Time: 11:00AM – 3:30PM

Location: Bighorn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 04/15/2026 Photo Album

After a disappointing outing on the Roaring Fork River on Saturday, I picked up a sore throat and spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday loading up on daytime and nighttime cold medications. By Wednesday I was feeling well enough to embark on another spring fishing outing. I was anxious to revisit Bighorn Sheep Canyon, so I checked the status of the 24 Fire, and I was pleased to learn that the fire was 85% contained, and CO 115 was open for travelers. I made the Arkansas River my destination on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. My federal and state taxes were filed, so I could relax and celebrate with a day of fly fishing.

No. 1 Was This Pleasant Surprise

I arrived at my chosen pullout by 10:30AM, and this allowed me to be poised along the bank of the river ready to cast by 11:00AM. The temperature at the start of my day was in the upper fifties, so I wore a long sleeved Brooks undershirt and my raincoat. Once again I was armed with my Sage One five weight in case of large fish and to combat the predicted double digit wind velocity.

Decent Clarity Although Somewhat Stained

When I arrived, my car was the only one in the vicinity, but as I prepared to fish, another angler parked forty yards farther west along the highway. He was ready before me, but fortunately he grabbed a spot directly across from his car, and I was not planning to fish that area. Instead I crossed the highway and began along a high bank across from my car. I chose an olive perdigon and a bright green go2 caddis pupa to begin my search for trout. in the first twenty minutes I managed to land a chunky rainbow trout in the sixteen inch range. When I scooped it in my net, I found the go2 caddis embedded in its lip. Needless to say, I was very pleased with this early success.

Peek-a-Boo

After I covered the attractive pockets and slots, I found a place to cross the river, and then I ambled down the river for .1 mile to another favorite spot, where I could work some deep seams. I was getting no action on the olive perdigon, so I substituted a 20 incher and kept the go2 caddis on the point. Before I adjourned at noon for lunch, I added three brown trout to my count. One was shorter than twelve inches, but the other two were very respectable wild fish in the thirteen inch range. All three grabbed the 20 incher, thus, validating my switch from the perdigon.

Murkiness Evident in This Productive Pool

I ate my lunch along the bank thirty feet above a goose that was sitting on a nest. Several other geese were in the vicinity, and they honked and carefully watched me, while I ate. I suspect they were the security guards for the young mother.

Nesting Mama Goose

After lunch I continued up the river for .3 mile, and I built the fish count from four to eleven. Number five grabbed the bright green go2 caddis pupa, and was another husky rainbow. I estimate it was in the seventeen to eighteen inch range and very plump. Number six was a fifteen inch brown trout that smacked the 20 incher.

Another Bow in Excess of Fifteen Inches

It took an hour to add the two fish after lunch, so it was rather slow going. I did observe three refusals to the chubby Chernobyl, and I shook loose a decent number of caddis, as I waded along the willows. I decided to give a double dry approach a try, so I knotted a peacock hippie stomper to my line and then added a size 14 olive-brown body deer hair caddis. I began prospecting with the dries, and within minutes I landed a small brown trout that recklessly crushed the caddis along the left bank. I directed my casts primarily to the edge of the river along the left bank; however, I did cover very attractive pockets and seams toward the middle of the river. Unfortunately the dry fly experiment did not pay additional dividends, so I abandoned it, as I approached a nice section with deep pockets and runs. I did see two or three fish elevate to inspect the caddis, but they never closed the deal with an eat.

Rainbow Lived Eight Feet Out from Center-Right Bankside Rock

I returned to dry/dropper fishing, and during this go round I utilized a yellow fat Albert followed by a 20 incher and several nymphs. I started with a beaded soft hackle emerger, but it did not yield results, so I swapped it for a hares ear. The 20 incher produced a much appreciated fifteen inch brown trout for number eight, and then I suffered through a bit of a slump. I landed three additional trout that gobbled the beadhead hares ear, but they were on the small side, and I was spoiled from my earlier catches. In addition, I experienced a streak of long distance releases and foul hooked fish, and of course these felt like larger fish.

From the Top

Ugly 20 Incher Saved the Day

By 3:30PM I covered my targeted section of the river, so I hiked back to my crossing and completed my day. I achieved double digits and six of the landed fish were in excess of the twelve inch standard including two rainbows that exceeded fifteen inches. I have to admit that I was disappointed with the lack of dry fly action. I was convinced that prospecting with a deer hair caddis in the early afternoon would produce some results; but, alas, that was not the case. I spotted one blue wing olive, so perhaps it was too sunny, bright and windy, or I was on the downside of the baetis hatch. I suspect that another trip to the Arkansas River would take me upriver to the Salida area or above.

Fish Landed: 11

Time: 11:00AM – 3:15PM

Location: Between Granite and Buena Vista

Arkansas River 03/31/2026 Photo Album

After a productive day on the South Platte River, I stayed in a motel in Salida rather than make the drive back to Denver and then return on Tuesday. My plan included another day on the Arkansas River, but rather than detour around the 24 Fire through Pueblo again, I decided to fish the upper Arkansas.

The Scene at the Start

I stayed at the Woodland Motel in Salida on Monday night. This little motel has been a favorite of mine over the years, and it changed ownership since my last visit. Apparently a family now owns and manages the enterprise, and I noted many nice improvements to the room. The Woodland Motel remains my preferred option, should I wish to stay over in Salida to fish the Arkansas River on back to back days.

A Bit More Chunk

On Tuesday morning the temperature hovered in the upper thirties, so I took my time getting prepared to fish. I departed the motel at 9:00AM, and after a thirty minute drive I arrived at my intended destination. Well, actually I did not, as the road to the river had a sign informing the reader of seasonal closure until April 15. This forced a revision in my plan, and I circled around and crossed the river and visited another favorite spot. By the time I began my preparation the temperature was 46 degrees. I was wearing my Under Armour insulated undershirt, and I added my fleece hoodie and raincoat for wind protection. Because the river was running low and clear, and I knew from previous experience that the fish were not as large as farther downriver, so I elected to use my Loomis two piece five weight.

Side Channel

I hiked along the trail from the parking lot for .7 mile, and then I slid down a long steep bank to the river. I launched my day on the river with a gray chubby Chernobyl, 20 incher and olive perdigon. Between 11:00AM and noon I managed to land three brown trout in the eleven to twelve inch range. All three grabbed the olive perdigon. I was feeling rather toasty sitting in the newly arrived sun while eating my lunch, so I removed my fleece and tied it around my waist under my waders. It was a tight fight, but I made it work. I maintained the rain shell to block the wind and provide an element of warmth during overcast periods.

This Area Yielded Quite a Few

Between lunch and 2:30 I worked my way along the right bank of the river, and the action was extremely slow. In fact all three landed fish during this time period came from one area. The river widened, and a nice long and slow moving area was directly across from me. The main center current split the river, and after I fished the right shelf pool with no luck, I turned my attention to the slow area of moderate depth across from me. In order to get drifts through the target section, I needed to execute long casts, but trees obstructed my back cast. I resorted to an array of roll casts with a large quick mend to combat the swift run in the middle of the river. It was a lot of work and a strain on my shoulder, but I landed three nice brown trout, and had two additional escapees. I used the snap-T cast with some effectiveness, but I also allowed the line to straighten below me and then did a back hand sweep. All the trout that I connected with snatched the olive perdigon, as it began to swing toward the bottom of the pool.

One of the Perdigon Chasers

The fish count was mired on six for quite awhile, so at 2:30PM, I decided to deploy a new tactic. I removed the dry/dropper set up and replaced it with a double dry. The reliable peacock hippie stomper was the lead fly, and I trailed a size 14 olive deer hair caddis. I was skeptical that dries would entice the fish to the surface, but I was stationed at the base of a nice pool and riffle section. I was shocked, when I duped four brown trout in this area. Three attacked the caddis, and one smacked the hippie stomper. Needless to say I was quite pleased with this turn of events. I also noticed a couple refusals, and I added a couple momentary hook ups.

Long Middle Pocket

Of course, this proved to be the end of the dry fly action. Toward the end of my fly fishing day, some dark clouds slid across the sky, and this prompted a sudden flurry of surface feeding. At least four fish slashed at the surface across from me, as the wind kicked up. I swapped the caddis for my new friend, the mole fly, and almost immediately I connected, but the fish quickly escaped. I inspected my line and discovered the telltale curly pigtail suggesting a poorly tied knot. By the time I tied on a new fly, the rising action slowed to a sporadic cadence, and then I lost another mole fly. I am not sure what caused the loss of the second fly, but the surface action only lasted for ten minutes and then ended. I spent most of the time tinkering with my flies.

Caddis Worked Along the Bank

At a bit after 3:00PM I called it quits and hiked back to the car. The temperature chilled significantly, as the wind exploded, and I could see some menacing dark clouds moving across the Collegiate Peaks.

Tuesday was a so-so day, as I landed ten fish in four hours of fishing. Three periods of decent results saved my day, and these time frames were bracketed by a lot of futility. Nearly all the trout were browns in the eleven to twelve inch range with a couple that stretched the tape to thirteen. I am spoiled by all the great days that I enjoyed earlier in March.

Fish Landed: 10

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

Time: 11:30AM – 4:00PM

Location: Big Horn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 03/09/2026 Photo Album

I wrapped up my fly tying, and with high temperatures forecast to reach the mid-70’s on Monday, March 9, 2026, I sought a destination for my maiden fly fishing outing of 2026. I did not have to search very far, before I settled on the Arkansas River in Big Horn Sheep Canyon. The flows were around 300 CFS and ideal for wading, and the high temperature was projected to be around seventy degrees. These were prime fishing conditions for September, not late winter.

With the recent time change in place, I did not plan to be on the river early, since 11AM was really comparable to 10AM temperature-wise under standard time. I departed Denver by 8:20AM, and this enabled my arrival at my chosen fly fishing destination by 11AM.

New Setup

For my first day of fly fishing in the new year, I was breaking in a new raincoat, sungloves and new eyes. New eyes you ask? This was my first attempt to fish following cataract surgery on both eyes in December. I had my distance vision restored to 20/20, but the offset to this was an inability to see up close without the aid of magnifiers. Consequently, I was sporting new non-prescription sunglasses and magnifiers that clipped on to the brim of my hat. I tested Clic readers, but the retainer on the Clic tangled with the retainer on my sunglasses. The clip-ons only cost $10, so I concluded that the experiment was cheap, and I could always default to dueling magnifiers. In fact, I stuffed the magnifiers in my backpack just in case. The eyewear conundrum also created a change to my headwear. My floppy wide-brimmed hat was not stiff enough to hold the clip-ons, so I opted for a billed baseball cap. How would all these changes work out? Stay tuned.

First Fish of the New Year

In addition to the equipment modifications, I tied quite a few new flies over the course of the winter, and I was anxious to break them in as well. I had two Lance Egan flies, the Frenchie and silver bullet. From Juan Ramirez I tied some sniper baetis, and from Charlie Craven I produced some mole flies. I hoped to see some blue wing olive activity in order to test the baetis, silver bullet and mole fly.

Beast Filled the Net

Because of all the changes in my routine, it took me longer to prepare to fish than normal, but I found myself situated along the river ready to make my first cast at 11:30AM. I started my pursuit of trout with an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, Arkansas rubber legs, and silver bullet. I read that molting stoneflies were in play and that blue wing olives were hatching. There was intermittent gusting of wind, but for the most part the weather was nearly perfect. During the thirty minutes before my lunch break at noon, I landed one twelve inch brown trout on the Arkansas rubberlegs, and I experienced two temporary hook ups. I was pleased with the amount of early action.

Olive Perdigon Still Stars

After lunch I continued up the river, but I suffered through a forty-five minute drought. The section that I fished was a bit marginal, and I managed another long distance release, but my nymphs continually snagged bottom. I concluded that the conehead Arkansas rubber legs was too heavy, so I exchanged it for an olive perdigon and swapped the silver bullet for a sniper baetis. This move paid dividends, and I landed a gorgeous eighteen inch rainbow that snatched the olive perdigon.

Long Brown Trout

Unfortunately another cold spell ensued, and I now felt as if my drifts were not gaining enough depth, so I added a 20 incher and trailed the tungsten bead olive perdigon. This action turned the tide, and for the remainder of the afternoon I progressed up the river and built the fish count from two to fifteen. Needless to say, I was a very happy angler.

Great Trough

Roughly half of the landed fish snapped up the olive perdigon, and the remainder chomped the 20 incher. The quality of these fish was unsurpassed. I fought and landed a football sized brown trout that probably extended to eighteen inches, and another brown trout filled the net to about sixteen inches. A few more rainbows were in the mix, but the catch on March 9 was predominantly brown trout. Every fish that I landed on Monday was twelve inches or greater and many browns in the thirteen inch slot prevailed. I was quite pleased with the size of the trout that rested in my net.

This Was a Hot Spot

Between 2PM and 3PM there was a fairly dense blue wing olive emergence, although I never saw surface feeding. The wind was at its worst, and the tiny mayflies tumbled across the surface and through the air, as I looked on. By this time I was in faster pocket water, and it was impossible to see naturals or rises among the swirling currents, so I stuck with the dry/dropper approach. And why not, since I was landing gorgeous fish along the way. Nevertheless, I never had the opportunity to experiment with the mole fly.

Best Brown of the Day

What a day! This was, in all likelihood, my best opening day ever during my many days of fly fishing. The river was in perfect condition, and it appears that hatches are two to three weeks ahead of schedule.

Fish Landed: 15

Time: 12:00PM – 3:30PM

Location: Pridemore State Wildlife Area

Arkansas River 10/15/2025 Photo Album

Wednesday was projected to be the nicest day of the week, so I cleared my calendar for another day of fly fishing. A high in the seventies in Denver translated to a high in the upper sixties near Salida, so I made the Arkansas River my destination. The flows were in the 300 CFS range, and this meant I could probably cross the river and fish the bank away from the highway in one of my favorite hangouts below Salida.

Salvation Nymph Eater

I departed Denver at 8:00AM, and heavy traffic on Interstate 70 prompted me to use the Express Toll lane for $5.50. The move saved me fifteen minutes, as my estimated arrival time moved up from 11:00AM to 10:45AM. Unfortunately that was the one piece of good news that preceded a series of unlucky events. When I merged on to CO 470 on the western side of Denver, I passed two gravel trucks, and I heard a loud thwack on the windshield. I immediately cursed my misfortune, and when I stopped for gas on the way home, I inspected the windshield and discovered three chips that joined the curved crack already in place. It is impossible to keep a windshield free of cracks and chips in the state of Colorado.

Deep Seam Produced

As I drove southwest on US 285, I found myself creeping along at 25 miles per hour behind a row of vehicles in a 50 MPH speed limit zone. I stared ahead, and there was a huge road construction vehicle with flashing amber lights, and the slow moving caravan crept along for a mile, before we stopped, where a flagman was displaying a stop sign. Fortunately the delay only lasted a few minutes, and the westbound traffic that included me was allowed to proceed. This little stoppage slipped my estimated arrival time by five minutes.

Decent

Bubble Line

I finally arrived at my chosen destination along the river below Salida, and I quickly jumped out of the car to inspect the river. Imagine my disappointment, when I observed murky flows in the river below me. I immediately returned to my car and dialed the ArkAnglers Fly Shop, and the helpful young man who answered informed me that rain and snow were causing the turbity. He said that a couple feet of visibility existed along the edges, and fishing was still a possibility. He also volunteered that most of the murkiness was generated by the South Fork of the Arkansas River, and he suggested that I could leap frog that tributary to find clearer conditions. I thanked him for his useful information, and I decided to move upriver above the South Arkansas River.

Olive Perdigon

Of course, there was construction in progress in Salida, so I was forced to detour, but this delay was minor, and I arrived at the Arkansas Headwaters Stone Bridge access area by 11:30AM. I geared up and rigged my Sage One five weight, and then I ate my lunch. The temperature was 65 degrees, but it felt colder because of the gusting wind, so I pulled on my light raincoat as a windbreaker.

Chunk

I was finally ready to fly fish, so I hiked along the top of the bank for .4 mile, until I reached the downstream boundary of the public water, and then I cut down a steep bank to the river. For my opening act, I chose a size 8 amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, an olive perdigon, and a salvation nymph.

Model Brown Trout

I began migrating upstream, and I was very particular about my casting targets. I skipped wide areas, as they presented relatively shallow riffles and pockets, and the probability of landing fish was low. Instead I focused on deep seams and pockets next to structure. The approach paid dividends, as I landed eight brown trout between 12:00PM and 3:30PM, when I quit for the day. I covered a significant amount of river real estate and ended my day on the north side of CO 291 at the Stone Bridge boat launch ramps.

Bubbles and Rock Bottom

The first four trout grabbed the nymphs, with one nabbing the olive perdigon, and the others were attracted to the salvation nymph. Once I hit four, the action stalled for thirty minutes, so I changed out the olive perdigon for a 20 incher, and the chubby/20 incher/salvation remained my lineup for the remainder of the afternoon. During this time I boosted the fish count from four to eight, and the final four were wild browns in the thirteen inch range. My success accrued from swinging and lifting the nymphs as has been the case on my recent fall outings. All the fish that I landed grabbed the salvation nymph, but it seemed like the 20 incher was a more effective partner to the salvation than the olive perdigon.

Pocket and Exposed Rock

Wednesday was a nice October day aside from the annoying wind. I overcame quite a few obstacles to fly fish for 3.5 hours on Wednesday, but I managed to land eight wild fish including five brown trout in the twelve to thirteen inch range. Quite a few attractive places failed to produce, and I worked hard for my catch, but I was satisfied with the results. I suspect that spawning activities are in progress, and this perhaps explained the relatively slow action. This may have been my last visit to the Arkansas for the year, and it was a solid day of fishing on the big river.

Fish Landed: 8

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

Time: 10:30AM – 2:30PM

Location: Buena Vista area

Arkansas River 07/02/2025 Photo Album

Having fished the Eagle River on 06/26/2025 and 06/30/2025, I was kind of burned out on the dropping freestone along Interstate 70. I was, however, interested in pursuing a freestone in declining stages, where the flows remained comparatively high. The Arkansas River was my answer. The flows at the Nathrop gauge remained in the 750 CFS range, and I knew this would be manageable for wading in pursuit of mainly edge fishing. I made the trip.

High and Clear

The air temperature, as I embarked on my day of fishing, was around 74 degrees with highs projected in the low eighties. It was a hot one. Very little cloud cover developed to mask the sun’s intense rays. For a fly rod I chose my old Sage four weight. I did a ton of casting on Monday on our float trip, and I selected a lighter rod in order to provide some relief to my elbow and shoulder joints and muscles.

Typical

To begin my day I rigged with an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, coffee and black size ten Pat’s rubber legs, and an iron sally. A dark olive rubberlegs was effective on the Eagle on Monday, thus my choice of that fly, and I was certain that yellow sallies would make an appearance which led to the iron sally.

Next to the Large Round Rock

The river was in fantastic shape, as I plunged into my day of fly fishing. Flows were indeed high, but the river was exceptionally clear, and the left bank provided numerous spots, where the river residents could escape the faster mid-river currents. Unfortunately my three fly offering went unmolested in the early going, so I revamped the lineup. I removed the rubberlegs and switched the iron sally to the top fly and added a salvation nymph as the bottom fly. Finally the flies clicked, and I built the fish count to six, before I broke for lunch at 11:45. The action was decent, but the size of the fish was disappointing with no brown trout exceeding eleven inches. The salvation nymph did most of the damage, with a fish or two showing a preference for the iron sally. The chubby was an obvious distraction, as quite a few fish surfaced and refused the large attractor.

Nice Close Up

After lunch I removed the iron sally and replaced it with a beadhead hares ear nymph, and this combination resulted in a couple more smallish fish. The frequency of refusals increased, so I decided to respond to the signal being provided by the trout. I removed the dry/dropper configuration and converted to a peacock yellow stimulator trailing a gray size 14 deer hair caddis, It was a double dry set up in response to observed yellow sallies and sparse numbers of caddis. The duo enabled me to increase the fish count by a few, but the yellow stimulator seemed to be close to the preferences of the fish but not close enough, thus a flurry of refusals.

Slots to Explore

It was during this time that I made a downstream drift to the deflection off an exposed boulder, and a fish grabbed the trailing caddis. I set the hook, and the fish was instantly gone. I was confused over what transpired, until I tried to strip in my line and discovered that the only remaining component was my fly line. Apparently the loop I tied on the end of the seven foot tapered leader slipped out, and the entire tapered leader was now absent. I was not a happy camper. Fortunately one nine foot leader with 5X at the end remained in my front pack, so I took the time to unravel it and completed a loop to loop connection to the fly line. In this case, the leader came with a loop already tied by the manufacturer, so hopefully it will be more trustworthy.

Fourth Double of 2025

Once I was back in business, I used the break to substitute a classic size 10 Chernobyl ant for the yellow stimulator. I was going for buoyancy and visibility, and I allowed the deer hair caddis to remain on my line. This combination yielded one trout on the caddis, but then a long drought ensued. I once again swapped the top fly, and in this case I replaced the plop-generating Chernobyl with a peacock body hippie stomper. These flies enabled the fish count to climb to fourteen by 2:30PM, and most of the trout favored the caddis with only a couple trout hungry for the hippie stomper. Toward the end of this period, I broke off the deer hair caddis, and I replaced it with a size 16 deer hair yellow sally. The yellow sally, however, did not prove productive.

Second Click

Along the way I leaned on my newly constructed wading stick with all my weight, and one foot of its length broke off. It did not break off clean initially, so I continued to use it with the end protruding outward at a 90 degree angle. Eventually the entire section broke off, and I was forced to used a short stub for stability. It was better than nothing, but it prevented me from getting into my normal rhythm. I am once again in need of a new wading staff.

Nice Water Ahead

Wednesday was an average day of fly fishing; however, it fell short of my expectations for edge fishing, under what I felt were favorable conditions. I lost my tapered leader, and I felt worse about the fish attached to a seven foot length of monofilament. I broke my natural branch wading staff. The size of the fish was subpar, with no fish stretching the tape to twelve inches. The air temperature was toasty, and I was hot and weary by mid-afternoon. I probably should have returned to the Eagle River, where I knew decent insect activity prompted the fish to feed. It’s early July, so additional opportunities will likely present themselves. It seems that everything is two weeks ahead of schedule in 2025.

Fish Landed: 14

Time: 10:30AM – 3:30PM

Location: Near Salida

Arkansas River 06/20/2025 Photo Album

I was pumped up to edge fish the Arkansas River on Wednesday, but a spike in flows caused me to doubt my plan, and I detoured to the South Platte River. As I considered options for Friday, June 20, I renewed my desire to test the receding flows on the Arkansas River. The DWR graph for Nathrop indicated that the flows leveled out at 1800 CFS, and they were on a downward curve to the 1550 CFS range on Friday morning. This was all I needed for motivation to make the two hour and forty-five minute drive to Salida. My illness waned to a minor irritation, so that was another positive factor for a day of fishing. The high temperature in Denver was forecast to reach one hundred degrees, so that was a concern, although the snow melt and high flows were expected to buffer against the high air temperatures, unlike the South Platte River where no such volume offset was available.

The Descent to the River

High but Clear

I arrived at my chosen destination a bit after 10:00AM, and I was prepared to fish by 10:30AM. Normally I would have fit together my Sage One five weight, but its status was still listed as “repairing” on the Far Banks web site. Hmm, I wonder how active the repairing is? Instead I pulled out my Scott four piece six weight. I bought this rod for my trips to Alaska and Argentina, but I had not used it in a couple years. I am a nonconformist, when it comes to reels, as I am right handed but have my reel set up to be reeled with my right hand. You may ask how this works? If I hook a fish, I normally just strip line to bring it in. If I end up using the reel, I make a quick hand switch and hold the rod with my left and reel with my right. At any rate, I thought I remembered that the reel on the Scott was set up to wind left handed, and this was an impediment to my usage.

Finally on the Board

As I prepared to fish, I pulled out the reel with the six weight line , and I was pleased to learn that it was set up for right handed reeling. With this advantageous discovery, I decided to deploy the Scott six weight on Friday. I was fishing a big river, with high water, and strong gusts of wind and the possibility of larger than average fish. A six weight made a lot of sense.

Salvation Did the Trick

I hiked along the river for .4 mile and then angled down a steep bank. The river was indeed running fast and tight to the banks, but clarity was quite good. I began my day with a yellow Letort hopper fished solo. I read that golden stoneflies were present, and I figured the size 10 Letort hopper was a solid imitation. The hopper gambit was a total bust, so I switched to a yellow fat Albert trailing an iron sally and salvation nymph. In the forty-five minutes before lunch I notched two refusals to the fat Albert. It made me wonder, whether I abandoned the yellow hopper pattern too soon.

Another Representative Trout

After lunch I resumed my progress along the left bank. The lesson I learned was that the speed of the current was the prime factor dictating trout holding locations. In the morning I wasted time fishing very marginal relatively shallow runs and riffles next to the bank, as the current was a bit too swift. The key to finding trout was current breaks such as trees and large boulders. If I found slower moving current with some depth near these structures, I generally found trout.

Tough Wading Here

Between noon and 3:30PM I landed nine trout. This included a splendid pair of fifteen inch brown trout along with a pair of smaller relatives, but the rest were respectable browns in the twelve to thirteen inch slot. All these fish were quite healthy, and they put up spirited fights. They were probably extra combative, since they probably had not experienced a hook in quite some time.

Hot Spot Among Rocks

The size of the fish was more than acceptable, although the catch rate was fairly average. Of course, had I hooked the five refusals and landed the four fish that escaped, my day would have looked considerably more impressive. Two of the larger long distance releases broke off both nymphs in their frenzied efforts to escape. Why are the best fish always the ones that get away?

Long One

By 2:30PM I suffered a lengthy pause in action, and refusals to the fat Albert were prevalent, so I decided to try a double dry. I removed the dry/dropper elements and switched to a size 12 yellow stimulator and trailed a size 14 olive-brown deer hair caddis. These flies yielded two brown trout, with the second and last fish on dries being a very fine fifteen inch brown trout.

Better View

Boulder Field

Nine fish in 4.5 hours of fishing was fairly lackluster; however, I tangled with some very nice trout that required careful fish playing skills. I improved my ability to identify likely fish holding locations. If I do the Arkansas River edge fishing again, I will be more selective with my casting. Rediscovering my Scott six weight was perhaps the highlight of the day, and it will surely see more action during edge fishing season, if my Sage five weight remains out of commission.

Fish Landed: 9

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