Arkansas River
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Date
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22-Jun-22
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Water Condition
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Water Temperature
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Conditions
: Arkansas River - Leadville to Buena Vista
As of 6/16/2022, Braden Baker with Ark Anglers writes, The upper Arkansas is in great shape as flows continue to recede,
offering the best fishing conditions on the whole river, especially for wade anglers. This is an ideal wade fishing flow for
Hayden Meadows and offer much easier access to areas like Granite and the rocky shoreline down through the Numbers and
Railroad Bridge. At these higher flows expect fish to move out of the fastest water into velocity shelters where they can
hold/feed at a relaxed pace without expending much energy. Try to find areas with walking speed current along the banks,
in pocket water, and in back eddys where deflection and friction slow the water down. Hayden Meadows will offer fish
holding in much of the riffled water when food is available. Larger leader material is a good idea; anything smaller than 3x
or 4x is unneccessary at the moment. Dark, high contrast streamers and nymphs will probably be your best option to stand
out in the off-color water, but as clarity returns more realistic golden stonefly and yellow sally nymphs are going to become
more effective. Before summertime hatches really take over, expect good success on bread and butter attractor nymphs
like prince nymph, copper johns, pheasant tails, etc. to be just the kind of suggestive, buggy option that fish will be
interested in here. Dry-dropper fishing is extremely effective on the upper river from this point forward, as the conditions
of early summer make for opportunistic, competitive, aggressive feeding from our resident trout post-runoff and many fish
will respond to attractor and terrestrial dry flies even during non-hatch periods. Our spring "Mother's Day" caddis hatch
kicks back into gear after runoff in Hayden Meadows, so black foam Puterbaugh caddis and soft hackle caddis pupa should
be in your box. By early July, green drakes begin hatching from Granite on up into Hayden Meadows and give more
opportunity to tease fish to the surface with a large dry fly. We are seeing alpine lakes open slightly earlier than normal
due to the sub-par snowpack and recent warm, windy weather Buena Vista to Salida
As of 6/16/2022, Braden Baker with Ark Anglers writes, The river is beginning to clear as flows recede following our peak
current of runoff and the next 4-6 weeks will offer some of the best fishing of the whole season. The river easily has 24" of
clarity between Buena Vista and Salida and is improving quickly. The receding flows are making for much easier float fishing
and wade fishing conditions and this weekend should offer excellent fishing opportunities in most areas of the river. If you've
been on the fence about fishing, the time is NOW. Wading anglers are still advised to minimize their in-stream wading and
focus on fishing from the banks due to the higher summer flows. At these levels expect fish to move out of the fastest water
into velocity shelters where they can hold/feed at a relaxed pace without expending much energy. Try to find areas with
walking speed current along the banks, in pocket water, and in back eddys where deflection and friction slow the water down.
The water you might want to stand in is probably where you need to be casting. Larger leader material is a good idea;
anything smaller than 3x is unneccessary. Dark, high contrast streamers and nymphs will probably be your best option to
stand out in the off-color water. As the river clears, fish will begin responding to more realistic imitations of nymphs prior to
summer stonefly and mayfly hatches. Yellow sallies and golden stoneflies will tee up in the coming days prior to their
emergence, and these flies are excellent nymphs to prospect with in te higher summer flows. As we anticipate these coming
summertime hatches, your tried and true attractor nymphs are going to be the go-to patterns in nymph and dry-dropper rigs; rince nymphs, pheasant tails, hare's ears, copper johns, etc. are the perfect, buggy, suggestive patterns to fish beneath a
grasshopper or attractor dry fly right along the bank. Don't worry if you don't see fish rising; the higher flows usually allow us
to tease fish to the surface on larger dry flies out of an opportunisitc, competitive response even in non-hatch periods.
Tributaries are still a little swollen but are clear and very worthwhile as an alternative to the river for these seeking solitude.
Mid and high elevation lakes are beginning to open and give opportunities in the high country. Most lakes are opening slightly
earlier than normal due to the sub-par snowpack and recent warm weather. Salida to Canon City
As of 6/16/2022, Braden Baker with Ark Anglers writes, The river is beginning to clear as flows recede following our peak
current of runoff and the next 4-6 weeks will offer some of the best fishing of the whole season. The river has about 12-18"
of clarity below Salida and is improving and the upper river is already seeing a significant improvement in visibility. The
receding flows are making for much easier float fishing and wade fishing conditions and this weekend should offer excellent
opportunities in most areas of the river. If you've been on the fence about fishing, the time is NOW. Wading anglers are still
advised to minimize their in-stream wading and focus on fishing from the banks due to the higher summer flows. At these
levels expect fish to move out of the fastest water into velocity shelters where they can hold/feed at a relaxed pace without
expending much energy. Try to find areas with walking speed current along the banks, in pocket water, and in back eddys
where deflection and friction slow the water down. The water you might want to stand in is probably where you need to be
casting. Larger leader material is a good idea; anything smaller than 3x is unneccessary. Dark, high contrast streamers and
nymphs will probably be your best option to stand out in the off-color water. As the river clears, fish will begin responding
to more realistic imitations of nymphs prior to summer stonefly and mayfly hatches. Yellow sallies and golden stoneflies will
tee up in the coming days prior to their emergence, and these flies are excellent nymphs to prospect with in te higher summer
flows. As we anticipate these coming summertime hatches, your tried and true attractor nymphs are going to be the go-to
patterns in nymph and dry-dropper rigs; prince nymphs, pheasant tails, hare's ears, copper johns, etc. are the perfect, buggy,
suggestive patterns to fish beneath a grasshopper or attractor dry fly right along the bank. Don't worry if you don't see fish
rising; the higher flows usually allow us to tease fish to the surface on larger dry flies out of an opportunisitc, competitive
response even in non-hatch periods. Tributaries are still a little swollen but are clear and very worthwhile as an alternative
to the river for these seeking solitude. Mid and high elevation lakes are beginning to open and give opportunities in the high
country. Most lakes are opening slightly earlier than normal due to the sub-par snowpack and recent warm weather. Reported by: Colorado D.O.W |
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Hatches:
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Lures & Spinners |
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About: -
Much of the Arkansas River is surrounded by beautiful mountains. Driving on Route 24 along the headwaters provides a
spectacular view. The most heavily fished and popular section of the Arkansas is from Buena
Vista to Canon City. This section is approximately 75 miles long, with beautiful pocket water, pools, riffles and runs holding an excellent
population of browns and a good population of rainbows. Trout in the Arkansas average
13-15 inches although fish to 18 inches and better are not that uncommon. Camping: Stretching for 148 miles along one of the West's premier recreation rivers. AHRA
operates five campgrounds along the river with a total of 86 campsites
available.
From Steamboat Springs go west two miles on U.S. 40 to County Road 129. Turn
north and drive 26 miles.
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- Brown Trout
- Rainbow Trout
- Cutthroat Trout
- Brook Trout
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Misc Info: -
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