Upper Basin: Leadville to Buena Vista
September 14, 2024
Flow in Hayden Meadows | 94.3 CFS |
|---|---|
Flow at Granite: | 159 CFS |
Water Temp: | 50s-60s |
Water Clarity: | Clear |
The upper basin is in prime shape as we head into fall and is offering strong summer hatches of caddis, golden stoneflies, and even early fall baetis above Buena Vista. Grassier areas like Hayden Meadows are also producing significant terrestrial food like grasshoppers, ants, and beetles. This has made for excellent all-around dry-dropper fishing for anglers with windows of pure dry fly fishing mixed in. Flows are low, clear and very wadeable. Expect fish to still be incredibly structure oriented particularly down near Buena Vista where the lower flows are still swift through the rocky, canyon pocket water that characterizes this region. In Hayden Meadows, an early start will be advantageous as this region sees a lot of traffic from Chaffee, Lake, and Summit counties. Expect fish to be more wary here than in other reaches of the river, where a quiet, thoughtful approach can make all the difference in your success. Trout are often a bit more forgiving in the faster waters between Granite and Buena Vista. 5x leaders and tippet are appropriate up here.
Middle Basin: Buena Vista to Salida
September 14, 2024
Flow at Hecla Junction: | 356 CFS |
|---|---|
Water Temp | 50s-60s |
Water Clarity: | Clear |
Fishing is excellent in the middle basin we continue to enjoy a relatively comfortable float fishing level below Browns Canyon that also allows for excellent accessibility for wade anglers. The river is running clear and we're seeing some of the best fishing of the whole season at the moment as flows are a happy medium for both wade and float anglers' use and still tend to push fish into easily identifiable areas, like mid-stream pocket water and slower water along the edges. As summer hatches transition into fall varieties, fish are still very opportunistic and eager for the easy meal. Though fish are now able to spread out comfortably throughout the river, we are still finding a surprising number within inches of the bank at times, eager to intercept vulnerable food, both aquatic and terrestrial. Grasshoppers are important through this section and combined with nighttime emergences of golden stoneflies offer good reason to fish large attractor dry flies, whether you are strictly dry fly fishing or using the dry as an indicator in your dry-dropper rig. There are also red quill, caddis, and small baetis available that can prompt some fun "match the hatch" opportunities. Aquatic insects aside, this summer's hatch of various grasshoppers is really spectacular, and the terrestrial fishing is productive and consistent. Fish are definitely eating grasshoppers but anglers shouldn't neglect smaller terrestrial food like ants and beetles. These smaller food items can often prompt more consistent, confident takes if it feels like fish are shy to the larger dry flies. 4x and 5x leaders and tippet are appropriate through this region.
Lower Basin: Salida to Canon City
September 14, 2024
Flow at Wellsville: | 401 CFS |
|---|---|
Water Temp | 50s-60s |
Water Clarity: | Clear |
The river is in great condition below Salida. Augmentation as part of the VFMP has concluded and we've settled into the native flows again for early fall. This remains a comfortable float fishing level but does allow a lot more accessibility for wade anglers than we've seen this summer. The Arkansas is incredibly fun right now, with happy fish eager to entertain a variety of terrestrial and aquatic food items. Nymph fishing is predictably productive, but what really separates the Arkansas this time of year is the dry fly and dry-dropper fishing. There are many opportunities for matching hatches of red quills, caddis, and small fall baetis in the lower basin, but the level of opportunistic feeding through August is noteworthy and yields great fishing with attractor patterns. Golden stonefly and grasshopper dry flies are reliable indicator flies throughout the summer with a high likelihood of prompting aggressive strikes themselves, especially at these flows. Expect to find fish in sheltered water where they find escape from the faster flows of the main current. They may be within inches of the bank in slower edge water or in obvious slow water around mid-stream pocket water. Your first drift will usually be your best one, so don't waste time making thirty casts to one pocket if you don't get a strike. Cover a lot of water to find the best success. 4x leaders and tippet are appropriate in this region. Afternoon temperatures are getting warm and it's not uncommon to take temperature readings in the upper 60s in shallower areas after lunchtime. Take your time to minimize handling time with landed fish and revive all fish carefully before releasing.