Report for the Roaring Fork Valley--Updated 9/1/10. CLICK HERE TO GET ON OUR E-MAIL LIST for periodic updates (every 4-8 weeks) on important river events and hatches, special sales at the shop and our online store. Simply type "Subscribe" in your e-mail, and we will gladly take any other questions, comments, or requests from you.
ROARING FORK RIVER (Updated 9/1)   UPPER RIVER (Basalt to Aspen):  180 cfs at Maroon Creek.  Still some good dry fly fishing up here!   Green Drakes are long gone throughout the Roaring Fork, but there are tons of PMDs and caddis around, with spinnerfalls and egg-laying sessions in the mornings and evenings.  Fish will take hoppers in the afternoons after the baetis have started hatching and gotten them looking up.  Levels have dropped enough to be able to wade across in a lot of areas, and beginning to get to levels low enough to start concentrating fish in the deeper holes and channels.  The best dry fly fishing on the Fork is up here, with cooler water, better hatches, and an ideal level that the fish can't help but to see your dry fly floating above them. MIDDLE RIVER: (Carbondale to Basalt): 525 cfs at Emma, and completely clear.   There are a few PMDs left--although the BWOs have become the major hatch here as it has pretty much valleywide-- with great nymph fishing all day and still some good dry fly fishing mid-day into the evening.  The PMD's are of the pink/ red quill variety, and small (size 16-18)--and you can still find some evening spinnerfalls.  Hopper/dropper rigs are producing in here, and craneflies continue to be important food source in the pocket water sections of this stretch through September.  Wade fishermen are having the most success in here because of dropping levels concentrating the fish.  At this low level, floating in here should be left to experienced oarsmen and fishermen--the record setting runoff this year really changed the streambed.  It has channelized a lot of water that used to have more structure, so you often end up floating on top of the fish--regardless of the experience level of the oarsman-- and not leaving a lot of opportunity for the guy in the back of the boat.  It is also very easy to get stuck in a lot of places on private property, so if you are a rookie, please avoid conflicts with private landowners by floating the lower river. LOWER RIVER: (Glenwood to Carbondale):  750 cfs in Glenwood Springs, and completely clear again today.  The float fishing has been very good the past week since the river cleared up from its latest blowout from the Crystal River mudslides a couple weeks ago.  Fish are eating stonefly, caddis, and BWO nymphs, with BWO's now dominating the afternoon hatch (so you usually want a small bug somewhere on your rig).  Streamer fishing has been good intermittantly, and should get better as autumn nears.  Nymphing is almost always most productive down here this time of year, but fish can still be caught down here on dries--hoppers, caddis, and BWO imitations--if you know the shallower shelves that hold fish and you can give them a good drift with the right bug at the right time.   Trout populations are very, very healthy up and down the river after the DOW has supplemented our large wild trout population with recent stockings of good sized rainbows up and down the valley. Catch of the Week: Lots of 20 inch+  fish have been coming out to play to past few weeks on the Roaring Fork, including the 29 incher pictured on the home page   Two-Week Fishing Forecast: It doesn't get much better than September in the mountains.  Beautiful weather and scenery, less fishermen, and GREAT FISHING!   HOT FLY PATTERNS:  BWO'S, SIZE 16-22, NYMPHS:  Pheasant tails, D-River, Killer Mayfly Nymph, Solitude Emerger Nymph, RS2, BTS Nymph, Juju Baetis, Batwing Emerger, Mayhem, Loopwing Emerger; DRIES: Crippled Biot Emerger, Parabiots, Biot Comparadun BWO, BWO Quad, Moof's Sparkle Dun, Hackle Dun Baetis.  PMD'S, SIZE 14-16, DRIES:  Zelon Cripple, Sulpher Parachute, Para-Wulff Patriot, Red Quill, Royal Wulff Cripple, Hatch Matcher, Pink Albert, Rusty Spinner; NYMPHS:  Improved Barr's Emerger, Sulpher Emerger Nymph, Sparkle Biot PMD, BTS PMD emerger, Juju PMD, Pheasant Tail.  CADDIS, SIZE 14-18, DRIES:  Hi-Vis Caddis, TCF, Foam Caddis, Mother's Day Caddis, Ethawing Caddis, Garcia's Mini-Hot Peacock Stimulator; NYMPHS:  Caddis Crawler, Electric Caddis, BH Electric Rockworm, Lime Serendipity, Litebrite Caddis Pupa, Bead Diving Caddis, Z-wing Caddis Pupa, CDC Peacock Pupa, Peeking Caddis, Fried Twinkie, Prince.  STONEFLIES, SIZE 8-12,  NYMPHS: 20 Inchers, Thurmanator Golden Stone, Flexi-Girdle Bugs in all sizes and colors, Tungsten Biot Stone,  GENERAL ATTRACTOR NYMPHS: Copper Johns, Mexican Flag, Flashback Prince, Wire Prince.  HOPPERS, SIZE 4-12:  Fat Albert, Para-Triple Decker, True Hopper, Carnage Hopper, Godzilla Hopper, Neversink Hopper-Popper.  STREAMERS, SIZE 2-12:  Bighorn Sculpin Bugger, Bullethead Sculpin Bugger, Sculpzilla in Sunrise, Bristlecone, Black Eye, Circus Peanut, Trina's Big Head Todd.	FRYING PAN RIVER--(Updated 9/1):  324 cfs.  It's that awesome time of the year when you can watch schools of fish rising hundreds of times in the afternoon on the Frying Pan!  Like clockwork, afternoon hatches of PMDs, BWOs, and saratellas bring the fish up from lunch until dinner.  The BWO hatch is the major hatch on the Pan in September, but you need to pay attention to all the food sources that can be present at any time on the Pan--hatches will often blend into one another and fish will often key in on the easiest prey if many food sources are present.  Green Drakes are still in the upper stretches of the river, and they will stick around on the Pan until late September (the Pan boasts the longest Green Drake hatch in the country).  Fish will continue to eat Drakes through much of September, but they eat a lot more of the smaller bugs (baetis) because of the sheer numbers of them that are around.  The Saratella hatch is unique to the Frying Pan and very important--come on by and we'll clue you into this strange little bug and set you up with the best Saratella patterns out there. The PMDs and BWOs usually start after lunch--and if you're attentive you will notice PMD duns hatching well into the evening--often as late as 7 PM.  The spinnerfalls in the morning and at dusk can still be thick, with another round of rising fish right before dark.  There are also caddis laying eggs in the evening to get the fish looking up, and caddis larva and emergers can be fished effectively any time of day.   A well-stocked fly box, a good drift, and adapting to feeding patterns are the essential keys to your success on the Pan--you need more than "a couple flies" when you stop at a shop to pick up some bugs for the Pan these days (and light 6X & 7X tippets are also par for the course). Mornings on the Pan are most effectively fished with nymph rigs, and you will probably want a midge pattern behind that PMD, Caddis, or baetis nymph, since midges are the only thing hatching in the morning.  Fish can still key in on midges at any time, any place on this river, so if you are finding a lot of rising fish who keep snubbing your offerings, then try to take a good look around at what's coming off.  If you can't see anything, chances are that very small midges are coming off and you may want to try the smallest flies in your box.  Also pay attention to the fish--are you seeing tail rises or are the fish actually feeding on the surface?  If their mouths are not penetrating the surface, then your fly probably should. Catch of the Week:  19 inch cutthroat on a Saratella Two-Week Fishing Forecast:  Awesome--let's go!  Hot Fly Patterns:   BAETIS, SIZE 18-22, DRIES: Para Biot, Comparadun Biot BWO, Stalcup's Hackle Dun, Para-Biot Emerger, BWO Quad, Moof's Sparkle Dun, Blue Dun No-Hackle, Williamson's Paracripple; NYMPHS: Batwing Emerger, BTS Black and Olive, Pheasant Tails, Sparkle RS2, Poxyback Baetis, Solitude Emerger Nymph, Killer Mayfly Nymph, Bubbleback Emerger, Micro Mayfly, BWO Emerger Nymph, Barr's Emerger, WD50's.  PMDS, SIZE 16, DRIES:  PMD Quad, Biot Comparadun, Hatch Matcher, Hackle Dun PMD, Moof's Sparkle Dun, Extended Body PMD, Zelon Cripple, Para Biots, Pink Albert, AK's Quill Bodies in Pink & Rust, Rusty Spinners;  GREEN DRAKES, SIZE 10-12, DRIES:  Challenged Drake, Fanwing Drake, Para-Biot Hairwing Drake, Dry Ice Drake, Drake Spinner; NYMPHS:  Poxyback Drake, Crown Jewel, 20 Incher, Stalcup's Emerger, Drake Crawler.  NYMPHS: 2 Tone PMD Nymph, Improved Barr's Emerger, Kolanda's BTS, CDC Loopwing Emerger, Juju PMD, Sulphur Emerger Nymph, Halfback Emerger, Pheasant Tail.  CADDIS, SIZE 14-18,  DRIES:  Mother's Day Caddis, Stalcup Caddis Adult, Para-Biot Emerger, Crippled Caddis, Foam Caddis. NYMPHS:  Buckskin, Caddis Crawler, Electric Caddis, Peeking Caddis, Translucent Pupa, Z-Wing Pupa; CRANEFLIES, SIZE 16.  MIDGES, SIZE 20-28, NYMPHS:  Pulsating Biot Emerger, Wine BMW, Juju Midge, CDC Loopwing Emerger, Zebra Midges, Improved Biot Midge Emerger, Poxythread Midge Larva, UFOs; DRIES: Stalcup's Emerging Midge, Stalcup's Midge cluster, Roy's Special Emerger, Trailing Shuck Midge, Trico Quad;  MYSIS SHRIMP, SIZE 16-18 near the dam.
COLORADO RIVER FROM GLENWOOD TO RIFLE (Updated 9/1):  2700 cfs in Glenwood and things are starting to pick up on the Colorado!  It's still a little off color (visibility currently hovering around 2 1/2 to 3 feet, which is plenty on this river), and water temps are still a little warm at midday.  But the fishing is currently fair to good, and that magic autumn float fishing season is just about ready to take off as cooler evenings mean cooler water and aggressive feeding over the next 6-8 weeks.  If it's warm outside, you need to make the time to appropriately revive fish--the stress of being caught on very warm days can be lethal on trout that are not properly released this time of year.  Your main food sources now are caddis, PMD's, stoneflies, and fish are now starting to turn on to hoppers. Two-Week Fishing Forecast Picking up this week, and next week starts the peak of our autumn season on the Colorado!   PICTURED ABOVE:  Green Drakes are here--book your trip now for some of the best dry fly fishing of the season. SPECIAL REPORT ON FISHING REGULATIONS REVIEW FOR THE NEXT 5 YEARS: The DOW is currently gathering public comment on fishing regulations for the next 5 year period, which of course have significant impacts on our local fisheries.  An important concern on the Colorado River locally is extending the length of closures on spawning area tributaries like Canyon Creek and Grizzly Creek, to give post-spawn fish time to leave and go back into the river.  Currently, too many of these big, beautiful, wild fish end up in fish tacos because of the killing sprees that occur immediately after these areas are re-opened.  We feel the I-70 corridor to be the most vulnerable local area at risk in coming years because of the population boom of people moving here from other areas who just aren't educated enough about catch and release, selective harvest, or who are expoited by commercial interests who profit by selling bait and encouraging bad, unsustainable behavior.   The DOW is soliciting comment, and if you shoot us an e-mail through the link at the top of this page, we will forward you an e-mail form so you can forward your concerns directly to them.  We encourage you to agree with these recommendations and pass them along with your comments: Extend closures in tributaries that are spawning areas from May 15th until June 15th to give these big brood fish time to leave after reproducing. Add Mitchell and Elk Creek to the list of local tributaries that are closed to protect spawning fish. ELIMINATE THE USE OF BAIT ON THE COLORADO RIVER BETWEEN GLENWOOD SPRINGS AND SILT--Flies and lures only in this special stretch of the river. Treble hooks should be eliminated on all Colorado rivers--keep them in lakes and reservoirs where they can be of use for warmwater species or youth (or in warmwater rivers in Eastern Colorado). Barbless hooks should be required on Gold Medal streams--optional in other areas.  If 10 year olds can land countless fish on barbless flies, then adults can also fish barbless in these special areas. Bag and possession limits for trout are probably fine as they are now.  However, fishermen who's sole purpose is to catch and kill should be required to stop fishing once they reach their bag limit.  This will prevent the possiblity of mortality of fish caught and released after they have caught their limit, especially in the event that they are fishing with the deadlier tackle types common with catch and kill fishermen. Liquid scents and scented lures should be banned from all fly/lure waters. Support all legislation that decreases the spread of non-native species from one body of water to another Oppose rule changes that threaten carp populations in still waters, whether it is additonal rods, chumming, spearfishing or bowfishing.  The lakes and reservoirs with the biggest and most opportunistic pike, bass, crappie, and other game fish are the lakes and reservoirs that have significant populations of carp.  The gamefish need the carp minnow to feed on.  Without them, the pike cannabalise each other and eat more trout, and the crappie never get bigger than your hand.  Try catching a carp with a fly--you will get a new appreciation for their intelligence (certainly more noble than a lot of human beings out there). Oppose efforts by the DOW to eliminate pike and smallmouth from rivers like the Yampa, or reservoirs. There are trout in practically every body of water in this state.  Pike and bass are a novelty in Colorado that provide trout anglers with unique experiences, and these species shouldn't be persecuted.	CRYSTAL RIVER  (Updated 9/1):  123 CFS at Redstone.  The Crystal has cleared up from the many large mudslides up here a few weeks ago.  Fishing has been best around Carbondale and above Redstone---there are some sections between Carbondale and Redstone that have been producing fish--but you probably want to avoid some of the water immediately below Redstone where the streambead has been changed and choked off with sediment.  Dry fly fishing is decent during the day with PMD, caddis, baetis, and stimulator patterns, with fish also taking smaller hoppers.  Don't ignore the riffles leading into the deeper holes, where a lot of fish seek refuge at this low level (and where you will probably do best with nymph rigs).  It's the time of year when fishermen who can match the hatch also catch more fish than the guys who throw a lot of the same old attractors.  Conditions often fluctuate on a daily basis this time of year after heavy monsoon rains, because the Crystal moves a lot of sediment.  If you find muddy conditions down low, it's often a matter of just driving upstream above muddy tributaries like Coal Creek at Redstone, which is a big culprit. Covering water is important to your success on the Crystal, as is releasing your catch--the DOW has stocked this year and the river is sporting at least average trout populations.  But they have put in fewer fish throughout this summer than they did last year (when they stocked a ton of fish) because of increased demands upon the Crystal River hatchery by other jurisdictions.  More remote areas almost always fish better than the usual obvious pullouts and fishing holes. The Crystal does depend a fair amount on stocking because of smaller insect populations and an abundance of fish harvested through a typical summer.  Please practice catch and release, and politely encourage catch and release or selective harvest to fellow anglers by spreading the word.  Beaver Lake and McPhee Pond are fishing very well right now--make sure you are stocked up with damselflies and callibaetis because fish are keying in on both. Special Report Crystal Fly Shop has partnered up with the historic Redstone Inn for special, all inclusive pricing for lodging and fishing packages. Includes trips done on their private water at the Preserve, as well as float and wade trips on the Roaring Fork, Frying Pan, or Colorado.  The Inn is also a perfect place to stay if you are headed over McClure Pass to fish at popular Bar ZX ranch, where we are also happy to guide you.   Call for details.   HIGH COUNTRY LAKE AND CREEK REPORT (Updated 8/13):  Avanlanche Creek is fishing very well, as are pretty much all of our local high country creeks and lakes.   Levels are ideal in most of the high country streams because of all the early summer rainfall.  Be prepared for mosquitos, and start your hikes early in the day to avoid afternoon lightening if you plan on being exposed at high altitudes.     BAR ZX RANCH NEAR PAONIA--ALSO KNOWN AS LAMPTON LAKES (Updated 8/19):  Pictured above, Bar ZX Ranch has a well earned reputation for offering an exciting private water fly fishing experience--it is probably the premier stillwater private fishery destination of its type in Colorado.  We are the closest fly shop to Bar ZX, which is about an hour and 15 minute drive over McClure Pass towards Paonia.  Located at the foot of the fabulous Ragged Mountain Range, Bar ZX offers tranquility and beauty as you fish over 25 lakes and ponds that have have almost every trout known to mankind inhabiting them--and many over 10 or 15 pounds! Crystal Fly Shop hosts guide trips to Bar ZX, which is not only a great place for kids and family, but also offers stillwater challenges to experienced anglers as well.  Picnic and restroom facilities, along with drive up access that makes waders unneccessary, help make the ranch a very pleasant experience.  Lots of rain this summer has meant cooler than usual water temps in August at Bar ZX and hot fishing! Fishing at Bar ZX tends to be best early (right now!) and late in the season when water temperatures are cooler than they are in August.   The ranch tends to be a popular place during spring runoff, but offers great fishing later in the season as well.  These lakes offer huge rainbows, browns, cutthroat, brookies, and more, along with some fabulous terrestrial style fishing with hoppers and beetles.  The bigger fish will sometimes make you earn it with stillwater patterns like callibaetis and scuds presented properly.  Overall, this is a controlled, yet wild environment that guides and anglers find extremely satisfying and well worth the rod fee.  Access is limited to 12 rods per day.  Call us for availability and to make your reservations.   HOT FLY PATTERNS FOR LAKES AND PONDS EVERYWHERE:  CALLIBAETIS, SIZE 14-16, DRIES:  Quigley's Hackle Stacker, Organza Callibaetis Spinner, NYMPHS:  Poxyback Callibaetis Nymph, Pheasant tails.  HOPPERS, SIZE 8-12:  Fat Albert, Godzilla Hopper, Para-Triple Decker, Chernobyl Ants, Trina's Carnage Hopper.  BEETLES, SIZE 12-16.  SCUDS, SIZE 14-18 in olive, amber, and orange. STREAMERS IN ALL SIZES AND COLORS.