Frying Pan River
Update: Flows were increased to 259cfs on the 25th – this stunts the hatches a little bit but also puts the fish in more defined spots and is still certainly a very wadeable flow. The nymph fishing has picked up with the higher water levels also.
Just as the major hatches fade on the freestones, the Frying Pan is just now kickin’ it into high gear. The hatches have dramatically picked up and numbers of rising fish can be found midday and in the evening hours. A mixed bag of BWOs, PMDs and caddis are the primary insects being found in fishable numbers. Green drakes are being seen in sporadic numbers along the lower river, giving us a glimpse of things to come up-river. We’re back to using light tippets of 5/6X for nymphing and 6/7X for dries. Evenings can often yield much less crowds, rusty spinner falls and plenty of sipping fish.
The Frying Pan is world renowned for it hatches but it does have its issues. Colorado Parks & Wildlife has recently acknowledged what long time guides and anglers of the river have long known; there’s simply an overabundance of small brown trout in the river. We need your help. How? Anglers are very strongly encouraged to keep their daily limit of two brown trout under 14″ inches. In the near future, regulations are hopefully going to be updated with a significantly increased daily limit. In this day and age, where we taught generations the virtues of catch and release angling, is it possible to teach them the virtues of responsible harvest? I hope so. Bring on the return of the shore lunch – I’m in!
From the Colorado Parks & Wildlife:
An extremely abundant fish in the Fryingpan and most often caught by anglers. Due to high densities in most the
river, harvest is encouraged for Browns ≤14” to relieve competition for resources and increase growth for other
trout. Harvest of Brown Trout under 14 inches is encouraged, because in many locations, like “Old Faithful”, where Brown Trout average less than 10 inches and 94% of the fish are under 14 inches. The incredible abundance of trout, despite being small, also contribute significantly to the biomass in surveys.
Flies-
Dries: Flag Dun Pink, Sparkledun Pink, Melon Quill, CDC Rusty Spinner, Comparadun Adams, CDC Biot Comparadun, Mole Fly, Roy’s Special Emerger, Almost Dun, Wild Turkey Emerger, Para Quill BWO, Hackle Dun BWO, Foam Elk Hair Caddis (tan/brown), Egg Laying Caddis, Rubberleg Stimi (yellow)
Nymphs: Split Case PMD, Poxyback PMD, Halfback Emerger PMD, Barr Emerger PMD, Swiss Straw Everger, 2Bit Hooker, PTs Olive, Split Back BWO, Epoxyback Baetis, BTS Baetis, CDC RS2s, Mayhems, Foam Wing RS2, Foam Back Chocolate, Polywings, Medallion Midge, Bling Midge, Miracle Midge, Jiggy Mysis, Epoxy Mysis, BTS Mysis
Streamers: Bubble Guppy, Thin Mints, Sculpzillas, PSLs
