The Catch Fishing Report 09-16-06
Greetings Angler,
Fall is mingling with winter this morning with Crested Butte Mountain Resort getting a light dusting of pure Colorado snow. However, the rivers are still fishing well and the crowds are gone. Now is the time is Fish Crested Butte and the greater Gunnison River basin!
Check Current USGS River Flows
East River at Almont
With cooler weather, insect activity is occurring later in the day. Look for blue-wing-olive mayflies, late caddis and terrestrials into September; midges as the fall progresses. Kokanee salmon from Blue Mesa Reservoir have entered the river, en route to the Roaring Judy hatchery. Anglers are reminded the river from Almont upstream through the hatchery property is restricted to fly fishing, and that taking kokanee there is prohibited. Use small streamers with red in them to catch the kokanee, but return them to the water promptly. The section from the hatchery outlet downstream to its lower boundary is closed to fishing until Oct. 31.
Slate River at Crested Butte
The Slate is very low right now and because of this (low clear water), the fish are extremely spooky. The lower Slate is offering fishing to fall caddis and BWO's during the middle of the day. Try using orange Elk hair caddis or Stimis in size 14. Use Rusty Spinners in size 18, BWOs, and Adams.
Area Creeks
The brookies, cuts, browns and rainbows are looking up and will devour about anything you throw at them. Short leaders and bankfishing are the rule.
Taylor River at Almont
The Taylor still is fishing fairly well, with midges, caddis and blue-wing-olive mayflies the primary hatches. Some late-season terrestrials also are on the water. Look for fishing to remain decent through September, gradually slowing down as the fall progresses. The catch-and-release section directly below the dam has some very large - and very demanding - trout that feed through the winter on Mysis shrimp and midges. Also, try small baetis with no beadheads.
Spring Creek
See Taylor River. One of many best bets right now for hooking up with a dry fly. Very fishable. Western Coachman working right now.
Gunnison River at the town of Gunnison
Gunnison River (Upper from Almont to Blue Mesa) - At a prime level for both wade and float fishing. September hatches include late-season caddis, blue-wing-olive mayflies and midges, and terrestrials are also still are on the water. With cooler weather, insect activity generally occurs later in the day. Midge and BWO activity should continue into October. Kokanee salmon from Blue Mesa Reservoir have begun moving up the river. They can be caught on bright-colored streamers and other flies, but through Oct. 31 must be returned to the water alive. Also, don't forget eggs and streamers for the brown trout spawn.
The Black Canyon
The Gunnison River (through Black Canyon) - Fishing has been great. The hot fly this week is the Orange Blossom Special. Anglers will do well using bead-head Prince Nymphs, Hopper Droppers, and RS-2s in the fall months. Also good are Flash-back Hare's Ears, San Juan worms and streamers. No motorized craft are allowed above the North Fork tributary. Other restrictions include: Gold Medal Water, catch-and-release, flies-and-lures only. No rainbow trout may be kept..
Lake Fork of the Gunnison
BWO's and Hexagenia are coming off in the Lake City area. However the colder rainy weather and construction on the Henson Creek bridge have murked up the water in the Lake Fork. The Sulphur Mayfly hatch on Henson Creek has been good during the last few days of August and the first few days of September. Look for some good BWO and Streamer fishing when it warms up with the sunnier weather that is forecast.
Arkansas River at Salida
(Buena Vista to Salida) - The Arkansas River from Buena Vista to Salida is running clear. Blue-wing-olive mayflies, yellow Sally stoneflies, a mixture of caddis, and hoppers are all active in early September. Look for hatch activity to focus in on the blue-wing-olives as things cool down and we head into late September. The browns will spawn in late September/early October and resume feeding in the case of warm weather, or hunker down if it gets cold.
(Salida to Canon City) - The flows over Labor Day were 400 cfs at Wellsville, 344 cfs near Salida, and 490 at Parkdale. The river is clear from Salida to Cotopaxi and clearing quickly below there. Fish are feeding actively on the surface on blue-wing-olive mayflies, caddis, yellow Sally stoneflies and hoppers. Look for surface feeding to focus in on blue-wing-olive mayflies as the fall goes on. The spawn is concentrated during the first two weeks of October. After that, in the case of warm weather, they will resume feeding. In the case of cold weather, they will begin migrating into winter holding water. On the bottom line, we have about eight more weeks of good fishing on this section.
Fishing Ponds at Roaring Judy State Fish Hatchery
Midges, Midges, Midges. Look for tails sticking out of the water as the fish gorge themselves on emerging midges just below the surface. Griffith's Gnats and tiny Parachute Adams may catch some trout. There have been various species of mayflies active during the day. I have had some success slowly stripping a #18 Copper John, Prince or Micro Mayfly. I've heard tales of people doing well stripping Wooly Buggers, but it has never worked for me.
Thanks to Troutfitter Sports for this current report on Colorado Western Slope fishing. Thank you for checking in.
Fish-on!
Mark
FishingTravelNetwork.com
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