Upper Basin: Leadville to Buena Vista
March 26, 2026
Flow in Hayden Meadows | ~100 CFS |
|---|---|
Flow at Granite: | 167 CFS |
Water Temp: | 40s |
Water Clarity: | Stained but several feet of clarity |
The upper basin is really begining to produce, with a widening window of opportunity for quality fishing and both midge and blue wing olive hatches underway prompting aggressive feeding from resident trout. Warmer weather is predicted in the valley for the foreseeable future which should encourage good activity from resident fish in prime areas around and north of BV. Expect fish to be in slower, deeper water in the mornings where they can hold without expending much energy, moving into shallower and sometimes faster feeding zones during the warmest hours of the day. With lower, clear flows you can expect fish to be more discerning so pay attention to available forage so you can closely match the natural insects with your imitations. Attractor patterns can still produce but you may find that realistic patterns are more productive as fish key in on specific food. Midges (#18-22) are your primary forage but molting golden stonefly nymph (8-14) offer opportunities to fish much larger flies to match the naturals. Baetis nymphs (#18-20) are drifting daily in the afternoon and though we've not had much cloud cover this week, anglers have reported some good, localized hatches of these mayflies midday.
Middle Basin: Buena Vista to Salida
March 26, 2026
Flow at Hecla Junction: | ~300 CFS |
|---|---|
Water Temp | 40s - low 50s |
Water Clarity: | Stained, 3' or better visibility |
Great fishing opportunities persist in the middle basin as we move past St. Patrick's Day, with more warm weather in the foreseeable future and trout behaving like it's April. Fishing is at its best from 10AM to 5PM. We are seeing more and more venture out into shallower and faster zones to feed, matching their activity to the increase in water temperature. Midges (#18-22) are your primary forage but molting golden stonefly nymphs (8-14) offer a much larger meal opportunity and are a welcome sight for resident fish. Baetis nymphs are on the move in the afternoons and we are seeing sparse hatches of blue wing olives earlier than normal as a result of the warm weather. From here on out, prepare for mayfly hatches on cloudy, humid afternoons. These can be some of the greatest dry fly days of the year over the next 5-6 weeks, so plan accordingly! Stock up on nymph, emerger, and dun imitations in #18-20. Midge hatches are occurring daily and have also produced some great, technical dry fly fishing opportunities. 5x tippet is appropriate.
Lower Basin: Salida to Canon City
March 26, 2026
Flow at Wellsville: | 401 CFS |
|---|---|
Water Temp | 50-60 degrees |
Water Clarity: | Stained, 2' visibility but fishing well |
Bighorn Sheep Canyon is fishing incredibly well for March (it feels more like summer!), offering a wider productive window on the water than the river further north. The week begins again with highs in the 60s and 70s and when combined with mild nighttime temperatures offers excellent fishing opportunities for this time of year. Water temperatures are remarkably warm, with daytime highs measuring 50 degrees below Salida in the late afternoon. The fish are responding accordingly, moving into much shallower water to feed, dispersing into riffled areas and pocket water to intercept food. Feeding behavior is more aggressive, too, with fish moving quite a bit further to intercept a drifting morsel. Midges (#18-22) are the primary forage with sporadic hatches prompting localized surface feeding from trout. We're also seeing fish feed opportunistically on golden stonefly nymphs as the naturals undergo their seasonal molt underwater. These can be imitated by nymphs in the #10-12 range. Both free living and cased caddis larvae are increasingly active, particularly in the morning. These average a #14-18.
St. Patrick's Day grants blue wing olives official permission to begin hatching, though we've seen some adventurous mayflies a little ahead of schedule already. Plan for the strongest hatches to be on cloudy, humid afternoons (which we haven't seen in a while). That said, even recent bluebird days have produced some strong, localized mayfly hatches and trout are definitely taking notice. Regardless of weather, expect baetis nymphs to engage in behavioral drift each afternoon as the distribute through the river. These insects are best imitated by offerings in #18-20, depending on the pattern. 5x tippet is appropriate, and fluorocarbon is recommended to all subsurface offerings due to the low, clear water.