The Catch Fishing Report

Greetings Angler,

Enjoy this insiders look at Gunnison Valley fishing conditions, provided by
Troutfitter Sports, our FishingTravelNetwork.com Featured Guide and Outfitter: 

"Snow has arrived in the Gunnison Valley.  Fall conditions have set in with the best fishing during the middle of the day when insect activity is greatest because of the warmth.  River levels remain good with melting snow helping to keep flows up.  Expect overnight freezes and cool overnight temperatures in the thirties and forties for the foreseeable future."

EAST RIVER (current USGS flows)
Recent snow has boosted water levels. Kokanee salmon from Blue Mesa Reservoir are ending their life cycle. Expect to see carcasses. 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. Our dry fly season is coming to an end. Streamers should continue to be effective as well as nymph rigs armed with prince's, stones, pheasant tails, midges and egg patterns.

TAYLOR RIVER (current USGS flows)
The Taylor still is fishing fairly well, with midges, and blue-wing-olive mayflies the primary hatches,(Mayflies in sizes 14 - 20 coming off from about noon until 2:00pm depending on the weather).  Fish during the warmest part of the day to increase the likelihood of hooking up during a mayfly hatch.  Look for fishing to remain decent through October gradually slowing down as the winter sets in. 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.

GUNNISON RIVER (current USGS flows)
Gunnison River (Upper from Almont to Blue Mesa) - Float fishing is still good on the Upper Gunnison as well as walk wading. 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 are still in the water but are winding down. 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.

BLACK CANYON (current USGS flows)
Gunnison River (through the canyon)- The flow has dropped over the last few days.  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,  Midges, 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.

HATCHERY PONDS @ Roaring Judy
Closed for the Salmon spawn.

Thanks to Troutfitter Sports for this current report.  Check out Troutfitter Sports new location at the 4-Way stop in Crested Butte, across from the Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce at HWY 135 and Elk Avenue.  Thank you for checking in today.

Fish-on!
Mark

FishingTravelNetwork.com

We're In The Water For You Every Day! 

Posted by mark at 08:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Greetings Angler,

With Crested Butte Mountain Resort and the Upper Gunnison Valley (live here-play here) receiving significant snow last evening, my thoughts of fishing where plagued by visions of handwamers, fleece hats, and hunkering down in the Blue Mesa ice shanty village.

While I really do enjoy long days in the shanty, I think mid-October is a bit early.
For instance, the Tigers haven't yet won the World Series and the Broncos are just about ready to hit their stride. 

(Yes that is the official FishCrestedButte.com World Series prediction with bonus NFL analysis)

Driving to Gunnison from CB today,  I was happy to experience fishing conditions very far from "shantic".  Almont and Gunnison were both snow-free and mild at mid-day.  The lower basin provided comfortable, salmon-filled waters.

Enjoy the fishing report for the Gunnison Valley, provided by Willowfly Anglers, located at 3 Rivers Resort and Outfitting in Almont, CO:


Taylor River:

Nymphing is productive with Copper Johns 12-20 (copper and red), Golden Stones 10-14, Pheasant Tails (Flashbacks) 12-20, Prince Nymphs (and Purple Prince) 12-18, Midge Emergers 18-22. Dry fly activity productive with: BWOs (Emergers, Cripples, Duns) 16-24, Attractor dries size 14-18 (Parachute Adams, Royal Wulff, Stimulators), Red Quills 14-16, Caddis in the afternoon/evening (yellow, olive, brown, tan, black - size 12 to 20).


Taylor Catch and Release:

Baetis hatch mid and late-day, especially cloudy days. Small nymphs and midge patterns: Pheasant Tails 20-22, Disco Midge 22, Black Beauty 22, WD40s 22. Egg patterns, Mysis Shrimp 20-24, and stoneflies. For rising fish: BWO patterns - emergers, cripples duns size 16-24. Parachute BWOs and Adams 20-24.


Gunnison:

Streamers, stoneflies, nymphs. Nymphing is good with Prince Nymphs, BH Flashback Pheasant Tails, Hare's Ears, and Copper Johns (size 12-18). Small olive emerger patterns (size 20, bead and no-bead) are getting come nice fish. BWO hatch mid to late day, size 16 to 22.


East:

The East is fishable with streamers, stoneflies, and nymphs (size 12 to 18), BWOs (size 16 to 22), caddis and stimulator droppers. Salmon are in the East River and up at the hatchery.


Kokanee Salmon Run:

Kokanee are a land-locked form of sockeye salmon. The run to the Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery is the only all natural run in Colorado that goes to a hatchery. Each April, 2-inch kokanee fry are released from Roaring Judy into the East River. Their overnight journey takes them down the East to the Gunnison River and onto Blue Mesa Reservoir, where they typically spend two or three summers. In late August, the salmon begin their trek back to the hatchery and the run usually lasts through October. Division of Wildlife personnel spawn the salmon at the hatchery, taking 3,000,000 to 10,000,000 eggs per year. Catch and release fishing for kokanee is allowed on the Gunnison River and East River. Some salmon make a "wrong turn" up the Taylor River. If you are staying with us, we have an excellent area on our property for salmon fishing. For more information on the salmon run, call our guide service. You can also reach the hatchery at 970-641-0190.

Thanks for your visit today.  Thanks to Willowfly Anglers for the current fishing conditions.

Fish-on!
Mark














FishingTravelNetwork.com
We'll plan and book your Alaska Fishing Trip!

We're In The Water For You Every Day!

Posted by mark at 06:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Greetings Angler,

Moisture has returned to the upper Gunnison Valley and the elk and deer have congregated along the Slate River, north of Crested Butte toward Paradise Divide.  Warmer temperatures have decreased the fall snow pack and thus rivers are up a bit (current USGS Western Slope river flows).  Expect mild daytime temperatures (current NOAA Western Slope forecast) to continue this week as north America's largest Kokanee Salmon Run rages on!

Willowfly Anglers at 3 Rivers Resort and Outfitting are in the water every day, landing these land-locked cousin of Sockeye Salmon.  With thousands of fish in the basin, trust that yours are biting...

Please enjoy the following inside look at Gunnison Valley fishing conditions from Willowfly Anglers, our FishingTravelNetwork.com Featured Parter:


Taylor River:
Nymphing is productive with Copper Johns 12-20 (copper and red), Golden Stones 10-14, Pheasant Tails (Flashbacks) 12-20, Prince Nymphs (and Purple Prince) 12-18, Midge Emergers 18-22. Dry fly activity productive with: BWOs (Emergers, Cripples, Duns) 16-24, Attractor dries size 14-18 (Parachute Adams, Royal Wulff, Stimulators), Red Quills 14-16, Caddis in the afternoon/evening (yellow, olive, brown, tan, black - size 12 to 20).


Taylor Catch and Release:
Baetis hatch mid and late-day, especially cloudy days. Small nymphs and midge patterns: Pheasant Tails 20-22, Disco Midge 22, Black Beauty 22, WD40s 22. Egg patterns, Mysis Shrimp 20-24, and stoneflies. For rising fish: BWO patterns - emergers, cripples duns size 16-24. Parachute BWOs and Adams 20-24.


Gunnison:
Streamers, stoneflies, nymphs. Nymphing is good with Prince Nymphs, BH Flashback Pheasant Tails, Hare's Ears, and Copper Johns (size 12-18). Small olive emerger patterns (size 20, bead and no-bead) are getting come nice fish. BWO hatch mid to late day, size 16 to 22. Salmon are in the river and moving up to the hatchery.


East:
The East is fishable with streamers, stoneflies, and nymphs (size 12 to 18), BWOs (size 16 to 22), caddis and stimulator droppers. Salmon are in the East River and up at the hatchery.


Kokanee Salmon Run:
Kokanee are a land-locked form of sockeye salmon. The run to the Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery is the only all natural run in Colorado that goes to a hatchery. Each April, 2-inch kokanee fry are released from Roaring Judy into the East River. Their overnight journey takes them down the East to the Gunnison River and onto Blue Mesa Reservoir, where they typically spend two or three summers. In late August, the salmon begin their trek back to the hatchery and the run usually lasts through October. Division of Wildlife personnel spawn the salmon at the hatchery, taking 3,000,000 to 10,000,000 eggs per year. Catch and release fishing for kokanee is allowed on the Gunnison River and East River. Some salmon make a "wrong turn" up the Taylor River. If you are staying with us, we have an excellent area on our property for salmon fishing.

For more information on the salmon run or 3 Rivers Resort and Outfitting, call Willowfly Anglers toll free at 1-888-761-3474.

Thanks to Willowfly Anglers for today's report.  Thank you for checking in.

Fish-on!
Mark

FishingTravelNetwork.com
AlaskaCoastalFishing.com

We're In The Water For You Every Day!

Posted by mark at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Greetings Angler,

Here is the current fishing report for the Gunnison Valley from Almont Anglers, our FishingTravelNetwork.com Featured Guide and Outfitter:

Posted by mark at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)