Roaring Fork River
Lower (Below Carbondale)

MIDDLE ROARING FORK - BASALT DOWNSTREAM TO CARBONDALE
FLOW: 220 CFS
WATER CLARITY: Very low and Clear
OVERALL RATING: 5 out of 10
FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Midges, Blue Winged Olive nymphs, Sculpins
THE LOWDOWN: With cold overnight temps, it's normal for the river to be slushy and crunchy into the afternoon. Ice is now common and extending in shelves along the bank, so tread carefully. PLEASE NOTE: keep an eye upstream, as multiple ice jams have been letting loose as of late, and ice and anglers don't tend to get along (don't ask how we know).

It's the time of year where our middle and lower Fork boxes mirror our Fryingpan boxes with their tiny nymphs and understated dries. Midge and BWO activity is most prevalent. In all honesty, it's a real nymphing game right now; we're not seeing much in the way of hatches. Now that we're into the dead of winter, look for the slower, deeper water where fish need not expend much energy.

There's not a lot of public access mid-valley, but local favorites are Catherine Store, behind Crown Mountain Park, and the section along Two Rivers Road here in Basalt.
HATCHES: Midges 18-24

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS
NYMPHS: Mercury Bead RS2 Grey 22, Tungsten Zebra Midge Red 20-22, T Midge Black 24, Stott's Good Carl 20, Jigged Tungsten Red Tie PT 18-20, Tungsten Rainbow Warrior 20-22, Murder, She Wrote Epoxyback Rust 20, Thorax BWO Emerger 20-22, Jigged JuJu BWO 20, Egg 16-18
DRIES: Traditional Adams 18-22, Fitzsimmon's Midge Adult Black 22, Harrop's CDC Spent Midge Black 22-24, Morgan's Midge Dark 24, Brook's Sprout Midge Grey 22-24, Hackle Dun Baetis 20-22, No Hackle BWO 20-22, TC Custom Sparkle Dun BWO 18-20
STREAMERS: Tungsten Double Mint, Tungsten Thin Mint, Craven's Baby Gonga, Carlton Banks, Circus Peanut, Tim Heng's Autumn Splendor
HINTS: Fish the banks first- trout are lazy!