/Time: 11:00AM – 3:00PM

Location: Salida area

Arkansas River 06/09/2026 Photo Album

After a stellar outing on my trip to the Arkansas River last week, I craved a return visit. However, not wishing to be rash, I also reviewed the Eagle River near Avon and the South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon. The flows and fly shop reports convinced me that my best option was, in fact, the Arkansas River. I made the three hour drive on Tuesday morning.

Near the Start

I arrived by 10:30AM, and I immediately observed the river and confirmed that the flows were 330 CFS and clear. The air temperature was in the upper sixties, but one negative weather factor became obvious; wind. By 11:00AM I was perched along the river with my Sage One five weight. I began with a size 8 yellow fat Albert, a 20 incher and an iron Sally. I wanted to test the yellow-bodied foam imitation, since I felt like the trout were seeking yellow during my visit a week ago. Stoneflies are always a good bet on the Arkansas, and the iron sally was my top producer on June 3.

Nice Run

As things evolved, Tuesday was a relatively rough day, and I blame the wind. I had to stop and turn my back against the wind frequently, and casting was a challenge. The wind caused my normally accurate first and second casts to go askew, and it also contributed to several ridiculous tangles that caused me to invest an inordinate amount of time to resolve.

Has Some Girth

In the early going I stuck to the three fly arrangement as described, but it was not delivering results other than a few refusals to the fat Albert. Before lunch I logged three small brown trout, after I replaced the 20 incher with the iron sally and then added a supernova PMD nymph. One of the three early catches grabbed the iron sally, and the others nailed the supernova. I fished some very attractive spots, and the three small fish were my reward.

Just Above the Water

The nymphs were not getting it done, but I noted several swirls to the dry fly, so I changed my tactics after lunch. I abandoned the dry/dropper for a double dry fly set up. For the first fly I attached a size 14 yellow stimulator, and behind it I trailed a size 14 yellow sally dry fly. The trailing yellow sally prompted a take, and I landed a very nice thirteen inch brown. The stimulator created quite a bit of action in the form of refusals, but it never actually delivered a fish. I also hooked a second nice brown on the yellow sally, but it released itself, and then I discovered that the fly was missing most likely due to a poor knot.

Placid Section

The trout were looking toward the surface as evidenced by the stimulator refusals, but the heavily hackled attractor apparently was not a close enough imitation. I spotted a very large stonefly, probably a golden, as it clumsily fluttered above the river. I decided to try a classic Letort hopper, but in an attempt to cover my bases, I added a single salvation nymph on a 3.5 inch dropper. The Letort hopper created a splashy refusal, and then it ceased to be an item of interest.

Deep Colors

On June 3 a tan mini chubby Chernobyl  was effective as a surface fly, so I replaced the Letort hopper with the mini. I kept the salvation in place, and eventually I added a hares ear nymph. This combination enabled me to increment the fish count from four to seven, before I retired for the day at 3:00PM.

Another One in My Net

One gullible brown crushed the mini chubby, and the other two snatched the salvation from the drift. I covered a massive amount of water and made an abundant quantity of casts to land the three afternoon fish, but they were all very robust wild browns in the thirteen to fourteen inch range.

What Lies Ahead

On Tuesday I battled the wind and waded along a large amount of river shoreline in order to catch and release seven trout. Four were very worthwhile catches, and three failed to measure twelve inches. I spotted a pair of yellow sallies and one golden stonefly. I never really noticed any caddis or mayflies. I suspect that the wind was blowing insects off the water, before trout had an opportunity to hone in on any food items. My intuition and research led me astray. Of course this presumes that the other options were better, and that I will never know.

Fish Landed: 7

Time: 11:15AM – 3:30PM

Location: Bighorn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 06/03/2026 Photo Album

My confidence was at a low ebb after getting skunked on the South Platte River in Waterton Canyon. This was the second zero fish day delivered by the South Platte River sections downstream from Cheesman Dam in the last month. As I surveyed options for a day of fly fishing on Wednesday, June 3, 2026; I was intrigued by the Arkansas River. Yes, it was a long drive, but the flows were at a reasonable 320 CFS at Salida, and the fly shop reports were very encouraging. The report from the fly shop in Salida mentioned late blue wing olives, golden stoneflies, caddis and pale morning duns. It also emphasized that the fish were spread out and feeding. All of this at the beginning of June, when the river is usually crashing along at 2000 CFS and discolored. I had to test it out.

But wait a minute. My last trip to the Arkansas River on 5/11/2026 yielded two small fish. Would Wednesday be a repeat? I decided to gamble on the Arkansas, since many of the other options were more impacted by the weak early run off of 2026. However, instead of visiting the river in the Buena Vista area, I opted for Salida.

Number One

I made the long drive from Denver to Bighorn Sheep Canyon below Salida, I arrived at 10:45 AM, and this put me on the water by 11:15AM. The temperature was in the low seventies, as I prepared to fish, so I wore no extra layers, but I stuffed my raincoat in my backpack in case of afternoon showers. When I gazed at the river from high above at my parking spot, I noted that it was indeed very clear and flowing at very favorable levels.

Narrow Ribbon Along Bank Produced First Fish

I hiked along the highway for .3 mile, at which point I found a nice angled worn path that led me even farther downstream, but the slope was mild and very agreeable to this aging fisherman. I immediately rigged my line with a tan chubby Chernobyl trailing an olive and a black Pat’s rubber legs. The first bankside pocket failed to deliver, but when I delivered my first cast to a marginal ribbon of slow water along the bank, a fish attacked the olive rubber legs, and I played and landed a fourteen inch brown trout. What a start to my day!

Rubber Legs Duo

I continued up the river through a section with very deep slow moving pools among huge rocks, and my flies remained unmolested. As I progressed, I noticed a couple pale morning dun size naturals, and a few blue wing olives, and more golden stoneflies, as they soared upward from the river. The rubber legs were not attracting attention, so I swapped the black model for an iron sally which imitates the nymph of a golden stonefly.

Amazing Black Spots

Bingo. The iron sally was popular, and I landed two more fine brown trout in the thirteen to fourteen inch range, before I paused for lunch at 11:45AM on a sandy beach inlet next to the river. My first half hour was quite productive, and I was encouraged by the success of the iron sally. I was even more pleased that I spotted natural golden stoneflies and selected a nymph imitation that matched the hatch.

Sweet Run

After lunch I continued up the river with the three fly dry/dropper combination, and I added two very nice browns to the count. One crushed the chubby Chernobyl, and the other grabbed the iron sally. These trout were respectable fish in the thirteen to fourteen inch range. By one o’clock some heavy dark clouds rolled above me, and I heard some distant thunder. I had the foresight to wade to the shore to pull on my raincoat, before conditions deteriorated.

Wide Riffle Section

As luck would have it, I foul hooked a nice fish, and it twisted my line into several overhand knots, and I struggled to untangle the mess. Of course this was the very moment, when the wind kicked up, and the rain began to splash down. I retreated to some slanted vertical rock walls and cottonwood trees while holding the tangle, and then I performed line repair while waiting out the storm.

Gentle Release

Fortunately it was very brief, and I was able to resume with my flies and line in their proper arrangement. At this point I began to witness repeated refusals to the chubby Chernobyl. I suspected that the trout were tuned into golden stoneflies, and my tan size eight chubby was close enough to entice them to look, but at the moment of decision on whether to eat, it was too large. I contemplated my options, and I remembered the mini chubbys, that I carried in my box.

Love the Curl

I replaced the top fly with a tan mini chubby, and below it on a four foot leader I knotted the iron sally. This combination enabled me to boost the fish count from six to ten, and similar to earlier trout, these were respectable brown trout. One smashed the mini chubby and the others nabbed the trailing iron sally.

Deep Slot

The weather cleared, and although I only landed one trout on the mini chubby, it seemed to not attract the many refusals that resulted from drifting the larger chubby. I saw a few more larger gray mayflies, and I began to wonder, if pale morning duns were present. I stripped in my line and added a supernova PMD imitation to imitate the nymph of a PMD.

Net Overhang

For the remainder of my time I persisted with the mini chubby, iron sally and supernova; and I increased the fish count from ten to nineteen. This was easily my best action of the day. Numbers eleven through thirteen were sub twelve inch fish, but fourteen through nineteen were very nice brown trout in the thirteen to fifteen inch range. The iron sally continued to produce, but the supernova chipped in with four landed fish, and these trout seemed to respond to movement of the supernova nymph in the form of swings and lifts.

Perfect Pocket

By 3:30 I reached a point, where I was “walled out”, so I retraced my steps to an easy exit point. Walled out means that I faced a huge boulder, and the water was deep and swift next to it, so it was impossible to progress without climbing a very steep bank back to the highway to circle around the barrier. At 3:30 in the afternoon I was not prepared for this arduous task. In addition the sky was once again threatening.

What a day! My slump was left behind. I landed nineteen gorgeous brown trout. Three were less than twelve inches, two were roughly a foot long, and the remainder were in the thirteen to sixteen inch range. One brown was sixteen, and a couple were fat fifteen inch prizes. On the day two trout ate chubbys, one grabbed the olive Pat’s rubber legs, four nipped the supernova, and the remainder attacked the iron sally. Hooray for the iron sally; the fly of the day.  Hopefully I can make another trip to the Arkansas River before the flows drop and the water temperatures warm.

Fish Landed: 19

Time: 11:00AM – 2:00PM

Location: Buena Vista area

Arkansas River 05/11/2026 Photo Album

If one fly fishes as much as I do, one is bound to experience disappointing days every now and then. Today, May 11, 2026 was one of those days. After a spectacular day on Friday on the Eagle River, I ached to return on Monday; and, in fact, it was my intention to make the drive until Monday morning. That is when I reviewed all my data points, and the stream flow graph depicted an increase in flows from 200 CFS on Friday to the 300 CFS range on Monday morning. 300 CFS on the Eagle River is a manageable level; however, the trend line is what spooked me. Most of the increase occurred within the last two days, and the normal trough in the evening was minimal with the curve bending upward. I decided to not make the two hour drive and instead pivoted to the Arkansas River.

The DWR chart for the Arkansas River at Wellsville and Nathrop presented relatively flat volume in the mid 200 CFS range. The flows remained low and the trend line was stable, thus suggesting nice clear conditions. I made the drive to the Arkansas River in the Buena Vista area, where I experienced decent success in past years.

I arrived by 10:30 and geared up with my Sage One five weight. I always prefer my five weight on the larger rivers in Colorado. The temperature was in the upper 50’s, so I avoided extra layers and stuffed my raincoat in my backpack just in case. I hiked for approximately .2 mile to the river, and I was prepared to cast a bit before 11:00AM. I began with my workhorse lineup of an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, 20 incher and olive perdigon. The nymphs extended three and a half feet below the surface offering.

First Fish

I spent forty-five minutes before my lunch break working my way upstream through some very attractive deep pockets and pools around large exposed boulders, and I managed  to land one small brown trout. I exchanged the perdigon for a sparkle wing RS2 and a bright green caddis pupa, but the only fly that produced was the 20 incher. I did, however, notice three fish that elevated to look at the chubby Chernobyl, before they rejected my fly and returned to their holding lie.

One of Two

The looks and refusals prompted me to move to a double dry fly arrangement that included a peacock hippie stomper and size 14 olive-brown deer hair caddis. I concentrated on the edge of the river in slow moving shelf pools and riffles that bordered large exposed rocks. I assumed that the bright and sunny conditions forced the trout to seek protection from the bankside structure. I landed one additional small brown trout on the trailing caddis, but then a long period of refusals and momentary nips ensued.

Home to a Trout

The trout were mostly refusing both flies, so I implemented a series of changes that included a smaller size 16 caddis, a gray body caddis, a Jake’s gulp beetle, and an olive body size 14 stimulator. Most of these flies induced a refusal or two. Another long period of inactivity caused my confidence to plummet, and I was bored with the situation. There were virtually no insects to spur feeding, and my mind drifted to thoughts other than fly fishing. I decided to cut my losses and ended my day by 2:00PM.

I hiked back to the car and packed my gear and headed to a new spot that I pass every time I journey to the Arkansas River. Monday on the Arkansas River was dead, in spite of what appeared to be ideal spring conditions. The negative was the bright cloudless sky and the absence of insects. I was surprised to see minimal adult caddis activity in the area. I know from past experience that the section contains plenty of trout, but they were not hungry on Monday, or at least they did not like what I placed on the menu.

Fish Landed: 2

Time: 11:00AM – 3:30PM

Location: Big Horn Sheep Canyon

Arkansas River 04/29/2026 Photo Album

With the Arkansas River still moving along at a relatively modest 331 CFS at Wellsville, and a weather forecast suggesting a high of 61 degrees, I decided to pay another visit to
Big Horn Sheep Canyon. The fly shop reports were very vague about the advancement of the caddis hatch, so I decided to expect no caddis interaction and simply fish the river like it does not exist. Chasing the hatch over the last several years has been an exercise in frustration.

I got off to a nice early start and arrived at my chosen parking space along US 50 by 10:30AM. The dashboard display registered 50 degrees, and it was accompanied by a chilling wind, so I pulled on Under Armour undershirt, fleece hoodie and rain shell. These layers proved to be effective throughout the day. For a fly rod I chose my Sage One five weight. It is perfect for the large river, and its stiffness facilitates fighting the wind. I could have used my Scott six weight, but I was concerned about elbow and shoulder fatigue with a lot of casting in my future.

Starting Point

Once I was prepared, I hiked downstream along the bank for approximately .2 mile, and I rigged my line to start with an amber ice dub chubby Chernobyl, a 20 incher and an olive perdigon. I am embarrassed and sad to report that I lost all three flies to a tree limb. I attempted to direct a cast away from the bank without checking my surroundings, and the backcast lodged high above me. I mounted the bank and considered trying to bend the entire tree down, but I wisely concluded that was a recipe for injury. Instead I applied direct pressure to the line and snapped off the three flies.

Salivating Over This Wide Riffle

Neither fly produced in the first fifteen minutes, so I replaced the olive perdigon with an emerald caddis larva while maintaining the chubby Chernobyl and 20 incher. I wanted the 20 incher for weight, and the chubby Chernobyl was my indicator. My distance from the surface fly to the bottom nymph was 4. 5 feet, as I planned to probe deep in the large river.

Getting Larger

The 20 incher finally produced a small brown trout, but the caddis larva was avoided. I shook some willows and examined rocks, but I saw very few caddis. Nevertheless, when the larva fell out of favor, I switched to a bright green sparkle caddis pupa tied to the specifications of Gary LaFontaine in his book Caddisflies.

Many Fish Hung Out in Front of Large Boulders

The caddis pupa generated results, and I landed a pair of small brown trout on the green imitation, before I broke for lunch at noon. I observed the river intensely while eating, and I spotted a handful of adults dapping on the surface. One was rather large, and the others were small, so I was not sure they were grannom; the caddis species I was attempting to imitate.

Wide

Between lunch and 2:30PM I persisted with the three fly dry/dropper featuring the chubby, 20 incher, and bright green caddis pupa. I built the fish count to nine, and the netted fish included some substantial brown trout in the fourteen to fifteen inch range. One of these fish nabbed the 20 incher and two crushed the chubby Chernobyl. In fact, several fish slashed at the chubby, as I dragged it across the surface in the process of executing another cast. These instances caused me to consider a switch to a caddis dry, but I never attempted the conversion.

Downstream Dangle Worked Here

Instead I worked the caddis pupa aggressively, and it accounted for five of the first nine fish landed. I discovered that the ticket to making the pupa work was stripping, lifting and dangling the flies. Purely by chance I allowed the flies to dangle downstream in front of large exposed rocks, and several decent browns grabbed the pupa while it dangled. In other instances the trout snatched the fly, as it began to swing and lift across the current near the end of the drift, or the fish chased and corralled the pupa as I lifted to make another cast after dangling briefly. I fished the three flies aggressively including bad mends that jerked the flies and downstream mends to accelerate the flies through riffles and runs.

Another Promising Area

The five connections with the sparkle pupa were much appreciated, but I was also frustrated by the number of bumps and split second connections. During this time I swapped the bright green caddis pupa for a go2 caddis pupa. The go2 version features a bright and shiny chartreuse body, and this fly never yielded a fish. It was the king of bumps and half second hits. It seemed that the fish were teasing me by inspecting with a bump without taking the fly confidently.

Lots of Pockets to Explore

At 2:30PM I approached a fifty yard section of pocket water, and I somehow broke off the bright green caddis pupa. Rather than replacing it with another, I substituted an ultra zug bug. I knew from reading that the female adult caddis return to the water in the late afternoon and evening to deposit their eggs, and they do so by diving to the bottom of the river. In past years I experienced a decent level of success with a size 14 beadhead prince nymph, but for some reason on Wednesday I chose a size 16 ultra zug bug.

Just a Beauty

What a move! I fished all the deep pockets I could safely reach, and I moved the fish count from nine to twelve. All three of these fish were stunning rainbow trout in the fourteen to fifteen inch size range, and they were fierce fighters. I found it interesting that all the fish that ate the ultra zug bug were rainbows. Was there something about the flash that attracted rainbows more than browns? I decided to test the theory.

Rainbow Haven

I retreated to my car and then hiked down the path that I used at the start of my day, until I reached a delicious wide moderate riffle area. I fished this section in the early afternoon, but I was convinced that the ultra zug bug might generate better results, and I was curious to see whether any brown trout would succumb to the UZB flash. Well, I managed one eleven inch brown trout near the end of my time in this section, so the results were rather inconclusive. The ultra zug bug did not replicate the success that it provided in the pocket water.

Gorgeous Spot Pattern on This One

Wednesday was a nice day of fishing on the Arkansas River. I landed thirteen trout, and quite a few were very respectable fish. The three rainbows in the pocket water were the jewels on the day, but I also landed three brown trout in the fourteen to fifteen inch range. I was proud to discover the technique of swinging, dangling and lifting that aroused the attention of the resident trout. Enduring quite a few temporary hook ups was a frustration. The near term forecast calls for continued cool temperatures, so perhaps another visit to the Arkansas River is in my future, before run off commences in earnest.

Fish Landed: 13

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