Dry Fly Fishing (hoppers) on Arkansas Hot

"I could give any attractor dry fly in my box and they all would work." Bill Edrington, Royal Gorge Anglers Shop in Cañon City.

Pictures Speak Volumes

Photos taken yesterday @ 1:00 pm....

Big Thompson High But Fishing

I had a chance to fish "The T" Thurs. afternoon and found happy fish under the heavy flows! The flow came up to 342cfs this last week, and although I did not see much in the way of rising fish I found ideal conditions for czech nymphing. A Six Dollar Burger with caddis pupa and Pandemic PMD dropper fished well through the lower and middle river. Foam back RSII and Sow Bug worked well under the dam. Fish the edges and eddies, where you find one you'll find a bunch. The flow on the lower river downstream of Idylwilde through the narrows is tasty right now, appearing to be about 100cfs lower than up above. Witnessed PMD's, Caddis, and Yellow Sallies in decent numbers.

Bass @ Night

Joe Koonce endorses a night fishing approach (see below). This Largemouth Bass couldn't resist a Bass Master Fly....Jon Spiegel.

Bass Fishing Getting Difficult @ Mid-Day

This 3-pound fish was caught on a Black Bart at 12:30 pm today...... he was cruising along the shallows against a dam. I caught another about the same size an hour later. Given the heat and the bright sun this was a bit unusual. As the days get hotter, you'll find the best fishing starting at 2:00 am in the morning until 8:00 am or so.

Pike Fishing on the Yampa

Despite the misguided efforts of the DOW to eradicate Pike and Smallmouth Bass on the middle Yampa good fish are still available. There will be a story in the next newsletter about this kind of fishing trip.

River Carp

Try cooling off for river carp. "The Thing" picked up this fish last week. (Quality Farms Tan, huh?)

Boulder Creek 7/17/08

Boulder Creek is down to 150 cfs and fishing well. Focus on being stealth and making good presentations with large attractor dries. If fishing gets tough use a bright green caddis emerger, preferably tied with a tungsten bead. Look for hoppers and ants to become more effective in the coming weeks.

NOW 150 CFS

This picture was taken yesterday at 2:00 pm above Boulder Falls

Big T Fishable

It's certainly high (pictures taken today at 4:00 pm) but if you look for good runs it can be fished successfully. The big problem is the sheer number of anglers competing for those locations...go during the week!

Boulder Creek

Boulder Creek is fishing very good. The water has come down to 191cfs.
Dry dropper has been the key. Fishing a Stimulator or Hopper dropped off with a Hot wire Prince, Tung Teaser or any BH has been picking up fish.

Rx for High Water = Lakes

Work damsel and dragon fly nymphs along the shoreline and watch for Callibeatis hatches in the mid-morning hours...this insect can be the most dominant summer insect on Western stillwaters and depending on the season, they offer a predictable chance to catch large trout on dry flies when rivers and streams are unfishable.