Colorado River –
Flow: 1310 cfs/Glenwood Springs
Conditions: Low and clear (green) water for the Colorado. We have turned the corner recently and our locally famous ‘Fifth Season’ is now in play! The biggest key right now is playing the weather right – meaning you either have to be a local to take advantage or just have luck on your side. Overnight lows in the high teens are necessary the preceding day coupled with cloud cover the day of for the fishing to really “go-off”, so to speak. Due to the rivers lower elevation, fishing can often be better down here due to the additional warmth. Perhaps the biggest draw here is the quality of fish that can be caught – averaging over 14 inches. While widely known as a fickle fishery, winter can yield some of the best and most reliable fishing of the entire year. Midges are the name of the game as far as hatches go but stoneflies are also becoming more active. Dry fly anglers are more likely to do well on smaller size 20-22 midges still – clustering midges are not really in play quite yet. Winter has settled in with most fish being found in the deeper pools and seams especially during periods of bright sun. While nymphing is certainly the most productive, keep an eye out for risers and fish moving into the heads of runs following hatching midges. Streamer fishing is still obviously slow but is showing signs of life after a cold winter. Besides, there’s risers to be had!
Flies
Dries: Roy’s Special Emerger, CDC Adult Midge, Griffith Gnats, Trailing Shuck Midge, Sprout Midges, CDC Sparkledun BWO, Purple Haze, Parachute Adams, CDC RS2’s
Nymphs: Rubberlegs, 20 Inchers, Princes, San Juan Worms, Perdigons, Rain Drops, Rainbow Warriors, Zebra Midges, Two Bit Hooker, BTS Baetis, Pheasant Tail, Micro Mayfly, Sparklewing RS2, Biot Emergers Gray/Black, Frenchie, Jig Tung Tied Baetis, Buckskin, Disco Midge
Streamers: Gongas, Dungeons, Sculpilicious, Sculpzilla, Winter Warlock, Sculpinator, Thin Mint
