Upper Basin: Leadville to Buena Vista
May 15, 2026
Flow in Hayden Meadows | 134 CFS |
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Flow at Granite: | 162 CFS |
Water Temp: | High 40s - low 50s |
Water Clarity: | Stained but 3' or better visibility |
The upper basin is fishing well with a wide window of opportunity and both midge and blue wing olive hatches underway prompting aggressive feeding from resident trout. Warm 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. Any cloudy day ahead should prompt consistent blue wing olive hatches in the afternoons, but even the bluebird days can host localized hatches. Baetis nymphs (#18-20) are drifting daily in the afternoon. 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 important forage but immature golden stonefly nymph (8-14) offer opportunities to fish much larger flies to match the naturals.
Middle Basin: Buena Vista to Salida
May 15, 2026
Flow at Hecla Junction: | 493 CFS |
|---|---|
Water Temp | 48-58 degrees |
Water Clarity: | Stained but 2.5' or better visibility |
Cool weather next week will likely slow active snowmelt and cause the river to plateau or even recede some, likely offering better clearity through much of the week. In the meantime, dry dropper fishing and streamer fishing is still very productive even though the clarity of the river is off. Beef up to 3x on leader and tippet and try to focus on quieter seams along the edges and in pocket water. Darker flies are a good option to contrast the discolored water for the time being.
Great fishing opportunities can be found in the middle basin as move through May with more beautiful weather in the forecast this week. Fishing is at its best from 9AM to 6PM. We are seeing fish consistently venture out into shallower and faster zones to feed, matching their activity to the water temperature and insect behavior. Baetis nymphs are on the move in the afternoons and cloudy weather continues to prompt very strong hatches of these mayflies after lunchtime. These can be some of the greatest match-the-hatch dry fly days of the year, so plan accordingly! Stock up on nymph, emerger, and dun imitations in 18-20. Our spring brachycentrus hatch is up as far as Ruby Mountain and usually backfills down into Browns Canyon as it progresses to the north. Often, runoff interrupts this hatch as it moves upstream but this year's low snowpack may allow a much longer and widespread caddis event than we typically experience. Average size on the naturals is 16 but imitations will range from 14-18 depending on the pattern. An active presentation can be advantageous compared to a dead drift when fishing a dry fly, as caddis adults are known to be animated on the water before taking flight. Soft hackle caddis pupae fished as a dropper or on the swing should also be considered to imitate the emergent phase of the insect. Don't be surprised to see small pockets of caddis hatches upstream of the bulk of the insect activity as the river warms. Generally 54 degrees in water temperature is the target for finding the leading edge of the hatch, but this season we are seeing some variance due to the early warming of the lower basin's temperatures. Midges (18-22) are still important forage and golden stonefly nymphs (8-14) offer a much larger meal opportunity and are a welcome sight for resident fish. 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
May 15, 2026
Flow at Wellsville: | 466 CFS |
|---|---|
Water Temp | 50-63 degrees |
Water Clarity: | Some turbidity but fishable, 2-' visibility or better on edges and in slower water. Clarity deteriorates in lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon. |
Cool weather next week will likely slow active snowmelt and cause the river to plateau or even recede some, likely offering better clarity through much of the week. In the meantime, dry dropper fishing and streamer fishing is still very productive even though the clarity of the river is off. Beef up to 3x on leader and tippet and try to focus on quieter seams along the edges and in pocket water. Darker flies are a good option to contrast the discolored water for the time being. We expect brief disturbances to clarity as we navigate a limited runoff period but anticipate fishing straight through the variance this season.
The leading edge of the brachycentrus caddis hatch is between Salida and BV, but other trailing varieties of caddis are still hatching in pockets below town. This week we add yellow sally stoneflies, red quill mayflies, and pale morning duns to the menu below town. Combined with an early hatch of seasonal grasshoppers, these are producing outstanding dry dropper fishing and are creating great dry and double dry opportunities at times. Sallies average a 14-16, Red Quills a 12-14, and Pale Morning Duns a 16-18. Wet and dry imitations alike need to be in the arsenal to take advantage of the growing mass of food below Salida.
We do continue to see hatches of blue wing olive mayflies below town, particularly on cloudy, humid days. Though the strongest hatches usually occur on overcast afternoons, even bluebird days produce some strong, localized mayfly hatches and trout are definitely taking advantage. Regardless of weather, expect baetis nymphs to engage in behavioral drift each afternoon as they 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.