Fall Fishing Update
October is upon us and it’s time to dust off your waders and settle in for some good old-fashioned fall fishing.
Flows are low just about everywhere, but here's the good news: low flows concentrate the fish and once you're into some pods of feeding fish, there's no real need to move (unless of course, you caught them all).
Flows are low just about everywhere, but here's the good news: low flows concentrate the fish and once you're into some pods of feeding fish, there's no real need to move (unless of course, you caught them all).
The Upper Colorado is still floatable at 350-400 cfs but we're not sure how long that will last. Even with low flows, the upper is fishing great right now, especially for the wade fisherman. The lower Colorado near Glenwood is still muddied but we're hoping it begins clearing in the near future to allow for some late fall and winter floats. I recently floated Lyons to Dotsero and had a great day of fishing even with only a foot or two of water clarity. Double Pat's Rubberlegs under a bobber was a simple but effective rig. Seeing a lot of brown trout in the 10-14 inch range with a couple 16-18 inch Cutbows mixed in.
Fall baetis and midge hatches have started, signaling the end to this season's bug party. Unfortunately, the baetis and midges have been on the small side (think #22s or #24s), so if you're getting refusals, keep going smaller. 5x or 6x fluorocarbon seems to be the norm these days, especially in areas that have seen significant pressure over the summer. Look for streamer fishing to become more important as the brown trout head into their spawn. With lower flows, we seem to be going smaller in streamer size leaving the large articulated streamers at home.
Fall baetis and midge hatches have started, signaling the end to this season's bug party. Unfortunately, the baetis and midges have been on the small side (think #22s or #24s), so if you're getting refusals, keep going smaller. 5x or 6x fluorocarbon seems to be the norm these days, especially in areas that have seen significant pressure over the summer. Look for streamer fishing to become more important as the brown trout head into their spawn. With lower flows, we seem to be going smaller in streamer size leaving the large articulated streamers at home.
The Eagle River has been fishing fantastic for our guides lately. Small bugs is still the ticket, but on cloudier, days they've been willing to eat bigger offerings like Pat's Rubberlegs, pheasant tails, frenchies and perdigons.
As October rolls on, the brown trout spawn will gain traction and it is important to remember to stear clear of brown trout redds and not specifically target spawning fish. The Upper Blue River from Coin Valley Road to the inlet and Ten Mile Creek from Copper to Frisco are closed to protect spawning fish until December 1st.
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