Welcome to the Trouts Monthly Frisco/Mountain Forecast!

It sure has been nice to feel some warmer weather the last couple of weeks. And although that has blown a few rivers out, we have still been finding great opportunities on headwaters, tailwaters, some freestones and of course some of Colorado’s finest stillwaters. The wind could sure go away before it evaporates some of our snowpack, but other than that this has been a pretty typical spring in my eyes. With trees starting to leaf out in Frisco, look for the Salmon Fly hatch to come very soon and then right behind that, peak run off. We do have a cooling trend coming this weekend, so I would imagine this will all happen in the weeks after this cooling trend.

The Blue River above Lake Dillon:

This section has been running clearer in the mornings and can offer some great fishing. As we get closer to peak run off look for this to turn off color, but for now there is plenty of time during the day to fish this section. Nymphing, dry dropper and streamer fishing will be your best used tactics but always keep your eyes out for rising trout.

The Blue River north of Silverthorne:

With Dillon Reservoir still filling the Blue River below Dillon is running lower. This can mean some clearer and lower flows north of town. Look for caddis to start moving up the river and stoneflies to be getting active. The Blue north of Silverthorne is quite possibly one of the most beautiful fly fishing settings in the state and this is a gret time of year to experience this river.

The Arkansas River from Leadville to Salida:

With the caddis moving up river this is a great time to check the Arkansas River out. Look for cooling trends to drop the flows and clear the river a bit. A little color is never a bad thing, as the fish won’t be able to inspect your fly as easily. Look for caddis flying and try and fish the front or tail end of the hatch.

The South Platte below Spinney Reservoir (AKA the Dream Stream):

With flows being consistently up over the last couple of weeks, the fishing has been good. These higher flows bring lots of food to the fish, but also gives them plenty of hiding spots. Being both a patient and a methodical angler can help you find fish in these situations. Nymphing and streamer fishing will be your go-to techniques, but with caddis starting to be found on many rivers, look for the first caddis hatches on this section.

Park County Reservoirs (Antero and Spinney):

With some rivers being blown our and conditions changing daily, it might just be a great time to check out some of Colorado’s premier still water opportunities. Antero and Spinney grow some large hungry trout and this is one of my favorite times of year to hunt them. Get on the water early to get some of the first hours of the day before the wind picks up. Then finish the day off fishing the Dream Stream or other sections of the Platte.

The Blue at Hwy 9 below Breckenridge- 169 CFS

The Blue below Dillon- 55.7 CFS

The Colorado at Hot Sulphur Springs- 328 CFS

The Colorado at Parshall- 493 CFS

The Colorado at Kremmling- 878 CFS

The Arkansas near Leadville- 280 CFS

The Arkansas at Granite- 410 CFS

The Arkansas at Salida- 1160 CFS

The Arkansas at Wellsville- 1250 CFS

The South Platte above Spinney Reservoir- 132 CFS

The South Platte above Eleven Mile Reservoir- 264 CFS

The next month we should be transitioning out of our spring pattern into the warm and dry month of June. The next week brings some cold temperatures and a chance for a winter storm in the high country. Look for these effects to linger in the following week. Then we should steadily warm back up a bit towards the end of the week. Look for the potential of another storm like this at the beginning of June and then we usually transition into some warm and dry weather.