The Colorado from Hot Sulphur Springs to Kremmling:
This is a favorite section to fish this time of year. While the flows are not low, they are manageable and the watercolor has been very fishable. Look for caddis hatches and fish actively eating on the dead drift and swing. The Salmon Flies should move up to Byers Canyon next and this is a great section to wade fish with these large dry fly and nymph patterns.
The Colorado River from Kremmling to Dotsero:
With flows and watercolor very manageable the fishing on this section is just going to get better and better as we move toward July. Caddis have been a go-to pattern for me, whether a dry fly or a nymph behind a large stonefly. The Salmon Flies have been hatching but the cooler temperatures have not been favorable for the numbers we like to see. This has slowed the progression of the hatch keeping these large sources of protein around for longer than some years. Expect these nymphs and adults will be around for the next few weeks and I will be fishing a large dry fly mimicking an adult and a large stonefly as a dropper to mimic a nymph with a third dropper to mimic a caddis nymph or emerger.
The Eagle River from Edwards to Gypsum:
As a true tailwater section, this is a go-to option to fish when we start to see peak runoff. The three miles or so of this tailwater offer great fishable water, with bend after bend of fishy water and the potential for a very large trout in every one of those bends. In the weeks to come, look for blue-winged olive hatches and keep your eyes open for caddis to start to become active as the next major hatch on this section of the river.
The Roaring Fork from Carbondale to Glenwood Springs:
This section of the river is another favorite for this time of year. As the Crystal River has started to drop and clear, this is making this section very fishable. Make sure you check the Crystal River gauge at Carbondale to look for any major changes in the flows. For the next couple of weeks look for caddis to be the predominant hatch as well as some larger stoneflies. But just like the Eagle, as we near the end of the month look for the yellow sally hatch to come alive in large numbers.
South Park Reservoirs:
While we are not out of runoff season quite yet, and the prospect of runoff lasting longer than usual, the reservoirs will be a great escape from high and off-color rivers. The reservoirs fish great from the shore and boat alike but I have found myself enjoying fishing from shore a bit more lately. Most of the time fishing basic patterns can have success. Think Hare’s Ears and Pheasant Tails, but it is a good idea to have variations of those with flash, and then scuds, leeches, eggs, worms, callibaetis, and chironomid patterns. I like to fish the reservoirs early in the day before the South Park wind starts and then I might enjoy a short lunch and go look for the potential of some river fishing on the Dream Stream or many of the sections of the Middle and South Fork of the South Platte above the reservoirs. The flows in South Park usually take a bit longer to subside but looking at the upper sections can be fruitful if conditions are good and look for caddis to start moving up the river corridor.
