Arkansas River
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Recent Guide Reports
Oct 16
ArkAnglers
Friday 10/16, 2020
Flow at Wellsville: 289 cfs
Water Temp.: 50s
Clarity: Clear
Friday Report - Braden Baker
*Our retail stores and guide service are open for business! We are currently conducting river, lake and reservoir trips for both local residents and travelers from outside the county, as well as booking for the summer season. Call (719) 539-4223 for information on current offerings and parameters.
COVID-19 Chaffee County is the best resource for up to date information on the county.
We've seen some incredibly windy days on the river this week preceding the cold front that rolled in last night, but skies are relatively clear as the smoke from northern Colorado fires is being pushed east of our valley. Flows are just under 300 cfs at the Wellsville gauge and is the river is running clear through the lower basin. Flows are excellent for wade anglers and are still doable for experienced float fishermen. With temperatures cooling down, your best window of opportunity on the water will be 10am to 4pm. You may still see some late season blue winged olive hatches in the afternoon, but most of the food from here on out will be subsurface. Midges are becoming more and more important as they remain active throughout the colder months, and pairing one of these small offerings with a larger attractor fly like a golden stonefly nymph is a great way to appeal to both the opportunistic nature of our brown trout as well as match the smaller, more plentiful menu items. Midge hatches can still yield some surface feeding under the right conditions.
Look to find fish feeding near deep, slow pools, but keep in mind that fish will still move into riffles and runs to forage when the food is there, even shallow riffles with 1-2' of depth. The deeper water provides shelter and security, but fish will still occupy slightly faster water to take advantage of concentrated flows of food. While a dry-dropper setup can still be effective, nymphing will offer more flexibility to adjust to different styles of water that are available at the lower flows. Be thoughtful in your approach to the river, as fish are spooky in the low, clear water.
Follow us on instagram at @ArkAnglers!
Salida Location - 7500 W. Highway 50, Salida, CO 81201. (719) 539-3474.
Open Monday-Saturday, 8:00am-6:00pm. Sunday 8:00am-5:00pm.
Buena Vista Location - 517 S. Highway 24, Buena Vista, CO 81211. (719) 395-1796
Open Tuesday-Saturday, 8:00am-6:00pm. Sunday 8:00am-5:00pm.
Email [email protected] with questions or to make your reservation.
Flow at Wellsville: 289 cfs
Water Temp.: 50s
Clarity: Clear
Friday Report - Braden Baker
*Our retail stores and guide service are open for business! We are currently conducting river, lake and reservoir trips for both local residents and travelers from outside the county, as well as booking for the summer season. Call (719) 539-4223 for information on current offerings and parameters.
COVID-19 Chaffee County is the best resource for up to date information on the county.
We've seen some incredibly windy days on the river this week preceding the cold front that rolled in last night, but skies are relatively clear as the smoke from northern Colorado fires is being pushed east of our valley. Flows are just under 300 cfs at the Wellsville gauge and is the river is running clear through the lower basin. Flows are excellent for wade anglers and are still doable for experienced float fishermen. With temperatures cooling down, your best window of opportunity on the water will be 10am to 4pm. You may still see some late season blue winged olive hatches in the afternoon, but most of the food from here on out will be subsurface. Midges are becoming more and more important as they remain active throughout the colder months, and pairing one of these small offerings with a larger attractor fly like a golden stonefly nymph is a great way to appeal to both the opportunistic nature of our brown trout as well as match the smaller, more plentiful menu items. Midge hatches can still yield some surface feeding under the right conditions.
Look to find fish feeding near deep, slow pools, but keep in mind that fish will still move into riffles and runs to forage when the food is there, even shallow riffles with 1-2' of depth. The deeper water provides shelter and security, but fish will still occupy slightly faster water to take advantage of concentrated flows of food. While a dry-dropper setup can still be effective, nymphing will offer more flexibility to adjust to different styles of water that are available at the lower flows. Be thoughtful in your approach to the river, as fish are spooky in the low, clear water.
Follow us on instagram at @ArkAnglers!
Salida Location - 7500 W. Highway 50, Salida, CO 81201. (719) 539-3474.
Open Monday-Saturday, 8:00am-6:00pm. Sunday 8:00am-5:00pm.
Buena Vista Location - 517 S. Highway 24, Buena Vista, CO 81211. (719) 395-1796
Open Tuesday-Saturday, 8:00am-6:00pm. Sunday 8:00am-5:00pm.
Email [email protected] with questions or to make your reservation.