Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain . . .
Last week’s monsoonal weather pattern brought welcome precipitation to much of Colorado, and though it raised, and for a time discolored, many trout streams, it was not a major setback for fishermen. Many again are fishably clear, if still running high, and barring a new round of regular rainstorms virtually all will soon be back to normal.
With reservoirs in the upper drainage full, flows in the South Platte River have been elevated with rain runoff. The volume flowing into Spinney Mountain Reservoir has been up to around 400 cubic feet per second. Flows between Spinney Mountain Dam and Elevenmile Reservoir and through Elevenmile Canyon also were about 400 cfs going into the weekend. Below Cheesman Reservoir, the flow has been about 600 cfs.
Higher flow in the segment below Spinney Mountain Dam appears to have attracted additional fish from Elevenmile Reservoir. Pat Dorsey of the Blue Quill Angler in Evergreen reports an excellent day of nymph fishing for brown trout last week, and also spotted some kokanee salmon in the river. Surface activity, however, remains minimal.
Several flash-flood warnings were issued for the Deckers area, but no significant flooding materialized. Tributaries, most notably Horse Creek, temporarily discolored portions of the river, but despite the high water it generally is clear.
Danny Brennan of the Flies & Lies shop in Deckers suggests deep-drifting nymphs, but also reports that some pale-morning-dun and blue-winged olive mayflies, several types of caddis, midges and terrestrials also are around.
Flash flooding occurred in the Chalk Creek and Clear Creek tributaries of the Arkansas River, which saw daily spikes in volume. That deposited some deltas of sediment that have discolored the river below, but Danny Quinto of the ArkAngler shop in Salida reports that conditions are improving daily. Going into the weekend, visibility near Salida was about two feet into the water.
“The fish are tight up against the banks and they’re hungry,” Quinto said. “I tell people to think of the river as being only five feet wide and to make short casts in close to the edge of the water.”
Large, attractor dry-fly patterns trailing a Copper John or CDC Pheasant Tail nymph have been effective in the turbid water. Above Clear Creek, the river has been clear and fishing well.
On the Western Slope, the Roaring Fork River below Carbondale has been a day-to-day proposition, according to Tim Heng of the Taylor Creek Fly Shop in Basalt. The Crystal River tributary has been muddied by the rains, and that has affected the Roaring Fork on some days. Above Carbondale, the Roaring Fork generally has been clear.
If in doubt, the Frying Pan River, entering the Roaring Fork at Basalt, has been in prime condition. Green drakes have moved up to Mile Marker 8, and a few have appeared farther upstream.
On the downside, the lower Colorado River has been discolored.
The Yampa River around Steamboat Springs has had some ups and downs with the rain but is generally clear and fishing well, according to Mike Gleason of the Steamboat Flyfisher shop. Trio mayflies have been evident, along with grasshoppers and other terrestrials.
“Overall, the rains have probably helped the river,” Gleason said. ‘They’ve cooled the temperature and oxygenated the water. Things are looking pretty good all around.”
