08/31/12 Arkansas Below Pueblo

08/31/12
Arkansas Below Pueblo
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Flows 106

Holiday weekend traffic put a damper on my spirits during the drive down...I left Parker at 3:00 PM and I didn't make it into Pueblo until 6:30.  Who knew heading south for the holidays was in every body's plans!

I was supposed to meet Dave for some evening fishing, but he didn't get down until about 7:30.  The plan was to be there by 4:30!

I started fishing at Valco and got into a few fish before Dave arrived.  Nothing special, just a few smaller fish that took a prince nymph or a z-wing caddis in brown.  I even managed a sucker!

Overall, fishing started out slow...but once the sun set, we were treated to an amazing caddis hatch!  Fish were splashing everywhere and we were taking them on the surface and subsurface.  We had made our way to above the gauging station and fish were everywhere.  In the riffles, pocket water, and even the slack water taking caddis.  Hot flies were of course the z-wing caddis, caddis pupa, elk hair caddis, puterbaugh's caddis, flashy caddis and even stimulators!

I know...the pictures are terrible, but trying to take pictures with a camera phone in the dark sucks.  I'm not sure if it was because of the full moon or what, but the fish were super active and we continued fishing into the dark.  We each managed a couple more fish but it eventually got too dark to see our flies or indicators.  The clouds had rolled in and what little light the full moon provided, was quickly covered up.

We left happy and content with fish still crashing on caddis but it was just too dark.  We were headed up towards Salida tomorrow anyways and Dave promised a good day so I was willing to leave with hopes of some great dry fly fishing up the road!