Fly-Fishing Schools with ArkAnglers

ArkAnglers fly-fishing schools are a great way to introduce friends or family to fly-fishing. The schools begin with a morning classroom session, followed by a casting clinic, lunch, and a half day of guided wade fishing (2:1 guest to guide ratio) on our private water in Bighorn Sheep Canyon. With flows dropping and the river becoming much more accessible, this is a great time to get someone started in the greatest of all sports.

We currently have classes scheduled for this Saturday (4/4) and Saturday, April 18th. Cost is $175 and includes all equipment, flies, and lunch. Call us at 719-539-4223 or email to info@arkanglers.com for information or reservations.

Flows Dropping on the Arkansas!

Many who monitor conditions on the Arkansas River know that winter and early spring flows have been unusually high this year, the result of releases from Twin Lakes. The Bureau of Reclamation has been moving water from Twin Lakes to Pueblo Reservoir in order to vacate space for imports from the Frying Pan drainage during runoff. The large releases reflected the intent of the Bureau to move this water early, so that they would be able to reduce flows during the critical period of 4/1-5/15. Though late storms could necessitate some additional mild releases, the Bureau has completed its plan on time and is now stepping down the flows over the next four days. By Friday, the entire 330 cfs run from Twin Lakes will be reduced to zero, leaving us with a Wellsville flow around 300 cfs.

 

To say this is good news would be an understatement. Spring flows of 250-400 cfs are optimal for the brown trout fishery:

 

-         Dropping the flow reduces the current velocity, allowing brown trout to make use of much more river bottom habitat. This reduces competition, allowing more fish to feed more effectively.

-         In April and May, reduced flows allow the water temperature to warm more, strengthening the hatches and increasing trout metabolisms.

-         Lower flows also lead to better recruitment of brown trout fry as they emerge from the redds in April.

-         Low flows make wading easier and make more of the river accessible to anglers.

 

While it is early yet to project, it looks like flows will remain quite low well into May. There may be an occasional slug of murky water due to rain or melt from an abnormally hot day, but true runoff will probably not be a factor until May 20^th or so.

 

Blue wing olives are hatching consistently now and caddis should begin to emerge in Canon City in 2-3 weeks. There are a few caddis around, not the species that causes all the excitement, but fish will take them off the surface late in the day. Stonefly nymphs and caddis larvae continue to take a lot of fish early in the day while the afternoons are devoted to blue wing olives.

 

If you’ve been holding out for dry fly fishing or easier wading, the wait is over. Both are happening now on the Arkansas.

 

Greg Felt

Rising Fish on the Arkansas

Though today’s weather looks like winter, it has triggered the hatch we associate with spring. Blue wing olive mayflies are coming off from Stone Bridge to Canon City and our trout are onto them. Rising fish have been spotted throughout this reach and are providing local anglers with the first good dry-fly fishing of the year.

 

Most of the recently emerging bugs have been size 18, even some in the 16 range, and have been coming off with even mild cloud cover. Wind, a potential part of any spring day, has had no real impact on the hatch or feeding. The hatch has typically been happening between 12:00 and 4:00 when a little cloud cover combines with water temperatures in the 40s. The hatch can be very localized – strong emergence and feeding in one riffle-pool-tailout and little or nothing in the next. So moving around and observing fish/bug/bird behavior is a good idea.

 

Also, it can take a critical mass of adult bugs on the surface to get the fish to switch from emergers to dry flies. As a result, combining the two forms is a good idea. I like to drop the emerger a good 3-4 feet behind the dry. This gives the second fly a longer drift time. This tactic is more effective if you take a “field view” of the water as opposed to focusing solely on your dry. Looking into the water will help you spot fish feeding beneath the surface and give you more information than just staring at a little parachute adams.

 

 

Look Into My Crystal Ball…

The spring fishing season has begun on the Arkansas River and many are wondering what the next sixty days have in store for the fishery. If one is sitting in Denver, checking the scattered data points that are available on the internet regarding our flows and snowpack, one might think that we are heading into a situation similar to last spring. At that time, late releases from Twin Lakes kept us at two to three times our normal flow through April and the first half of May, making fishing difficult and the hatches inconsistent. While the pattern looks similar today, it isn’t. We are in for major positive change in about ten days. The following paragraphs contain our predictions for the months ahead – they are not airtight, but they have been formed in consultation with experts on this basin. They represent the most likely scenario based on what we know at this time.

 

1)    Flows in the river are higher now than the historical average. Despite the long spate of beautiful weather we have enjoyed, this higher flow is in no way the beginnings of an early runoff. Rather, 55% of the water in the river today is coming out of Twin Lakes. While the Wellsville gauge reads 638 cfs today, the discharge from Twin Lakes is 348 cfs, with 280 cfs of that being trans-mountain water. The Bureau of Reclamation has been moving a significant quantity of water all winter to make room for native runoff and imports from the Western Slope. They have taken a proactive stance this year so that they will be able to back off the releases from April 1^st to May 15^th, as suggested in the fishery flow recommendations of the Arkansas River Voluntary Flow Management Program. Based on today’s flows and releases, if the Bureau were to stop their Fry-Ark releases right now, we would be looking at a flow of about 350 cfs at Wellsville. So expect 350-400 cfs starting in early April.

2)    The Bureau began moving water early this year because our early to mid-winter snowpack was well-above average. In mid January, the upper basin (above Salida) snowpack was about 140% of normal. As of today, we are down to 107% of normal. The outlook for the Fryingpan drainage, where much of our imported water originates, has declined similarly. The snowpack accumulation season is not over, but the forecast looks dry. We expect the snowpack percentages to continue dropping.

3)    The warm weather we have had for the last two months, coupled with a lack of precipitation, has dissipated all of our low elevation snow and has dried out many south-facing slopes. Our snow line is currently at about 9500 feet – all of our “vulnerable” snow is gone. What this means historically is that we can expect a late runoff. Given that most of our snow is high, and on north-facing slopes, we will probably maintain good fishing conditions until May 15-20^th, have a mild runoff, and be back in action on the Arkansas around June 20^th. The high snow, and especially the north slope snow, does not come off until the angle of the sun is near its peak, during the second and third week of June. Every year run-off plays out a little differently but this high and north slope snow simply does not come off earlier, regardless of temperature.

4)    The condition of the river bed, home to our aquatic insects, is excellent. High water last year scoured a lot of the mud and clay out of the substrate. Then an absence of monsoon rains in July and August meant that we experienced no summer flash floods – the muck did not get replenished so our mayfly and stonefly populations have really benefited. Expect great pale morning dun and yellow sally hatches throughout the summer. And a strong blue wing olive hatch this fall.

 

When the flows drop at the beginning of April, the resulting decrease in current velocity will open up a lot more habitat to our brown trout, give the emerging brown trout fry a better chance at survival, create better wading and fishing conditions, and allow the hatches to come off more consistently and the fish to take best advantage of them. We ought to have six, maybe seven weeks of good conditions on the Arkansas before runoff takes its natural course. If you haven’t scheduled your trip to the Arkansas yet, now is the time. Feel free to call us at 719-539-4223 or email to info@arkanglers.com with questions or to make reservations.

 

 We look forward to some great spring fishing this year!

 

 

Greg Felt

Correction on Fly Tying Demo

The fly-tying demo with Dirk Bosley is Saturday 3/28 and not 3/21.

Sorry for the confusion

Greetings Anglers! A few announcements and some fishery news:

If you missed it, there was an informative article by Charlie Meyers in the Denver Post yesterday. Go to http://www.denverpost.com/huntfish/ci_11882783p

 

to view it. There is also a related story link adjacent to it regarding a presentation Greg Felt will be giving to the Denver Cutthroat Chapter of Trout Unlimited on Tuesday night (3/17).

Saturday, March 21st Dirk Bosley will be giving a fly-tying demo at our Pueblo shop from 10:00 – 12:00. The topic is “Tying the Caddis Life-Cycle”. Dirk is an accomplished tier and teacher and will be glad to help all with caddis or other tying challenges.

Also on March 21st, we have two instructional programs going on at our Salida shop. Carol Neville will be teaching one of our regular fly-fishing schools on the Arkansas River. Course includes a morning of classroom instruction, a casting clinic, lunch, and a half day of guided wade fishing on our private water (2:1 guest to guide ratio). Cost on that is $175/person. We will also be conducting our Fly Fishing 101 class on 3/21. This is a group clinic on the basics of fly-fishing and some on-stream work, but does not include lunch or the 2:1 guided trip. Cost is $100/person but includes a $100 gift certificate redeemable at any of our three shops. Call 719-539-4223 or email to info@arkanglers.com for more information.

On April 11th, Pueblo shop manager Alex Zipp is hosting a trip to Maria Lake down near Walsenburg. Details are listed below:

Maria Lake Trip

Come join us for a full-day outing to Maria Lake!

What: A full day of fly-fishing on a 250 acre private lake for trout averaging 18-20 inches.

When: 8:00 am till dusk, April 11th.

Where: Maria Lake, just east of Walsenburg.

Cost: $150/person unguided; $275/person guided. Lunch included in both rates.

Stop in or call 719-543-3900 to register.

Come Join the 24″ Club!

 

We’ve had a number of inquiries lately from people looking to purchase used float fishing rafts. Spring is a tough time to find them. Most folks, and certainly most outfitters, who’ve sat on a used boat through the winter are generally going to keep it through the ensuing season just in case they need a back-up. That said, ArkAnglers is a dealer for Aire, its subsidiary, Outcast, and Downriver Equipment. Since we don’t stock a showroom full of boats we are able to keep our costs down and offer these lines to our customers at very competitive prices. If you are looking for a boat, frame, or combination, I urge you to get a quote from us before you buy. You may be surprised at what we can do to help you out.

Finally, it’s time for another reminder to book your spring fishing trips soon. Reservations are coming in at an accelerating rate. If you have specific dates that you want to fish, or a specific guide that you want to fish with, I encourage you to get signed up soon. These hatches will be starting before we know it!

We look forward to fishing with you!

Greg Felt

ArkAnglers