I went down to the river and waded in on the shortest, darkest day of the year as a simple act of appreciation, both for the memorable fishing season we had in 2024 and in anticipation of the one to come. I did land several fish as my feet went numb and my fingers ached, a sort of providence that augured well for both the fishery and myself, and I also fought some windy tangles to my line and left a couple flies in the willows.
It started snowing on Friday, April 18, and lasted for 24 hours...The warm weather over recent weeks hasn’t helped the snowpack but it has worked its magic on the fishery. With water temperatures climbing and days getting longer we are seeing strong hatches of midges and blue-wing olive mayflies. The midges are a morning emergence and the mayflies are active in the afternoon. Also just getting underway is our annual brachycentrus caddis fly hatch. The next 3-4 weeks are when the Arkansas River trout population really puts on weight to sustain itself through the rigors of the coming snowmelt. It’s a great time to get on the river!
They were met with a river that is low and clear and that warms up quickly in this kind of weather. Fish were actively feeding on midge and caddis larvae, as well as random stonefly and mayfly nymphs. It was a wonderful reminder of all that is to come. I thought we better share that reminder with you.
How should I approach fishing the Arkansas River? At our fly shops we get asked what to use and where to go. Much more rarely do we hear questions like “how should I fish?” or “what type of water should I fish?” or “what sort of food is available and what are the feeding patterns throughout the day?” However, these are really the more important questions.
The Arkansas River is a brown trout fishery. This statement, though historically true, has become less so in recent years.
The Arkansas River fishery has fully transitioned to spring. There are blue wing olive mayflies hatching from Buena Vista down to the Royal Gorge.
