ROARING FORK RIVER (Updated 7/1):  OVERALL BRIEF RIVER REPORT: It's with surety that we can say we are past our second peak of runoff now! We've had a number of warm days in a row but levels are dropping daily and the river is set to take off just in time for the 4th of July with some of the best float fishing of the year! .

LOWER RIVER: (Glenwood to Carbondale): Hovering around 4000 cfs in Glenwood daily. Clarity below the Crystal has improved dramatically since last week's rain and heavy runoff, and fish are hungry. Yes, flows are still up a bit and it's a fast boat ride, but the fishing is picking up dramatically as well. It helps to be quick on the draw, but even beginners will do well from the boat as the Drake hatch picks up over the next couple weeks. When fish are looking up for dry flies, the fishing is easiest. There have been just a couple of early sentinel Drakes coming out--they've been waiting for you to show up on the 4th of July!

MIDDLE RIVER: (Basalt to Carbondale): Fluctuating around 2000 cfs at Emma, with better clarity than the lower river (generally 2 to 3 feet), and more of an abundance of holding water than the upper river, which has a steeper gradient. Look for fish stacked in those obvious inside bends and calmer pools, where they are taking a variety of caddis and stonefly imitations, as well as attractor dries and nymphs (don't be afraid to throw a big stonefly dry against the banks). Caddis activity in the afternoons and evenings can be quite heavy some days, and PMDs, baetis, and craneflies are also present.

UPPER RIVER (Basalt to Aspen): Fluctuating around 1000 cfs at Maroon Creek. The clarity up here is excellent and fish are feeding when you can find them--locating the holding water is where the work is. Very little need to do much wading up here--most of the fish are on the bank, and wading can be dangerous right now. Streamers along the bank can wake them up and draw them in if you're having a hard time putting a fly in front of them.

Catch of the Week
21 inch rainbow on a foam Drake

Two-Week Fishing Forecast
Prime time is just now starting!  This will be another very good Green Drake year, with healthy flows meaning cooler water temps, which--like last year--should extend the length of the Drake hatch well into August in the upper river.

Hatch Info
Caddis on warmer days; Golden Stones continue to pop--look for tons of bug activity to start as levels drop and water warms, including Green Drakes which are just starting.

Hot Fly Patterns
GREEN DRAKES, SIZE 8-12, DRIES: Foam Paradrake, Henwing Drake, H & L Variant, Biot Hairwing Drake, Lime Superwulff; NYMPHS: Crown Jewel, Green Drake Crawler, Stalcup's Swiss Straw Emerger, Olive Hare's Ear.  STONEFLY NYMPHS: Tungsten Black Biot Stone, 20 Inchers, Golden Poxyback, Black/ Yellow Wire Prince, Beady-Eyed Crazy Leg Stonefly nymph, Girdle Bugs, Brownstone Rubberleg, Large Princes; DRIES: Mean Machine, Double Decker, Triple Decker, Edible Indicator, Swisher's PMX Stone, Kyle's King Kong Hopper, Para Madam X, Gorge Stonefly, Foam Para Stimulator, Sparkle Stimulator, Sofa Pillow. GENERAL ATTRACTOR NYMPHS,  SIZE 10-18:  Copper Johns, Mexican Flag,  Flashback Prince, Wire Prince; CADDIS PUPAS, SIZE 14-16: BH Z-Wing Caddis Pupa, TH Western Coachman, Bead Diving Caddis, Fried Twinkie .   STREAMERS, SIZE 2- 10:Double Bunnies, Silverman's Syn-Tuka, Sculpin Buggers, Conehead Zonkers, Phillipe's Flu Shot, Conehead Rubber Bugger.  

FRYING PAN RIVER (Updated 7/1):   Flowing at a gin clear 390 cfs at Ruedi--it's still a little higher than many people like it, but it's a vast improvement over the past week's jump in flows. This level has opened up much more of the river to fishermen, which have been packed heavily into the flats below the dam (which is one of the few places to fish when it's 700 cfs).

PMDs have really thickened and moved all the way up the river, and lower levels means better dry fly fishing. Spinnerfalls are again becoming heavy at times, and if you are lucky enough to find a heavy spinnerfall (usually evenings), the action can be great!

The baetis hatch has thinned heading towards the summer, but some days you can still find them in big numbers from about 11:30-3:30; the PMDs start later and stick around later. Before the baetis hatch, fish are still eating a lot of midge larva and emergers, but higher water levels are also allowing the opportunity for less technical fishing--fish are eating bigger bugs--and 7X and perfect drifts aren't always necessary like they can be at times (don't be afraid to swing your drift at the end).

Caddis continue to be fairly abundant up and down the river (especially on sunny days), and are usually around a size 16.  These levels are also continuing to make for some good mysis fishing near the dam.

Catch of the Week
One of our customers caught a 24 inch rainbow on a copper john---not anywhere near the dam or the flats.

Two-Week Fishing Forecast
Lots of fun as the dry fly fishing picks up again with bigger bugs--PMDs and caddis for now--Drakes often start showing up mid-July

Hot Fly Patterns
BAETIS SIZE 16-22, DRIES: Williamson BWO Paracripple, Hackle-Dun Baetis, Para-Biot Crippled Emerger, Comparadun Biot Baetis, Zelon Crippled Baetis, Moof's BWO Sparkle Dun, BWO Quad; Adams Quad; NYMPHS: Poxyback baetis, Bubbleback BWO emerger, Loopwing emergers, Pheasant tails, Solitude Baetis Emerger-Nymph.  CADDIS LARVA AND PUPA, SIZE 16-18: Buckskin, Translucent Caddis Pupa, Bead-Diving Caddis, Partridge Caddis Emerger; Apple Caddis Emerger; DRIES: Mother's Day Caddis, TCF, Stalcup's Adult Caddis, Crippled Caddis, Irresistable Caddis.  PMDS, SIZE 14-16, NYMPHS: Solitude PMD Emerger-Nymph, Poxyback PMD, Two-Tone PMD Nymph, Bubbleback Emerger, Improved Barr's Emerger; DRIES: Quigley's Zelon Cripple, Extended Body PMD, Hackle Wing PMD, Hatch Matcher, Sulphur Para-biot, Williamson Sulphur Paracripple, PMD Quad, Red Quill.  MIDGES, SIZE 18-24, DRIES: Stalcup's Emerging Midge, Stalcup's Midge cluster, Para-Quill Bodied Trico, Trico Quad, Trico Spinner, Black Paramidge, Trico Thorax; NYMPHS: Pulsating Biot Emerger, Improved Biot Emerger, Black and Olive Biots, Loopwing Emergers, Poxymidge Larva, RS2's. GREEN DRAKE NYMPHS, SIZE 14: 20 Inchers, Hare's Ears. Huevos. Mysis Shrimp near the dam.