COLDWATER
Arkansas River
The annual Caddis Festival in Salida is over but not the famed Arkansas River caddis hatch, which started in Cañon City in mid-April and now stretches from Johnson Village clear down to Cotopaxi and should reach Buena Vista by week’s end. Flows still are low and clear, offering ideal dry fly conditions for waders on the entire stretch of river and floaters below Salida. They are likely to remain so for another two weeks before runoff muddies the river and puts an end to fishing for a while. For dries, try Nos. 16-18 Black Foam Caddis, Hi-Viz Caddis or Green Butt Egglayer Caddis; subsurface use a No. 16 Caddis Poopah or any other standard caddis pupa pattern.
WARMWATER
Trinidad Reservoir
It’s a long way south to drag a boat and doesn’t get much fishing pressure, but Trinidad Reservoir is beginning to produce some of the biggest walleyes caught in Colorado. Most of the walleyes landed so far have been caught on worms, either gracing a jig or a crawler harness. The same goes for trout and catfish. Runoff has made the inlet area quite murky but the rest of the lake is clear and the level has stabilized about 4 feet below the debris line.
FISHING: COMPLETE REPORT. 10D
