Jun 14
Taylor Creek Fly Shop - Aspen
Rating: 3/5
LOWER ROARING FORK - CARBONDALE DOWNSTREAM TO GLENWOOD
FLOW: 2400 CFS in Glenwood Springs
WATER CLARITY: Relatively clear, color likely inbound
OVERALL RATING: 5 out of 10
FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Blue Winged Olive nymphs/emergers/adults, Midges, Caddis larvae/pupae/adults, small Green Drake and PMD nymphs, Sculpins
THE LOW DOWN: Even the Crystal has been cooperating this week, so clarity is relatively good on this lower reach. It's still the most susceptible to color after warm nights and precipitation, but as of now, the boats are on!
Caddis hatches should continue on the up and up with the warm days and higher, hazier water. Think female caddis if you stay on the water until twilight; this will improve in the coming weeks.
BWO and midge hatches haven't been noteable, but they will occur on cloudier, darker days. As that water starts to ebb, we may even start seeing our world-famous Green Drakes -- earlier than usual! We've been throwing BWOs and caddis midday and switching up to smaller midges later in the afternoon.
Construction on Westbank boat ramp is complete.
HATCHES: Caddis 14-18, Blue Winged Olives 18-22, Midges 18-26
APPROPRIATE PATTERNS:
NYMPHS: Cat Poop Stone 8-10, San Juan Worm 12, Jigged Hot Bead PT 16-18, Guide's Choice Hares Ear 16-18, Rust Murder She Wrote 18-20, Tim Heng's BLM 18-20, Tungsten Two Bead Nymph Black 18-20, Bead Head Swiss Straw Emerger 16-18, Stott's Raisinette 20, Stott's Mercury Bad Carl Grey 20, BMW Foam Top RS2 Black 20-22, Mercury Bead RS2 Grey 22, Pandemic BWO Emerger 20-22, Freestone Emerger Olive 22, Internal Wire Tube Midge Black/Red 20, Desert Storm Midge Fluor. Orange 22, TC Custom Midge Red/Clear 20-22
DRIES: Missing Link Caddis 14-18, Lawson's EZ Caddis 16-18, Puterbaugh Foam Caddis 16-18, Improved Sparkle Dun BWO 18-22, No Hackle BWO 20-22, Roy's Special Emerger 20, Adams 18-22, TC Custom Collette's Para BWO 20-22, Hackle Dun Baetis 20-22, Mike Lawson's No-Hackle BWO 20-22, Chubby Chernobyl 6-10, Royal Wulff 12-14
STREAMERS: Craven's Swim Coach, Circus Peanut, Grease Monkey, Barr's Slumpbuster, Devourer of Souls, Hansen's Meal Ticket, Tim Heng's Autumn Splendor,
HINTS: Generally, cloudy days tend to produce the best -until the caddis get going.
Upper Roaring Fork: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/co/nwis/uv/?site_no=09076300&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060
Middle Roaring Fork: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?09081000
Lower Roaring Fork: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?09085000
Jun 14
Taylor Creek Fly Shop - Aspen
Rating: 3/5
MIDDLE ROARING FORK - BASALT DOWNSTREAM TO CARBONDALE
FLOW: 1350 CFS at Basalt
WATER CLARITY: Clear-ish to hazy
OVERALL RATING: 5 out of 10
FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Caddis larvae, pupa, & adults, Midges, Blue Winged Olive nymphs/emergers/adults, Golden Stonefly nymphs, small Green Drake and PMD nymphs, Sculpins
THE LOWDOWN: This section has stayed pretty clear over the last few days, leading to better fishing. Like on the upper reaches, cold water is keeping a lot of bugs in their nymphal stages, but the fish are happy to be able to see again.
We've seen good numbers of caddis coming off in this section, especially in faster water near banks. Streamers and larger food items also play well during rainy/overcast weather. Skittering caddis dries seems to be the ticket to getting eats on top. Nymphing large flies can also be quite productive in between hatches.
HATCHES: Caddis 14-18, Blue Winged Olives 18-22, Midges 18-24
APPROPRIATE PATTERNS
NYMPHS: San Juan Worm 12, Jigged Tungsten Red-Tie PT 18-20, Tungsten 2 Bead Nymph Olive 16-18, Jigged Iron Lotus 18, Jigged Hares Ear 16-18, Twenty Incher Nymph 14-16, Jigged Tungsten Red Tie PT 18-20, Cat Poop Stonefly 6-12, Zirdle Bug 6-8
DRIES: Elk Hair Caddis 14-18, Kaufmann's stimulator 14-18, Missing Link 14-16, Traditional Adams 18-22, TC Custom Sparkle Dun BWO 18-20, Amy's Ant 8-10, Chubby Chernobyl 6-12, Craven's Baby Boy Hopper 12
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!
Jun 01
Taylor Creek Fly Shop - Aspen
Rating: 1/5
LOWER ROARING FORK - CARBONDALE DOWNSTREAM TO GLENWOOD
FLOW: 2650 CFS in Glenwood Springs
WATER CLARITY: Chocolate
OVERALL RATING: 2 out of 10
FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Blue Winged Olive nymphs/emergers/adults, Midges, Caddis larvae/pupae/adults, small Green Drake and PMD nymphs, Sculpins
THE LOW DOWN: Flows on the lower doubled again this week, bringing heavy color into the mix. It looks like we're finally in real "runoff," even if flows are lower than we might usually expect in June,
About half of the water in the Lower Fork is now being contributed by the Crystal, making this stretch particularly prone to off-color days after precipitation or warm nights. Caddis hatches should continue on the up and up with the warm days and dirty water.
BWO and midge hatches will likely slow until we have some semblance of clarity again. As that water starts to ebb, we may even start seeing our world-famous Green Drakes -- earlier than usual! We've been throwing BWOs and caddis midday and switching up to smaller midges later in the afternoon. Think female caddis if you stay on the water until twilight, this will improve in the coming weeks.
Construction on Westbank boat ramp is complete.
HATCHES: Caddis 14-18, Blue Winged Olives 18-22, Midges 18-26
APPROPRIATE PATTERNS:
NYMPHS: Cat Poop Stone 8-10, San Juan Worm 12, Jigged Hot Bead PT 16-18, Guide's Choice Hares Ear 16-18, Rust Murder She Wrote 18-20, Tim Heng's BLM 18-20, Tungsten Two Bead Nymph Black 18-20, Bead Head Swiss Straw Emerger 16-18, Stott's Raisinette 20, Stott's Mercury Bad Carl Grey 20, BMW Foam Top RS2 Black 20-22, Mercury Bead RS2 Grey 22, Pandemic BWO Emerger 20-22, Freestone Emerger Olive 22, Internal Wire Tube Midge Black/Red 20, Desert Storm Midge Fluor. Orange 22, TC Custom Midge Red/Clear 20-22
DRIES: Missing Link Caddis 14-18, Lawson's EZ Caddis 16-18, Puterbaugh Foam Caddis 16-18, Improved Sparkle Dun BWO 18-22, No Hackle BWO 20-22, Roy's Special Emerger 20, Adams 18-22, TC Custom Collette's Para BWO 20-22, Hackle Dun Baetis 20-22, Mike Lawson's No-Hackle BWO 20-22, Chubby Chernobyl 6-10, Royal Wulff 12-14
STREAMERS: Craven's Swim Coach, Circus Peanut, Grease Monkey, Barr's Slumpbuster, Devourer of Souls, Hansen's Meal Ticket, Tim Heng's Autumn Splendor,
HINTS: Generally, cloudy days tend to produce the best -until the caddis get going.
Upper Roaring Fork: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/co/nwis/uv/?site_no=09076300&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060
Middle Roaring Fork: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?09081000
Lower Roaring Fork: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?09085000
Jun 01
Taylor Creek Fly Shop - Aspen
Rating: 1/5
MIDDLE ROARING FORK - BASALT DOWNSTREAM TO CARBONDALE
FLOW: 1500 CFS at Basalt
WATER CLARITY: Chocolate
OVERALL RATING: 2 out of 10
FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Caddis larvae, pupa, & adults, Midges, Blue Winged Olive nymphs/emergers/adults, Golden Stonefly nymphs, small Green Drake and PMD nymphs, Sculpins
THE LOWDOWN: Like the Upper, flows are up from last week but well down from the annual average. Warm weather and precipitation have turned the river an impenetrable brown, so maybe skip the middle and lower Fork if you're after a banner day.
Runoff will likely put the kibosh on prolific mayfly hatches, but we've seen good numbers of caddis coming off this section, especially in faster water near banks. Streamers and larger food items also play well during rainy/overcast weather. Skittering caddis dries seems to be the ticket to getting eats on top. Nymphing large flies can also be quite productive in between hatches.
HATCHES: Caddis 14-18, Blue Winged Olives 18-22, Midges 18-24
APPROPRIATE PATTERNS
NYMPHS: San Juan Worm 12, Jigged Tungsten Red-Tie PT 18-20, Tungsten 2 Bead Nymph Olive 16-18, Jigged Iron Lotus 18, Jigged Hares Ear 16-18, Twenty Incher Nymph 14-16, Jigged Tungsten Red Tie PT 18-20, Cat Poop Stonefly 6-12, Zirdle Bug 6-8
DRIES: Elk Hair Caddis 14-18, Kaufmann's stimulator 14-18, Missing Link 14-16, Traditional Adams 18-22, TC Custom Sparkle Dun BWO 18-20, Amy's Ant 8-10, Chubby Chernobyl 6-12, Craven's Baby Boy Hopper 12
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!
May 27
Taylor Creek Fly Shop - Aspen
Rating: 3/5
LOWER ROARING FORK - CARBONDALE DOWNSTREAM TO GLENWOOD
FLOW: 1380 CFS in Glenwood Springs
WATER CLARITY: Blown out the day after hot days, decent vis after cooler days
OVERALL RATING: 5 out of 10
FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Blue Winged Olive nymphs/emergers/adults, Midges, Caddis larvae/pupae/adults, small Green Drake and PMD nymphs, Sculpins
THE LOW DOWN: About half of the water in the Lower Fork is now being contributed by the Crystal, making this stretch particularly prone to off-color days after precipitation or warm nights. Flows are still low enough to wade in and fish, but don't expect gin-clear water. The newest development is a good caddis hatch now that we've had some hot and sunny days. BWOs and midges are hatching for up to 4 or 5 hours a day now. We've been throwing BWOs and caddis midday and switching up to smaller midges later in the afternoon. Think female caddis if you stay on the water until twilight, this will improve in the coming weeks.
Off-color water is not a deal breaker -- most caddis hatches come off when it's dirty!
Annual spawning closures are in effect at 3 Mile and 4 Mile Creeks in Glenwood Springs. You'll see the signs, please give these essential areas a wide berth, which are just a small portion of the lower Roaring Fork River.
Construction on Westbank boat ramp is complete.
HATCHES: Caddis 14-18, Blue Winged Olives 18-22, Midges 18-26
APPROPRIATE PATTERNS:
NYMPHS: Cat Poop Stone 8-10, San Juan Worm 12, Jigged Hot Bead PT 16-18, Guide's Choice Hares Ear 16-18, Rust Murder She Wrote 18-20, Tim Heng's BLM 18-20, Tungsten Two Bead Nymph Black 18-20, Bead Head Swiss Straw Emerger 16-18, Stott's Raisinette 20, Stott's Mercury Bad Carl Grey 20, BMW Foam Top RS2 Black 20-22, Mercury Bead RS2 Grey 22, Pandemic BWO Emerger 20-22, Freestone Emerger Olive 22, Internal Wire Tube Midge Black/Red 20, Desert Storm Midge Fluor. Orange 22, TC Custom Midge Red/Clear 20-22
DRIES: Missing Link Caddis 14-18, Lawson's EZ Caddis 16-18, Puterbaugh Foam Caddis 16-18, Improved Sparkle Dun BWO 18-22, No Hackle BWO 20-22, Roy's Special Emerger 20, Adams 18-22, TC Custom Collette's Para BWO 20-22, Hackle Dun Baetis 20-22, Mike Lawson's No-Hackle BWO 20-22, Mole Fly Baetis 20-22, Brook's Sprout Midge Grey 20-22, Bill Fitzsimmon's Midge Adult 22, Bill's Midge Emerger 22-24, Antonio's Hi-Vis Quill Midge Emerger 20-22, Harrop's Midge Adult Black 20-22
STREAMERS: Craven's Swim Coach, Circus Peanut, Grease Monkey, Barr's Slumpbuster, Devourer of Souls, Hansen's Meal Ticket, Tim Heng's Autumn Splendor,
HINTS: Generally, cloudy days tend to produce the best -until the caddis get going.
Upper Roaring Fork: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/co/nwis/uv/?site_no=09076300&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060
Middle Roaring Fork: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?09081000
Lower Roaring Fork: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?09085000
May 27
Taylor Creek Fly Shop - Aspen
Rating: 3/5
MIDDLE ROARING FORK - BASALT DOWNSTREAM TO CARBONDALE
FLOW: 713 CFS at Basalt
WATER CLARITY: Clear enough, but color common after warm stretches
OVERALL RATING: 6 out of 10
FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Caddis larvae, pupa, & adults, Midges, Blue Winged Olive nymphs/emergers/adults, Golden Stonefly nymphs, small Green Drake and PMD nymphs, Sculpins
THE LOWDOWN: Like the Upper, flows are up from last week but well down from the annual average. The water has remained relatively clear and fishable, especially after cold nights.
We are seeing baetis (BWOs) hatching all the way up to Aspen, but they are thicker down by Carbondale and below this week. We've seen good numbers of caddis coming off this section, especially in faster water near banks. Streamers and larger food items also play well during rainy/overcast weather.
Caddis & BWOs are the main hatches right now. Skittering caddis dries and dead drifting BWOs seems to be the ticket to getting eats on top. Nymphing can also be quite productive in between hatches.
HATCHES: Caddis 14-18, Blue Winged Olives 18-22, Midges 18-24
APPROPRIATE PATTERNS
NYMPHS: San Juan Worm 12, Jigged Tungsten Red-Tie PT 18-20, Tungsten 2 Bead Nymph Olive 16-18, Jigged Iron Lotus 18, Jigged Hares Ear 16-18, Twenty Incher Nymph 14-16, 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: Elk Hair Caddis 14-18, Kaufmann's stimulator 14-18, Missing Link 14-16, 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!
