Cache La Poudre River

This river gets very high this time of year making fishing the lower canyon very difficult so fishing above Rustic is where I'd be headed first. Fish in the Poudre typically love attractor-type patters such as stimulators, chubby chernobyls, prince nymphs, etc., and bigger stonefly nymphs and leeches can also do some damage as waters have become increasingly high. And don't forget streamers -- tung thin mints are a local favorite, but fish in the Poudre tend to even like bigger articulated streamers too. If you decide to tie on a streamer, try one that imitates a small rainbow or brown trout such as a sparkle minnow, mini dungeon, thin mint, gonga, or sculpin of some kind. Try a short leash stonefly nymph rig in the boulder fields for some of the larger browns that call this river home. The Smethurst's twenty bomb or a sparkle chenille girdle are some of the top producers in this river.

Dries: Chubby Chernobyl #10-16
Stimulators #10-18
PMX #10-16
Hippie Stompers #14-16
409's #12-16
Elk Hair Caddis #14-18
Clown Shoe Caddis #14-18
Para-Adams #16-18
Para PMD #14-16 Nymphs: Princes #10-18
Copper Johns #10-16
Iron Sallies #14-16
Tungstones #12-16
Blue Poison Tungs #18-20
Caddis Pupa #16-20
Juju PMD #16-18
Girdle Bugs #8-14

Poudre River Fishing Report:

Hello to that 80 degree weather and that high Poudre River! We are going to be seeing consistent warm weather as we segway into the summer. We can expect high flows, larger bugs, and wet wading as the temperatures climb. The higher water has fish moving around and happy and has given us an excuse to throw larger bugs. We are still seeing consistent BWO hatches and Brown duns in the afternoon, however the terrestrial bite is getting better every day. A Headlight Caddis is one of the best prospecting tools in the canyon this time of year. A larger Chubby Chernobyl with a stonefly nymph is a killer rig for the banks and pocket water as well. Speaking of banks, we can also pull out those size 6 and 4 Bank Robbers to imitate the few salmon flies we have seen scooting around the lower canyon. As the warmer weather approaches we can count on a short window to fish salmon flies. When the fish aren't rising, nymphing a larger prince nymph or rubber legs is a great option. All this moisture has worms popping up into the river system also, for off color water a bead head sparkle worm is a must have. Smaller, flashier, flies like the Sparkle Wing RS-2 are still working great in the slightly off colored water as well. With all your nymphs this time of year make sure they are big and buggy or have some flash to them.

Recommended Patterns:

Dries: Para Madam X #10-16, Chubby Chernobyl #10-14, Amy's Ant Olive and Purple #10-14, Extended Body BWO's #18-22, Para-Adams #12-20, Split Flag Adams #14-20,

Nymphs: Bead head Prince's #8-18, Rubberlegs #6-12, Bead Head Sparkle Worm #10, Olive or Red Two Bit Hooker's #16-18, Rainbow Warrior's #18-20, Sparkle Wing RS-2 #18, Purple Prince's #14-#18, Pocketwater Baetis #18-20, Anatomical BWO's #18-20, Tung Guide's choice hare's ear #14-18, Stone Bombs #10-14, Iron Sally #16-10, Two Bit Stone #14-10, Girdle Bug #14-10, Restless Stone in Peacock #8-14

Streamers: Thin Mints #8-12, Platte River Spider #4, Orange Blossom Special #8, Slump Buster Black #6, Aggravator Prince #6, 'Nilla Bugger #8-10, Sparkle Minnow, Trick or Treat #4, Rubber Buggers

For any questions on how to tackle the Poudre whether it's location, rigs, or flies stop by either shop before you head out!

Other Recommended Flies for the Cache la Poudre River ::

To Book your guide trip please contact the shop at (970) 498-8968.

Poudre River Fishing Report:

Recent warm weather and consistent rainfall has put a bump in the flows and some stained water in the Poudre. We unfortunately are still dealing with some colder days right when the weather gets perfect and this has set us back quite a bit in our runoff season. The higher water has fish moving around and happy and has given us an excuse to throw larger bugs. We are still seeing consistent BWO hatches and Brown duns in the afternoon, however the terrestrial bite is getting better every day. A Headlight Caddis is one of the best prospecting tools in the canyon this time of year. A larger Chubby Chernobyl with a stonefly nymph is a killer rig for the banks and pocket water as well. When the fish aren't rising, nymphing a larger prince nymph or rubber legs is a great option. All this moisture has worms popping up into the river system also, for off color water a bead head sparkle worm is a must have. Smaller, flashier, flies like the Sparkle Wing RS-2 are still working great in the slightly off colored water as well. With all your nymphs this time of year make sure they are big and buggy or have some flash to them.

Recommended Patterns:

Dries: Para Madam X #10-16, Chubby Chernobyl #10-14, Amy's Ant Olive and Purple #10-14, Extended Body BWO's #18-22, Para-Adams #12-20, Split Flag Adams #14-20,

Nymphs: Bead head Prince's #8-18, Rubberlegs #6-12, Bead Head Sparkle Worm #10, Olive or Red Two Bit Hooker's #16-18, Rainbow Warrior's #18-20, Sparkle Wing RS-2 #18, Purple Prince's #14-#18, Pocketwater Baetis #18-20, Anatomical BWO's #18-20, Tung Guide's choice hare's ear #14-18, Stone Bombs #10-14, Iron Sally #16-10, Two Bit Stone #14-10, Girdle Bug #14-10, Restless Stone in Peacock #8-14

Streamers: Thin Mints #8-12, Platte River Spider #4, Orange Blossom Special #8, Slump Buster Black #6, Aggravator Prince #6, 'Nilla Bugger #8-10, Sparkle Minnow, Trick or Treat #4, Rubber Buggers

For any questions on how to tackle the Poudre whether it's location, rigs, or flies stop by either shop before you head out!

Other Recommended Flies for the Cache la Poudre River ::

To Book your guide trip please contact the shop at (970) 498-8968.