Learn to Fly Fish this Weekend with ArkAnglers

This weekend (Saturday, 9/12), we will be offering our FlyFishing 101 class out of our Salida shop. Details are listed below. This is an excellent opportunity for friends and family to get a start in fly-fishing and knock some money off the price of initial equipment. Call us at 719-539-4223 to sign up for this class.

Fly-Fishing 101

 Learn to Fly-Fish for Free!!

 There is no substitute for focused initial instruction when making a start in fly-fishing. Trying to go it alone, coupled with the perceived cost of equipment, often keep potential fly-fishermen from entering the sport.

 ArkAnglers has a solution for both of these problems! Our new program, Fly-Fishing 101, combines 8 hours of classroom and on-river instruction with a $100 gift certificate – good for retail purchases at our shops in Salida, Buena Vista and Pueblo.

 The course fee is $100/person. For that you will receive the $100 ArkAnglers retail gift certificate, the instruction, use of all equipment, flies, and terminal tackle. Participants will need a fishing license, lunch, and outdoor clothing appropriate for the season.

 Topics of instruction will include: selection and rigging of equipment, aquatic insects and their imitations, trout behavior, “reading” the river, casting, fly presentation, and line management.

 Salida Course Dates: 3/7, 3/21, 4/4, 5/16, 6/6, 6/20, 7/11, 7/25, 8/8, 8/22, 9/12, 9/26.

8-10 Person Class Size Required

 Reservations: 719-539-4223 or email to info@arkanglers.com.

Southern Mexico Trip Opportunity

ArkAnglers Buena Vista shop manager Dick Anderson is hosting a trip to Xcalak, Mexico from November 6-14. The trip includes six days of fishing and seven nights lodging at Tierra Maya all-inclusive fishing lodge. Quarry include Bonefish, Tarpon, Permit and Snook. Trip costs $2300 for fishing and lodge; air travel, gratuities and alcohol are extra as is the first night in Cancun, estimated at about $50. THERE IS ONLY ONE SPOT LEFT!

 Contact Dick Anderson at 719-239-0518 or e-mail at reamea@earthlink.net for more information, including photos of recent trips.

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

Lonely Fish Seek Attentive Anglers

I continue to be impressed with the fishing reports coming out of Bighorn Sheep Canyon. Earlier this week we conducted a “Never-Ever” trip for a husband and wife, neither of whom had used a fly rod before. Each landed three fish on the half day trip and had action on several more. The folks around here who have a better idea of what they are doing are chalking up even better results, particularly through the middle of the day when the sun is on the water. We are definitely hearing some reports of 20-fish afternoons.

Up at the Salida end of the canyon, stonefly nymphs and black midges seem to be the most productive. Lower down, the stoneflies are still the best lead nymph, but tan and red midges are generating good results. Not many folks are fishing yet so the intrepid angler can usually find miles of water for herself. Expect blue wing olive mayflies to begin hatching in the canyon about a month from now.

If you can’t wait that long for dry fly activity, we strongly suggest a trip to the Pueblo tailwater. BWOs have been hatching most days there for months and the fish definitely have an eye to the surface. Call our Pueblo shop at 719-543-3900 for information or directions. 

Rainbow on the Pueblo Tailwater

 

 In addition to the Fly-Fishing 101 class described in the entry below, we are continuing to offer our traditional Fly-Fishing Schools. This combines a morning of classroom instruction with a casting clinic and then half-day guided wade trip (2:1 guest to guide ratio). We have one scheduled in Pueblo on 3/7 and classes in Salida on 3/21, 4/4, and 4/18. Call us at 719-539-4223 for Salida classes and 719-543-3900 for instruction in Pueblo.

We’ve also had a number of inquiries this winter regarding our rowing instruction program. We are not offering our 5-Day class this spring but do offer customized individual instruction on a daily basis, just like our guided fishing trips. We typically begin conducting these classes 3/1 and continue to do so through about 4/20, when we take a break for the caddis hatch. Give us a call or email to info@arkanglers.com if you would like more information.

Finally, if you haven’t done so already, it’s time to start planning your spring trip(s) on the Arkansas. Float trips begin around the first of March and our private water wade trips are already on the water. We want to accommodate everyone, but the sooner reservations are made, the better job we can do of it. See you on the water soon!

Greg Felt

The First Hint of Autumn

Over the weekend we had our first taste of fall with snow on the mountains in both the upper Arkansas River valley and South Park. While we have not received the moisture experienced on the Front Range, there have been quite a few showers recently and the valley has greened up dramatically. The precipitation also kept the flows higher than normal, as the end of the summer flow augmentation program came and went and the flows remained above the 700 cfs target level. After a few days of milder weather, the flows have come down to 221 at Granite, 531 in Browns Canyon, and 588 at Wellsville. Barring significant rains in the weeks ahead, we can expect to see the river levels slowly decline, probably hitting 350-400 at Wellsville 2-3 weeks from now.

 

This has been a year of extremes, culminating in extremely good fishing over the last four weeks. While flows have pinned wade anglers to the banks until recently, the float fishing has been epic. We continue to fish mostly dries along the edges, though we are starting to see times where a beadhead dropper is a good second fly. This last week has seen a plethora of mayflies; pale morning duns, red quills and blue wing olives all hatching at once. Various species of caddis continue to pepper the water in the evening. And hoppers are extremely prolific.

 

Looking ahead, it is safe to say that we have another 65 days of quality fishing ahead of us. In the case of last year, the “endless autumn” went on for another 95 days. While there is no predicting late fall weather, it was a real eye-opener to see post spawn browns returning to the feeding lies and feeding hard on blue wing olives and midges. We plan to run float and wade trips daily through October. After that, we will still have wade trip availability but float trips will depend on the weather and water temperatures. Most of our best guides will be hanging in there through the fall – please call us at 719-539-4223 or email to greg@arkanglers.com if you would like to set up a trip.

Do you like to fish dries?

After a long, cold winter, a spring of unprecedented releases from Twin Lakes, and an elevated and prolonged runoff, the Arkansas River is now in prime form and producing some of the best dry fly fishing we have seen in years. Flows are 237 cfs in Hayden Meadows, 455 at Granite, 793 in Buena Vista, 989 in Browns Canyon, 1080 at Wellsville and 1160 at Parkdale. While these flow levels are still a little above what many Arkansas River anglers are accustomed to, they represent such a respite for our brown trout that fish are feeding voraciously in spite of the current. As the season goes on, the flows will continue to recede and we anticipate one of the best fall fishing seasons ever.

 

Perhaps most remarkable about the current feeding behavior is the willingness of the fish to take dry flies. While we see the occasional rise to a natural yellow sally or pale morning dun, the rise to big attractor dries has simply been phenomenal. Over the last six trips that I have guided, we have hardly utilized a beadhead nymph at all. A big parachute madam x, stimulator, or hopper followed by yellow sallies in the morning and pmds in the afternoon has been  sufficient to keep fish on the hook all day.

 

Equally remarkable has been the condition of the fish. Given the stresses they have endured over the last eight months, the browns are healthy and putting up a vigorous fight. They could stand to gain some weight through the fall but all things considered, they are in good shape!

 

As we head into late summer and the river returns to more normal conditions, I hope that people will look to the Arkansas for the great fall fishing it provides. We will be running float trips through October, and wade trips year-round. Call us at 719-539-4223 or email us at info@arkanglers.com for more information or to make reservations.

 

We look forward to fishing with you soon!

 

Greg Felt

ArkAnglers

Do you like to fish dries?

After a long, cold winter, a spring of unprecedented releases from Twin Lakes, and an elevated and prolonged runoff, the Arkansas River is now in prime form and producing some of the best dry fly fishing we have seen in years. Flows are 237 cfs in Hayden Meadows, 455 at Granite, 793 in Buena Vista, 989 in Browns Canyon, 1080 at Wellsville and 1160 at Parkdale. While these flow levels are still a little above what many Arkansas River anglers are accustomed to, they represent such a respite for our brown trout that fish are feeding voraciously in spite of the current. As the season goes on, the flows will continue to recede and we anticipate one of the best fall fishing seasons ever.

 

Perhaps most remarkable about the current feeding behavior is the willingness of the fish to take dry flies. While we see the occasional rise to a natural yellow sally or pale morning dun, the rise to big attractor dries has simply been phenomenal. Over the last six trips that I have guided, we have hardly utilized a beadhead nymph at all. A big parachute madam x, stimulator, or hopper followed by yellow sallies in the morning and pmds in the afternoon has been  sufficient to keep fish on the hook all day.

 

Equally remarkable has been the condition of the fish. Given the stresses they have endured over the last eight months, the browns are healthy and putting up a vigorous fight. They could stand to gain some weight through the fall but all things considered, they are in good shape!

 

As we head into late summer and the river returns to more normal conditions, I hope that people will look to the Arkansas for the great fall fishing it provides. We will be running float trips through October, and wade trips year-round. Call us at 719-539-4223 or email us at info@arkanglers.com for more information or to make reservations.

 

We look forward to fishing with you soon!

 

Greg Felt

ArkAnglers