive perdigon, and below that fly I added a bright green sparkle caddis pupa. In the first deep run where I cast, I momentarily hooked up with two fish, but then I persisted and nailed a pair of brown trout, before I found a nice lunch spot. One of the morning browns nabbed the caddis pupa, and the other snatched the perdigon.

On Display

After lunch I continued up the river, until I was just beyond my parking space by 3:30PM, and I boosted the fish count from two to eighteen. By 12:45 I concluded that the caddis pupa was not effective, so I exchanged it for a size 22 sparkle wing RS2, and the fat Albert, olive perdigaon and sparkle wing RS2 remained in place as my offerings for the rest of my time on the river.

Portends Success

Of the eighteen fish landed, one crushed the fat Albert, one grabbed the bright green caddis pupa, and four chased and nipped the sparkle wing. All the remaining trout favored the perdigon, and it was a testament to how effective the simple tungsten bead fly has become to my spring time success. All but one of the trout were browns. The average size of the trout in this section of the river was smaller than that which I experience downstream; however, I did land a couple thirteen inch browns. Most of the other browns and the single rainbow were in the ten to twelve inch range.

Nice One

Surprised by One from the Narrow Space Between Exposed Rocks

What sort of river structure produced trout? By far the best places were deep slots and troughs where currents merged or cushions in front of rocks at the tail of pockets or riffles. I wasted a lot of time fishing marginal spots along the bank, but the fish seemed to place a premium on water depth. I saw only a handful of caddis, so I concluded that the main hatch had not yet reached the Buena Vista area. I did spot a few blue wing olives, but the hatch, if there was one, was very sparse and failed to initiate any surface feeding.

Spots and Colors Superb

I encountered one other angler, and I mounted the steep bank and circled around him. When I approached the tent that I noticed on my inbound trek, I realized that the inhabitant was a gold prospector. We exchanged nods, and he did not seem to care about my presence near his campsite.

Riffle Section

Friday was a fun day, and I was pleased with my destination choice. Did I encounter the famed caddis hatch? No, I did not. Did I experience hot surface action to blue wing olive mayflies? No, that circumstance did not develop as well. In spite of this, I methodically worked my way along the right bank of the river and probed likely spots with my dry/dropper and netted eighteen wild fish. That, in my book, is an enjoyable day, and I beat the onset of snow melt.

Fish Landed: 18

Time: 11:00AM – 4:00PM

Location: Lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 04/25/2025 Photo Album

Last summer I made a couple fishing trips with the grandson of a friend from Bucknell. Ben acquired some used fly rods from a co-worker of his father, and he was very interested in learning the art of fly fishing. Ben turned out to be a quality young man and an avid student of the sport, and I was interested in following his evolution in the world of fly tossing. I contacted Ben’s mother and asked if he had any weekdays, where he was free from school, and she replied with a couple dates. One of them was April 25, so we scheduled a fishing day for that Friday.

I have lived in Colorado for thirty-five years, and each year at this time I make the drive to the Arkansas River in search of the fabled Mothers’ Day caddis hatch. In Colorado the hatch actually commences around tax day and moves up the river at a variable pace, until it ends around Mothers’ Day on the upper river. The hottest fishing occurs at the leading edge of the hatch, as massive quantities of insects emerge, and this event brings the spectacle of hungry fish slashing on the surface. Caddis burst out of their pupa rapidly, and if the wind is strong, they skitter across the surface. Unlike most fly fishing scenarios, drag actually becomes a positive presentation technique. During all my years of chasing this hatch, I hit it two times, where I experienced crazy fishing to caddis adults. It is very difficult to locate the sweet spot, while living 2.5 hours away.

I have, however, on many occasions, arrived at the river in places behind the leading edge of the hatch. These instances are also quite an event to experience. Adult caddis fill the willows and bushes along the river, and a few constantly leave their perch and dap down on the surface for a quick drink. In the morning hours, I have had success picking off a few trout by prospecting the water along the banks with size 16 deer hair caddis. If the conditions are favorable, the caddis leave their roosting spots in the early afternoon and swarm above the river and fall to the water. The trout capitalize on this opportunity, but my fly is one of hundreds, and it takes an extreme amount of luck to fool a trout into taking an artificial over the dense quantity of naturals.

In preparation for a day of fishing with Ben, I researched the 2025 caddis progression. The flows on the Arkansas River were favorable, and clarity was optimal according to the fly shop narratives. The two main fly shops near the river cited hatch activity in Canon City and through lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon as far as Texas Creek. The shop in Salida actually had it extending as far as the Vallie Bridge closer to their shop, of course. These ranges were so broad that they were not very useful in pinpointing the emergence. Finally, I checked the weather reports, and I discovered that Friday was projected to have a high temperature of 54 degrees in Canon City with light rain in the morning and overcast skies all afternoon. These were not the conditions that provide a catalyst to heavy caddis emergence. Caddis like sunny days that warm the river temperature to ideal levels in the mid-fifties.

Baetis, on the other hand, love chilly and overcast conditions. I concluded that I would introduce Ben to the Arkansas River caddis hatch, and the blue wing olives would be a solid fallback. Even if we were unable to find the leading edge of the caddis, he could witness the swarms of the tent-winged adults populating the riverside bushes and rocks.

Ben arrived at my house by 7:30, and we transferred his gear and made the drive. Ben was sporting new stocking foot waders and wading boots, and he was quite excited for a day of fly fishing. We drove through rain, mist and fog, until we exited Canon City, and the low clouds shifted into higher gray masses but lacking descending moisture. During our day on the river the sun barely appeared, and we only felt a light mist a few times.

Already on Its Way

The coolness and dampness prompted me to wear my long sleeved Under Armour undershirt and light down North Face coat with an outer layer of my rain jacket. I snugged on my billed hat with earflaps. I was pleased to have these layers for my entire day on the river. For my fly rod I once again pulled out my Sage One five weight. I was hopeful to need the extra strength of the five weight to handle larger fish.

Center Trough

By 11:00AM we were positioned along the river ready to find hungry and willing trout on the Arkansas River. As we bashed through willows and bushes near the river, I carefully observed in order to assess the status of the caddis hatch in our location. I saw none. Normally the adult flies flush into the air in abundance, when I disturb their habitat, but that was not the case on Friday.

Look at the Load on Ben’s Rod

To begin our day we chose dry/dropper rigs. We both applied chubby Chernboyls as our top flies. Ben added a go2 caddis pupa on a four foot dropper, and I chose an olive perdigon as the top fly and placed a g02 caddis beneath as my bottom nymph. We fished some attractive deep runs, and I managed to hook and land a nice thirteen inch rainbow, while Ben notched a refusal to his chubby.

Brown Trout Success

For the next hour we progressed up the river and shared the left side. I directed Ben to make some longer casts to a shelf pool on the other side of the swift center current, and he executed perfectly. His casting capabilities have advanced admirably since our two outings last summer.

Pocket Water Paradise

By lunch time, noon, we had covered the better water on the bottom of our beginning stretch, so we paused to eat. My initial rainbow trout was the only landed fish in the first hour. After lunch we continued in the same manner as the morning. Given the overcast conditions, I switched the go2 caddis for a sparkle wing RS2 in case the baetis nymphs became active. Ben began changing out flies as well, and at one point he added a sparkle wing RS2 as well as a third fly. Casting three flies is an invitation for tangles, and although he paused to unravel a few, his casting technique avoided the worst.

Covered with Ink Spots

Between 12:30PM and 3:30PM we prospected the most attractive water of the day. The sky remained dark and cloudy, and the wind kicked up from time to time. but we never saw fish rising to blue wing olives. Ben pointed to a pair of small insects at one point, and I identified them as BWOs, but we persisted with our dry/droppers through the sparse hatch.

Deep Slot

Over the course of the afternoon I landed seven additional trout to boost my fish count to eight. All except the first trout were browns, and I gripped a couple in the twelve and thirteen inch range. I estimate that the seven browns were evenly split between the olive perdigon and the RS2. In addition to the netted brown trout, I connected momentarily with four fish that were clearly larger rainbows. In each case the hook held fast long enough to feel the weight, and then the impulsive eaters turned their heads, and my fly catapulted free. I suspect they were on the tiny size 22 RS2 with the small hook gap.

Ben Focused

Ben meanwhile generated many opportunities, but he was unable to slide his net beneath them. I watched him play a very respectable brown trout for a decent amount of time, but when he extended his net to gather the bruiser, the net rim hit the brown, and it splashed downstream to freedom. According to my rules, this counted as a catch, but Ben lives by a stricter code.

I Love This View

In other cases he hooked wild rainbows, and these hot fish streaked about and eventually powered into downstream rapids and broke free. In a few cases the hooks remained, but Ben also broke off three sets of three fly rigs. It had to be frustrating for him, but even so, I was pleased that he encountered numerous opportunities throughout the day.

Late Afternoon Cloud Cover

As we ambled back along the river at 3:30PM, we paused at a long narrow shelf pool next to some fast moving current. As we gazed at the bubble line, we spotted several rises. Ben’s hands were stricken by stiffness, so I tied on one of his chubbies along with a prince nymph and sparkle wing RS2, and I observed, as he worked the seam with expert backhand casts. After quite a few casts, he connected with a fish for a moment, but once again it broke free. In this case I think it broke off the subsurface flies. I replaced them, and he resumed casting, while the rising trout continued to tantalize us with sporadic rises in the bubble line. After a few minutes Ben lifted his flies to make another backhand cast using the current drag to load his rod, and at that very same moment a fish grabbed the chubby Chernobyl. Needless to say the two opposing forces resulted in a another severed monofilament. Ben stated that he is going to purchase a new spool of tippet.

Ben Wading Deep

Friday was a fun day on the Arkansas River. Once again I failed to meet the Arkansas River caddis hatch, and Ben did not see the spectacle, as I had hoped. In fact I saw only one tiny caddis over the course of the day, and then one appeared in my car on the drive back to Denver! We did see some baetis and a few rising fish, but not enough to convert to dry fly fishing. On a positive note, we enjoyed lots of action, and Ben was introduced to fishing a large powerful river. Hopefully I imparted some additional tips and wisdom that he can deploy in his ongoing fly fishing evolution. The weather was as forecast, and we endured, and Ben’s waders did not leak, and he was satisfied with his new gear.

Behind the Boulder

Hopefully we can meet again this summer for some new adventures.

Fish Landed: 8

Time: 11:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 03/31/2024 Photo Album

I looked ahead at the upcoming week and realized that the weather was not conducive to fly fishing except for Monday, March 31. Even Monday was not ideal, as highs of 63 degrees in Denver translated to rather frigid temperatures in most of the Front Range stream locations that I frequent.

I turned my attention toward the south, and I determined that Canon City was forecast to have highs of 65 degrees with upper single digit wind speeds. I decided to close out March with a drive to lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon. I also noted on one of the fly shop stream reports that water was released from the upstream dams, and this caused flows in the lower canyon to bump up an additional 80-100 CFS.

I arrived at my pullout (I practically own it) by 11: 15AM, and this positioned me to be on the water casting by 11:40AM. The air temperature was 54 degrees, as I geared up, so I wore my long sleeve thermal undershirt, my fleece hoodie, and my rain jacket. I fitted together my Sage One four piece rod to combat the wind, and I headed to the river.

Lunch View

I fished up the river along the highway on the closest braid for forty yards using a size 8 amber ice dub body chubby Chernobyl, a yellow-green molting Pat’s rubber legs and an olive perdigon. I failed to arouse any interest in my offerings, and just before I was poised to cross the river to move to another favorite location, I hooked a stick. I slowly applied pressure, and the stick swung toward me, but it was anchored quite securely to the far side of an exposed rock. The current was deep and swift, so I grabbed my line and applied direct pressure, and I achieved the worst possible outcome. All three flies snapped off and remained in possession of the branch.

Nice Deep Trough

I spoke a few choice words and crossed the braid very carefully and moved to my favorite spot on the lower river. Before I launched into my new pursuit of trout, I downed my lunch, and then I carefully re-rigged my line. For this fresh start I configured my line with a gray body chubby Chernboyl, an emerald caddis pupa and another olive perdigon. Within the first thirty minutes I landed two trout. I was pleased with the breakthrough, but both fish were under twelve inches. One was a brown trout that snatched the emerald caddis pupa, and the other was a short but quite chunky rainbow trout that chowed down on the olive perdigon.

Get a Grip

I continued on my upstream migration, but for the next thirty minutes I was shut out. I suspected that the higher flows were causing my flies to drift too high in the water column, so I swapped the emerald caddis pupa for a 20 incher. This change paid dividends, when I hooked and landed two gorgeous rainbow trout in the 13 -14 inch range in a deep trough bordered by fast water on both sides. Clearly the added weight of the 20 incher was instrumental in gaining the necessary depth in the faster water conditions.

Perfect Spots

I continued with the three fly dry/dropper combination for the remainder of my time on the river, and I gradually built the fish count from four to nine. After I photographed and released number six, I was carefully wading upstream to a new position while dangling the flies below me. Suddenly I felt throbbing, and I assumed it was the strong current tugging on my flies, but I pivoted and raised the rod and found myself attached to a very strong and hard-fighting rainbow trout. Unfortunately it streaked downstream and pulled line from my reel, as It gained a position below the fast narrow chute. I considered scrambling along the rocky shoreline to follow the fish, but my quick judgement told me that was a recipe for a dunking or injury. I applied pressure to the rainbow and attempted to plane it along the surface and over the chute, but near the top, the rod tip bounced and the weight of the fish disappeared. Yes, another three flies were donated to the river habitat.

20 Incher

I decided to avoid further depletion of my chubby Chernobyls, so I moved to a yellow size 8 fat Albert, and another 20 incher and olive perdigon. I anticipated the need to tie additional olive perdigons to feed the cravings of Colorado trout!

Woah. Long One

On Monday, nearly all the landed trout were duped by either the olive perdigon or the 20 incher in a roughly even split. Seven of the nine netted fish were rainbows and two were brown trout. I continue to be perplexed by the reversal in the ratio of rainbow to brown trout in the lower Arkansas River. The first rainbow was the short and chunky specimen I referred to earlier; however, the other six were very fine hard fighting fish in the thirteen to fifteen inch range. They were worthwhile catches and justified my long drive to and from the river for 3.5 hours of fishing. Perhaps my next visit to the Arkansas River will coincide with cloudy conditions with the hopes of encountering a strong blue wing olive hatch. I noticed two naturals on Monday, but no rising fish.

Fish Landed: 9

Time: 11:30AM – 4:30PM

Location: Lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 03/24/2025 Photo Album

Mild spring weather returned, and after five days in Arizona playing pickleball, I was ready for a change. A visit to a Colorado river was the perfect medicine, and I accepted the prescription with a trip to the Arkansas River. Highs of 74 degrees in Canon City prompted me to focus on the lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon area.

A Solid Starting Place

After an incident free drive I arrived at my chosen pullout by 11:00AM, and this enabled me to be in a position to fish by 11:30AM. I wore only my raincoat as a windbreaker, and I assembled my Sage One five weight. Both these choices were driven by the wind, which reached speeds in the low teens throughout my time on the river.

Solid Start

I began my quest for trout with a size 8 yellow fat Albert, a 20 incher, and an olive perdigon, but I was not rewarded with any action, before I took my lunch break beside the river at noon. After lunch I continued in an upstream direction, but the the fish were not cooperative. I took some time after lunch to reconfigure with a peacock hippie stomper trailing the perdigon and a size 22 sparkle wing RS2. I stopped to fish some nice deep glides along the far bank, and as I cast, I noticed several rises in the current seam close to my position.

Scanning for Rises

What was I to do? I just completed the labor intensive task of reconfiguring my dry/dropper. Should I abandon it after ten minutes and switch to a dry fly? The number of rises increased, and the frequency escalated, although the surface feeding never reached a steady rate. I decided to take the plunge, and I kept the hippie stomper in place as a visible indicator and added an eighteen inch tippet section with a soft hackle emerger with a dab of floatant. Nothing.

A Third Rainbow on a Dry

The fish continued their rhythmic feeding, so I made another change. I replaced the soft hackle emerger with a CDC blue wing olive with a fluffy gray wing. Initially this fly was also ignored, but then it delivered, as I landed three spunky rainbow trout in the 12 to 13 inch range. I am not certain whether it was the fly change or my presentation that changed the results. I began making across and downstream drifts, and all three takes occurred in the current seam as the flies floated downstream.

The Fly the Trout Liked

Eventually the fish stopped rising, but I persisted with the dries, as I moved to another promising location. In a nondescript short pocket along the left bank, a nice brown trout rose to suck in the CDC BWO, thus moving the fish count to four. I was elated with my good fortune that led to catching trout on dry flies on March 24.

Lowering

Unfortunately the hatch waned, and the water shifted to faster runs, riffles and pockets. The tiny CDC BWO did not seem conducive to the character of the river, so I returned to the dry/dropper approach. I kept the hippie stomper in place, but below it I featured a beadhead hares ear nymph and sparkle wing RS2. The combination delivered one trout that smacked the hares ear, but then I endured a fairly long lull despite prospecting some fairly attractive spots.

I Will Accept It

I decided to go big, and I replaced the RS2 with one of my new psycho prince nymphs. Voila! The psycho prince delivered a nice rainbow in a deep run that rolled along the left bank. Unfortunately the hares ear and psycho prince were one hit wonders, so I returned to the flies that brought superior results on my previous trip to the Arkansas River. I switched the top fly to an ice dub amber chubby chernobyl for superior floatation and then added a 20 incher and an olive perdigon.

Swept in Front of the Largest Rock and Nailed the Brown Trout

These flies stayed on my line from the middle to late afternoon, and they delivered excellent results. The fish count increased from five to fifteen. I covered quite a bit of the river, and my journey demanded lots of casting under windy conditions, but on a fairly regular basis, a trout grabbed the perdigon or 20 incher. Slow current velocity seemed to be the key, and I ran my flies along current seams and through deep troughs, and the trout responded.

Sixteen Inch Slab

The last fish of the day was also the prize. I lobbed my flies to a deep trough between two fast moving seams, and near the tail of the V, the  chubby dipped. I set the hook, and I instantly realized that the combatant on the opposite end of my line was larger than previous landed fish. I released line several times as the rainbow made streaking runs, but eventually it tired, and I gained the upper hand. I slid my net beneath a sixteen inch slab with a brilliant scarlet stripe, and I decided to make it my last fish of the day. What an ending!

Rainbow Emerged from Above the Exposed Rock

On the day I landed fifteen healthy trout, and had I not allowed five to escape, I could have reached twenty. All the trout were twelve inches or longer, and number sixteen was the largest. Number thirteen was a respectable fifteen inch brown, and that was also a gratifying catch. Surprisingly I landed eleven rainbows and only four browns. This ratio is the opposite of what I usually expect on the Arkansas River.

The weather on Wednesday looks promising, so I am already planning another March fishing outing. Stay tuned.

Time: 11:00AM – 4:00PM

Location: Lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 03/10/2025 Photo Album

Forecast highs of 74 degrees in Denver, CO had me seeking fly fishing water on Monday, March 10, 2025. I checked temperatures in various potential destinations, but I could not overlook 72 degrees in Canon City. The wind speeds in the 10 – 15 MPH range gave me pause, but I decided to make the trip regardless. I experienced several productive days in lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon last spring, and this influenced my decision to visit the Arkansas River.

Starting Point

The drive was inconsequential, even though Jane warned that the number of accidents spike after daylight savings time. I arrived at my chosen spot by 10:45AM, and this enabled me to be on the water ready to cast by 11:00AM. I stopped for gasoline in Florence, CO, and the wind was whipping by me at a ridiculous rate; however, the wind, although present, was more moderate at my chosen fly fishing spot.

Number One Was This Rainbow That Grabbed the Olive Perdigon

I rigged my Sage One five weight and wore my light down North Face coat, which proved to be a bit of a mistake, as I was overly warm during the afternoon time frame. To begin my search for trout, I configured my line with a New Zealand strike indicator, a yellow/green Pat’s rubberlegs and a zebra midge. The yellow/green rubberlegs was chosen with the molting golden stoneflies in mind, as both ArkAnglers and Royal Gorge Anglers fly shops reported their presence.

Olive Perdigon Saved the Day

I prospected up along the left bank of the river for fifteen minutes with no response, so I swapped the zebra midge for one of my crystal stones, size 18. Once again my flies were ignored, as I spent 1.5 hours in the late morning exercising my arm. I did connect with a small trout briefly, but it escaped after throbbing my rod for a few seconds.

Nice Catch

Between noon and 12:30PM, I moved to a separate braid of the river, and I switched the crystal stone for a beadhead hairs ear nymph. I encountered another angler, the only one I saw on the river, so I steered clear of him and migrated up the braid for at least fifty yards to allow him space. When I jumped in, I made some drifts through some marginal runs along the far bank, but once again I was met with futility.

Another Fine Wild Brown Trout

At 12:30PM I found a nice rock to serve as my seat, and I downed my three course lunch. After lunch I used my pause to revise my rig. I removed the New Zealand strike indicator and shifted to a dry/dropper system with a size 8 fat Albert as the top fly. Beneath the fat Albert I knotted a size 12 20 incher, and below that I added an olive perdigon. I tied five perdigons within the last week, so I was anxious to baptize them. I also wanted to make sure I was drifting deep with the dry/dropper, and the four foot dropper along with the tungsten bead were geared toward that objective.

Left Bank Produced

I am not sure whether it was the time of day, deeper drifts, flies chosen or the new section of the river; but some combination of factors caused my angling futility to change into hot fishing. One o’clock was the new noon after turning the clocks forward, so that may have been part of the change in fortunes, but I was also certain that utilizing the tungsten bead perdigon was a turning point. Between 1:00PM and 3:00PM I landed ten trout, and all but one were in the twelve to fourteen inch slot. Four were rainbows and the other six were brown trout. At least three of the landed trout were healthy fourteen inch fighters, and I was quite pleased with my successes.

Headed Back

The olive perdigon accounted for six of the trout, the fat Albert duped one aggressive rainbow, and the 20 incher made its presence worthwhile by fooling three fish. The wind was a constant nuisance, but I was able to avoid severe headwinds, although my casting arm was quite fatigued by the end of the day. The action slowed significantly by 3:00PM, and, in fact, I did not land additional fish between 3:00PM and 4:00PM. For the last hour I probed the largest braid of the main river, and this may have also inhibited my ability to catch fish.

Chunky Bow

I was quite pleased with my day of fly fishing on the Arkansas River on Monday, March 10, 2025. The wind was tolerable, and the air temperature was pleasant. I landed ten trout in the twelve to fourteen inch range, and the dry/dropper approach proved to be effective. I also tested my olive perdigon and discovered it to be a solid fish producer. Monday sparked my interest in fly fishing, and I hope more nice weather will encourage another trip in the near future.

Fish Landed: 10

Slower Velocity to the Right

Love the Distinct Spots on This Prize Brown Trout

Time: 11:00AM – 3:30PM

Location: Bighorn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 10/01/2024 Photo Album

After a successful outing on the South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon last Monday, I decided to switch things up and try my luck on the Arkansas River at Bighorn Sheep Canyon. With previous trips around this time of year yielding modest results—five fish one year, eleven another—I kept my expectations in check, as I headed out on Tuesday, October 1st.

The drive was smooth, until I was about a mile from my chosen pullout, where I hit a snag: one-lane traffic due to road construction. After sitting for eight minutes, stewing in anticipation, I was relieved, when my fishing spot appeared just beyond the last construction cone.

The weather couldn’t have been better. My dashboard showed 60 degrees, with a brilliant sun against a cloudless sky. Flows were in the 380 CFS range, which led me to stick to the bank along the highway rather than attempt a potentially risky river crossing. I rigged up my Sage R8 four weight, feeling confident, as I strung it with a dry-dropper setup—tan pool toy hopper, 20 incher nymph, and salvation nymph, on a four-foot dropper.

Low and Clear

The first hour produced some mixed results: one twelve-inch brown trout made it to the net, but I also experienced several momentary hook-ups and fouled hooked a few fish likely resulting from the excessive length and weighted 20 incher. After dealing with too many snags and missed opportunities, I decided a change was necessary. Out went the hopper, in came a trusty peacock hippie stomper, and I downsized the 20 incher to a size 22 sparkle wing RS2, while also shortening the dropper to three feet.

Hippie Stomper Fan

The adjustments paid off. I netted a beautiful fifteen-inch brown that couldn’t resist the hippie stomper in a shallow spot near the left bank. Still, the action was slower than I liked, so I switched to a double dry fly rig—hippie stomper and a tan mini chubby—a combo that worked wonders on Cascade Creek recently. The mini chubby duped a fish, but a wave of refusals followed, so I added a size 16 light gray deer hair caddis as the second fly. This fly attracted another nice brown trout, and I found myself sitting at four fish, when I paused for lunch.

Wild Fish and Bubbles

As I sat by the river, I noticed some surface activity—three or four small fish leaping after insects. The riffles in front of me looked perfect for another round of dry-dropper fishing, especially with blue winged olives and red quills potentially in the mix. I swapped flies again, opting for the mini chubby paired with a salvation nymph and sparkle wing RS2. Despite my efforts, the riffles remained quiet, so I moved on to a spot, where the main current angled against a rocky bank on the far side of the river.

Site of Rainbow Feeders

Here, I spotted two nice fish periodically rising, which convinced me to break one of my rules: don’t linger on fish too long. After running through a few different fly combinations to no avail, I finally tied on a size 22 soft hackle emerger and greased it to ride in the surface film. This choice was spot-on. I hooked and landed two gorgeous rainbows, both sporting brilliant red stripes and measuring fourteen to fifteen inches. These moments were the highlight of my day.

Pink and Scarlet

Afterward, I continued with the mini chubby and soft hackle emerger, as I worked my way through a stretch of pocket water. Thanks to the lower flows, I was able to wade out and reach some excellent pockets, which produced two more brown trout, bringing my total to eight. Both fish grabbed the soft hackle emerger, just as I began to lift at the tail of a pocket, and though I missed three more fish in this stretch, it was satisfying action nonetheless.

Wide Stripe on Second Rainbow Soft Hackle Emerger

By 2:30PM, I decided to try one last spot before heading home. I jumped in the car, drove .2 miles downstream, and rigged up again. I experimented with a few different caddis patterns, hoping to match the hatch of autumn caddis I’d read about, but the fish were unimpressed. After a couple more half-hearted strikes, I called it a day at 3:30PM.

Tuesday followed a similar pattern to my previous October trips on the Arkansas. While eight fish may seem average for four hours of fishing, the quality more than made up for it. Three of the trout were solid fifteen-inchers, and the rest were all chunky specimens between twelve and fourteen inches. The fall foliage was at its peak, with golden leaves lining the banks, and the weather was simply gorgeous. But the highlight of the day was the brief window of dry fly action with those stunning rainbows. I can only hope October offers a few more fishing days like this one!

Fish Landed: 8

Time: 10:30AM – 3:00PM

Location: Lower Big Horn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 04/23/2024 Photo Album

Because of doctor and physical therapy appointments, my opportunity to fly fish during the upcoming week was limited to Tuesday, April 23, 2024. I studied the weather and fly shop reports, and largely due to favorable temperatures I settled on the Arkansas River in lower Big Horn Sheep Canyon. Royal Gorge Anglers and ArkAnglers both reported caddis sightings, with the brachycentrus hatch advancing as far as Texas Creek. This information along with overcast skies in the afternoon providing ideal conditions for blue wing olives convinced me to make the drive to the Arkansas River.

For this report I will cut to the conclusion quickly. Two factors impacted my day, that I failed to bake into my planning. The water clarity was somewhat colored, although visibility was adequate for trout to see food; however, the turbidity probably indicated low level snow melt, and this circumstance in turn probably caused lower than normal water temperatures. Caddis like warmer temperatures for their emergence. The second factor was the fly fisherman’s four letter word; wind. It was strong and constant.

I fished from 10:30AM until 3:00PM, and I landed four trout. One was a small brown, and the others were rainbow trout including two quite nice fish in the thirteen to fourteen inch size range. All my success occurred between 10:30AM and 1:30PM, as I deployed an indicator nymphing rig with a strike indicator, split shot, emerald body caddis larva and bright green go2 caddis pupa. All but one of the landed trout grabbed the caddis larva. In addition to the landed fish, I connected with five additional fish that stayed on my line only briefly before shaking free. This issue, losing fish, is becoming an ongoing concern this spring, but I am not sure how to remedy it.

During this nymphing exercise, I spotted only two rises. I fished from the midpoint of the north braid, until the point where it split off from the main stem, as another angler positioned himself in the nice pool just above the downstream confluence with the larger south branch. Not being able to cover the entire north branch was a disappointment, as the entire section was vacant, when I drove by and gazed up the river.

Once I arrived at the main river, I waded downstream to the point where the middle stem branched off, and then I worked my way westward along the right bank. I registered one of my temporary hook ups during this period. Once I reached the fast water, I reversed direction and moved to the nice slow moving pool above my crossing point. In the past I observed rising fish in this area. The sky clouded up nicely, so I patiently waited for a baetis hatch and rising fish. Alas, it never happened, but I decided to experiment with a double dry, and converted to a peacock hippie stomper trailing a size 16 olive-brown deer hair caddis. Both flies were summarily ignored, even though I cast to very attractive water with a bubble line and moderate depth.

By 2:30PM I surrendered to the moody trout in the Arkansas River, and I crossed at the tail of the long pool. I was reluctant to return to the indicator nymphing method (split shot removal is a major pain in the a**), so I defaulted to a dry dropper with an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, bright green go2 caddis pupa, and olive perdigon. On the fifth cast the flies wedged on something subsurface, and I ended up breaking off all three flies. I was not a happy camper. I sat on a rock and repeated the rigging exercise with a size 8 yellow fat Albert, bright green go2 caddis pupa and an emerald caddis pupa.

I steadily worked my way up the river along the left bank, and I managed a refusal to the fat Albert and another temporary hook up on one of the nymphs. When I reached the pocket water, my satellite phone displayed 2:50PM, and my confidence was shot, so I carefully retreated and climbed the bank and returned to the car.

Four fish in four hours was a disappointing day. Had I landed all the fish I connected with, I would have logged a nine fish day, but a 100% conversion rate is not realistic. The blue wing olive hatch was extremely brief and never prompted me to switch to dry flies. A few caddis fluttered about on the rocks, but I suspect it was a different species and not brachycentrus. The wind was very annoying, the water was tinged, there were quite a few competing anglers, and I grew bored with the fishing by 2:00PM. Tuesday represented a lot of casting and elbow stress for minimal results. I will take a break from the lower Arkansas, and I will refocus my efforts on tailwaters, unless I discover a sure thing on a freestone.

Fish Landed: 4

Time: 11:30AM – 4:30PM

Location: Big Horn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 04/10/2024 Photo Album

After two subpar outings on Colorado Rivers during the last week, I was anxious for redemption. I was pleased with my visit to the lower Arkansas River on 03/27/2024, so I decided to repeat the drive. The flows and clarity were favorable, and the fly shop reports were optimistic (as they usually are), so I took the plunge and made the 2.5 hour drive. I suffered through rush hour traffic in Denver, a long stretch of road construction south of Colorado Springs, a detour around an accident between Florence and Canon City, and ongoing construction on the main street of Canon City. I was exhausted before I arrived at my chosen fishing spot.

The air temperature was in the mid-fifties, so I pulled on my North Face light down coat, and I assembled my Sage R8 four weight. A white pickup truck preceded me, and I spotted two anglers meandering along the river sixty yards above me. To start my day I elected to hike east along US 50 for .2 mile, before I dropped down a steep bank to the river. My morning session featured fishing to long and deep pockets among very large boulders next to the highway. I began my adventure with a New Zealand chartreuse strike indicator, a split shot, a 20 incher, and a bright green go2 caddis pupa. The 20 incher proved to be in demand, and I landed a small brown and a thirteen inch rainbow, before I adjourned for lunch and returned to the car.

I quickly devoured my standard lunch, and then I crossed two braids and headed to the northern most branch of the river. This was the section I fished on March 27, and I was looking forward to a repeat during the afternoon. However, before advancing to the north branch, I covered some nice deep shelf pools on the braid that bordered the highway. Although the water looked quite enticing, I was unable to attract fish, so I moved on to the confluence of the north braid and the main river. I shuffled along the south bank, until I was positioned next to a large pool twenty yards above the confluence. I swapped the 20 incher for an emerald caddis pupa, and I added a sparkle wing RS2 on the point, and I began to prospect the prime water with my indicator nymphing setup.

I managed to hook and land a spunky thirteen inch rainbow, but as I advanced, I was disappointed to note the return of the occupants of the white pickup truck. While I was eating lunch, they returned to the truck for lunch, and I hoped that they were preparing to relocate, but that was not the case. They were positioned in another prime run and pool fifty yards above my location.

I continued my progress through some decent deep runs along the north side of the river with a couple momentary hook ups rewarding my efforts, until I arrived at a narrow and deep trough along the north bank below a large exposed rock. I was now twenty yards below the two other anglers, who by the way, were the only other fishermen that I spotted on the entire river between Parkdale and where I was fishing. It was just my luck to seek out the same section of the vast Arkansas River public water.

I swept some drifts through the attractive trough in front of me, and as I was doing so, a cloud blocked the sun and the wind kicked up a bit, and five trout began to rise sporadically in the trough area. I checked my watch, and this activity commenced at around 1:30PM. The rises were fairly frequent, but they were not the rhythmic cadence that typically leads to fairly easy fishing. Dry fly fishing to blue wing olives is what I made the trip for, so I paused to remove the indicator nymphing paraphernalia, and I selected a peacock body hippie stomper and added a CDC blue wing olive on a twelve inch dropper. I spent the next forty-five minutes making reach casts along the bubble line, and my fly was treated like inert flotsam. I swapped the CDC olive for a soft hackle emerger and a Klinkhammer emerger, but a refusal and brief look were my only reward. The lighting was not the best, and I was having a difficult time distinguishing the white poly tuft of the hippie stomper from bubbles. I reverted to a size 24 CDC BWO with tiny hackle, since the naturals appeared to be quite small. Finally during a gust of wind, I lifted the flies and inadvertently skated the small trailing CDC BWO, and an aggressive brown trout grabbed the olive. Apparently movement was the key. I concluded that the trout were seeking more movement than what was exhibited by my dead drifting dries, so I began twitching and skating the flies, but, alas, I was unable to entice another strike.

The two anglers above me departed, and this opened up the remainder of the north braid for my exploration. I retained the double dry for a bit, but the faster pockets and runs were not conducive to spotting rises, so I resorted to nymphs; however, I was reluctant to resort to the indicator and split shot, so I deployed a size 8 yellow fat Albert along with a salvation nymph and sparkle wing RS2. Between 2:45PM and 4:00PM I advanced along the left side of the north braid, and I managed to increment the fish count from four to seven. The RS2 was the productive fly, and the trout responded to the swing and lift at the end of the drift in moderate riffles of two to three feet of depth. These trout were in the twelve inch range, and I was pleased to net them, but the average size of the trout landed on April 10 was inferior compared to March 27.

By 4:00PM I reached the main stem of the river, so I waded along the edge toward my crossing point to return to the car. Below a long section of fast pocket water, the river formed a nice wide pool, and I spotted a few rises in the slow band of water along the bank next to my position. I took the time to remove the dry/dropper and tied a solo CDC BWO to my line, but as was the case on March 27, the feeding stopped by the time I was prepared to cast, and the change in tactics did not pay dividends. I returned to the car by 4:30PM and made the return trip.

Wednesday, April 10 was a decent day, but I truthfully had higher expectations. Using 20-20 hindsight, I probably should have reverted to the indicator nymphing method after my failed attempt with the double dry. Also, I should have abandoned the dry fly debacle sooner, and perhaps I should have sought another section of the river that featured the absence of competing anglers. Nevertheless, it was a gorgeous day, and I enjoyed moderate success.

Fish Landed: 7

Time: 11:00AM – 4:30PM

Location: Big Horn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 03/27/2024 Photo Album

I was seeking warmer temperatures somewhere in Colorado after another slug of winter hit the state on Sunday, March 24, 2024. As I scanned my Weather Underground app, I noted that most highs were in the 40’s, and I am averse to fishing in winter conditions. However, I discovered a ray of hope, when I tapped on the Canon City location, where the high on Wednesday was expected to peak at 52 degrees. I decided to explore the lower Arkansas River.

I was reluctant to fish in the lower canyon because of the Hayden Creek fire burn scar and subsequent ash flows leading to reduced insect populations and subsequently an impact on trout numbers. For this reason I avoided the area over the intervening eight years, but weather considerations caused me to reevaluate. I called ArkAnglers, and the gentleman I talked to assured me that the lower canyon had recovered, so that became my destination.

Road construction on I25 and major road work in Canon City slowed my progress, but I arrived at my chosen destination by 10:30AM. I was excited to renew my acquaintance with a favorite spot in lower Big Horn Sheep Canyon. The temperature was 42 degrees, as I prepared to fish. I donned my Under Armour long sleeve thermal undershirt, fleece cardigan, North Face light down coat and rain shell along with my billed New Zealand hat with earflaps. I was layered up and prepared for the cold. For a fly casting instrument I chose my newest Sage R8 four weight.

I began in a section of the main river that ran next to US24. The river was tinged with color, so I rigged with a strike indicator, split shot, molting rubber legs stonefly, and 20 incher. I utilized lots of weight, and It was at this point that I discovered that I lost the wool material for my New Zealand strike indicator, so I was forced to deploy an orange Thingamabobber.

I worked the deep, slow moving slicks next to the steep rocky bank for 45 minutes, until I got snagged. The wedged flies were in a spot that was too fast and deep to risk a rescue, so I yanked directly on the line and popped off both flies and the split shot. I replaced the tandem with an emerald caddis pupa and classic RS2, and just before I quit for lunch, a nice, thick rainbow nailed the caddis emerger. I was on the board, but my hands were stinging from the cold, and it was lunch time, so I climbed the bank and returned to the car. I grabbed my lunch and sat in the drivers seat, and I turned on the car to check the temperature, and it displayed 36 degrees. How could this be?

When I returned to the river, I added fingerless wool gloves to my winter attire, and I crossed the highway and several braids to reach the northern-most channel. For the remainder of the afternoon I worked my way up the entire north branch and landed another seven trout. One additional trout took the caddis pupa, and the remainder snatched the RS2, The rainbow that grabbed the pupa, broke off the RS2 in the process of fighting, and I replaced it with a sparkle wing version of the RS2.

Around 2PM the pace of the action increased noticeably, and I spotted a few natural olives above the river along with two bankside risers; however, my success rate was such that I stuck with the indicator nymphing set up. Clearly, however, the fish were tuned into baetis activity in the mid to late afternoon.

In addition to the eight fish that I landed on the day, I experienced at least six additional trout hook ups, that I fought for varying lengths of time, before they managed to escape. The downside of using size 20 RS2’s is the lower ratio of hooked to landed fish. One of these fugitives from my hook point was a decent rainbow that totally cleared the surface of the river and snapped off the RS2, as the aggressive fish splashed back down. I replaced the sparkle wing with a beadhead soft hackle emerger, and that yielded a few fish over the remainder of my time on the river.

Surprisingly, five of the landed trout were rainbows, with the remainder being browns. I say surprisingly because memory tells me that this section of the Arkansas River was ninety percent brown trout, when I fished it eight years ago prior to the Hayden Fire. The size of the trout was quite favorable with nearly all falling within the twelve to fourteen inch range, with chunky thirteen inch fish being the norm.

As I hiked back along the main stem of the river at 4PM, I spotted some rising trout along the near bank, and I could see more naturals drifting up from the river, than I had seen previously. This observation caused me to extend my day, and I removed all the nymphing accoutrements and tied on a CDC BWO. By the time I reconfigured, however, the flurry of surface feeding subsided, but I did manage to get a look from the most upstream feeder. I was having issues with tracking the tiny fly in the surface glare, so I added a peacock hippie stomper as the forward fly, but that move failed to produce success, so I called it quits and returned to the Telluride.

While I would have preferred more surface feeding and dry fly action, I was quite pleased with my day. Eight nice trout over four hours equals an average of two fish per hour catch rate, but this could have easily been better, had I converted more of my connections. The size of the trout was satisfactory, and the trout were hot fighters that challenged my fish fighting abilities. This was my first usage of the indicator nymphing technique in quite awhile, and I was pleased with my ability to achieve success. Above all, I discovered that the lower Big Horn Sheep Canyon has, indeed, recovered from the fire, and I will surely add the area as a future fly fishing destination.

Landed Fish: 8