Seasonal Conditions

Fall fishing on the Lower Arkansas can be some of the best of the year. This section runs from Buena Vista down to Canon City. Weather in this stretch has a tendency to be fairly mild this time of the year gradually warming the closer to Canon City. As long as snow isn’t in the forecast, the Lower Ark is a great destination as late as December.

The majority of this stretch has been labeled “Gold Medal Water” by the state. Fish counts are near 5,000 per mile through this stretch with about a 70 to 30 percent split between Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout. The Brown Trout population is completely wild and self sustaining. The Rainbow Trout population is also a very healthy and can produce fish exceeding the 20 inch mark.

This stretch of River has an abundance of bugs, Caddis, Stoneflies, Baetis and Midges are all prevalent. Underneath the surface all these bugs will be active this time of the year. Above the surface there will be sporadic Caddis coming off on warmer days as well as strong Baetis and Midge hatches. The Ark is famous for its October Caddis hatch but, many locals would argue the BWO hatches are the best. While the BWOs come of with more consistency in the Spring there are still some fantastic Fall hatches creating some great late season Dry Fly opportunities. Terrestrials are also a great option this time of the year and fish will rise to them as late as November.

As the weather continues to cool look for fish to begin to migrate towards the deeper runs. There will still be fish holding in just about any pocket near a rock but, look for greater numbers in the well defined runs. Look for fish to rise on warmer days from about 1-4 PM. When this happens don’t hesitate to turn to dries. Another thing to keep in mind are streamers. Streamers on days with solid cloud cover can produce a ton of action.

Some of my favorite stretches this time of year are Browns Canyon, Wellsville, in town of Canon City and anywhere along Bighorn Sheep Canyon.

Fly Recommendations- Chubby Chernobyls, Foam PMX, Film Critic, Parachute Adams, Purple Haze, Parawulff, Stimulator, Graphic Caddis, Nitro Caddis, Buckskins, Barr’s BWO emerger, Juju Baetis, Radiation Baetis, Rainbow Warriors, Rojo Midges, Mercury Black Beauty, Brassie, Jujubees, Dorsey’s Top Secret Midge, rs2, Pheasant Tails, Biot Stonefly, Pat’s Rubber Legs, 20 incher stone, Dirty Hippie, Wooly Bugger, sparkle minnows, slumpbusters.