10/14/12 Arkansas Below Pueblo

10/14/12
Arkansas Below Pueblo
Flows 41
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Another day down in Pueblo!  My buddy Andy joined me today and I was looking for the fishing to improve compared to yesterday!  We started at Valco again and picked up a few fish at 3 rocks, and we made our way upstream to the gauging station shortly after.  The fishing was still pretty slow like yesterday, but we were getting consistent bites.  Not a fish every cast, but we could pass our rig through some fishy water and eventually pick up a fish.

I was rigged up with a red san juan and 2 midges.  Andy had a red san juan, a soft hackle hare's ear and a midge.

Andy managed this nice bow at the far run at the gauging station.

Later in the day, we moved over to the Water Treatment Plant and caught a few more small guys.  I was starting to get discouraged, and Andy had to leave to go back to Denver so we decided to head over to the dam to see if we could find anything bigger.  The water looked even skinnier here so we decided to call it day.  Andy made his drive back to Denver and I started heading back into town...but I just couldn't resist one more cast at Valco...

I'm glad I stopped!  I ended up finally catching a decent fish above the gauging station.  He took a beadhead olive emerger pattern.

He measured out to 19 in, so certainly not the biggest, but a nice fish when all you've been catching all day is 12 inchers.

Here he is swimming away...

On my way back to the car, I ran into this little fella.  Made me want to tie on a crayfish streamer and see what would happen!

I guess this proves that there's plenty to eat in this river for the big fish!

So...a good end to the day.  Fishing was ok, but not incredible like I've seen it before.  I'll attribute the poor fishing to the low flows and windy conditions rather than my fishing ability.  :)

If you're going to head down, stock up on midges, mayflies, bwo's and trico's.  We witnessed an amazing trico spinner fall at 11:00.  Fish were rising to them, but took our small black size 20 midges as well.  I imagine a drowned trico spinner would get lots of hits too.  I tried a z wing caddis, but had zero hits on it...looks like the caddis are pretty much done.  Moving into winter, bwo's and midges will be the go to flies.

10/13/12 Arkansas Below Pueblo

10/13/12
Arkansas Below Pueblo
Flows 41
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

I got up at 4:00 AM and started my drive down to Pueblo from Vail.  I thought I might stop at the Dream Stream, but with the snow and rain, I figured it would be a better idea to make it to Pueblo before I stopped and fished.  I had a wedding Saturday afternoon and even if the weather did make me late...it wouldn't be an excuse my wife would accept!

So on down to Pueblo and my 1st stop was Valco.  I was surprised to see a lot of cars in the parking lot, and even more surprised to see this many fisherman on the water!  I guess the nice weather down south drew some Denverites to make the drive down south instead of west to fish.

I know the picture is a bit dark, but there were 4 guys fishing the gauging hole run and 2 guys standing in the middle of seams where fish lie!

So I made my way upstream and fished a red san juan, a two bit hooker, and midge.  I managed a few fish, but nothing of size.  I was pretty dissapointed with the low fish count and size so after catching a few, I hoofed it over to the Water Treatment Plant.

At the Water Treatment Plant, I didn't have much luck either.  I did run into the Steel City Angler guys and the local TU chapter who were doing a river clean up.  They managed to haul out 6 bags of trash and it still looked like they didn't do anything...glad they are out doing stuff like this, but it's hard when what they do only has a minimal impact.  Crazy how much punishment this river can take and it still produces good fishing.

I managed a few fish at the pools upstream but again, nothing too big so I decided to call it a day and focus on getting a good start tomorrow.



Fish were taking mostly the san juan and midge.  I had a few take the two bit hooker, and a few took a price nymph when I changed out the two bit hooker, but overall the fishing was slow.  The flows at 40 made the water really skinny and the fish super spooky.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

09/02/12 Arkansas River Below Pueblo

09/02/12
Arkansas Below Pueblo
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Flows 106

After sleeping in a bit, it was time to hit the road and head back to Parker.  But I couldn't leave without fishing in Pueblo!  It would be crazy not to fish before I left town!

So back to Valco for a quick trip.  I a was out of my regular flies for this stretch having lost or mangled them from the last 2 days of fishing.  I thought I'd try a change since the fishing has slowed down a bit over the weekend from all the pressure.

I rigged up standard "winter" midge set up with a juju baetis, zebra midge, and a blue poison tung.

There was already 2 guys fishing below the 3 rocks so I moved up to the faster waters and the tailout.  I was pleasantly surprised to pick up a fish on my second cast!

Another 2 casts later and another rainbow!  The fish were really liking the midges and the 2 guys below me came up to talk to me after I picked up another.  They had been fishing san juan worms.  I suggested a prince and a midge combo.  They thanked me and moved on upstream while I managed to catch another beautiful cutbow.

After 7 fish in an hour's time, I decided it was time to head home!  I guess it was fortuitous that I was out some of my "standard" flies since the midge fishing was hot!  I'll have to remember to try midges when the fishing slows down late in the summer.  Size 18-22 on 6x fluro seemed to be the ticket.  The overcast skies also probably helped.

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!

08/19/12 Arkansas Below Pueblo

08/19/12
Arkansas Below Pueblo
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Flows 95

Sorry for the lateness is posting this report...life sometimes gets in the way of fishing!  I"m neck deep in my busy travel season right now and the wife is busy with fair season going on.  Lucky for me, this means that when the wife needs to work down in Pueblo, I get to tag along and do some fishing!

The flows have been very low all summer, allowing for easy wade fishing unlike previous years when the river is roaring at 1200.  This has been a blessing and a curse for the river...fishing has been good all summer, with great hatches going on, but fishing pressure has been extremely heavy and I'm seeing lots of people leaving the river with big fish stuck on a stringer.  I have nothing against taking some fish home for dinner, it's just sad to see these big fish, some that I'm sure I've caught and released being taken home.

I started the day at Valco, and I thought I was there early enough to beat the crowds...unfortunately, the parking lot was already full!  I rigged up my rods and made my way down to 3 rocks and was able to get into some fish right away!  There were 3 guys fishing the slack water below who immediately made their way up and tried fishing where I was when they saw I was catching fish.

I picked up a few more on a prince nymph and another that took a brown z wing caddis.

Instead of sticking around and trying to fish around the 3 guys that moved up, I decided to move on and see if the fishing was any good upstream.

I made my way past a few other fisherman fishing the hole just above the parking lot, and past another 2 that were fishing the gauging station.  The fast riffles and pocket water above didn't have anybody in there so I dropped in a picked up a couple smaller fish.

The brown z wing caddis took most fish, with a few taking the prince.  There were quite a few fish slurping the surface, but I was too lazy to change and besides, I was catching fish! 

Around noon, the fishing died down...the fish stopped slurping...and I was ready for a drink and on to some old familiar water!  I headed over to the water treatment plant played around in the riffles and pocket water.  all small fish, but it was nice to fish in an area not as crowded as Valco.

After about an hour or two, I started wondering if the city park spillway was fishing any good...so I hoofed it back to the car and headed on over. 

I didn't see anybody fishing!  I soon figured out why.

Although I caught some fish, all were small and it wasn't as productive as it's been in the past.  The low flows, the higher temps and people taking fish home most likely attributed to the poor fishing here.  Usually there's at least a couple bait dunkers trying to fill up a stringer.  I did find a pod of suckers and they proved to be fun for a little bit, but I decided to move on back to Valco to see if I could get into some bigger fish.

It was getting late, and my arm was getting tired...I haven't had a full day of fishing in a while and I was getting fatigued!  My casts were getting sloppy but I was determined to get a few more fish before I called it a day.

So after a few more fish, I decided to call it day.  I long day, filled with great fishing!  Some big, some small, but it was still fun feeling the tug of a fish.  No brownies this trip, but the rainbows put up a good fight!

I nymphed all day, being lazy, I never tied on a dry.  Even though there was a trico hatch, a midge hatch, and a small caddis hatch.  I mainly used a prince nymph, barr's emerger, a z wing caddis, and a micro mayfly.  5x tippet/leader, with a small split shot.  This rig can be fished about 90% of the time in Pueblo, even in the winter, and I'm actually looking forward to this winter when the fishing pressure will be off and some of the bigger fish will be out!

07/22/12 Arkansas River Below Pueblo

07/22/12
Arkansas River Below Pueblo
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Flows 82

It's been a couple of weeks since I've had a chance to get out on the water!  And the warm weather isn't making it any easier on the fishing!  Usually I would make a trip up to the mountains, but since I had to meet the family down in the Springs for dinner, I figured a quick trip to Pueblo was in order.

Flows have been fluctuating from as low as 65 up to 450.  Recently, it's been very low and the high temps aren't making it easy on the fish.  Fish are holding in faster water and behind piles.  Some fish will move out into the slower water to feed but if you are nymphing, keep to the faster water and tailouts.

Besides the warmer temps and low flows...the fishing is insane!  Hatches were happening all day long with caddis, mayflies, and midges.

I started the day at the water treatment plant and got into lots of fish right away.  Hot flies for this stretch were a micro olive mayfly, brown z-wing caddis, and flashback pheasant tails.

Most were rainbows but I was pleasantly surprised to catch a few brownies as well!  Nothing huge, most around 12-16 in.

As the temps got higher, I decided to move closer to the dam in search of bigger fish and colder water!

I got to Valco and switched up my rig to all caddis flies.  An elk hair flash caddis up top, and a brown and green z-wing below. 

I was happy to get into some bigger fish!  But as you can see in the second picture, the tube hatch was in full effect...I had to wait a while for the water to rest before the fish starting rising again. 

After a couple kayakers came through I decided to move upstream and see if I could find some more fish...

I changed up my rig again; this time to a z-wing caddis, a cream midge, and a black tube midge.  I had TONS of midges and caddis all over my legs and shorts.  Definitely a hatch going on!  I even noticed a few trico spinners, but I didn't have any patterns that would match in my fly box.

I fished just past the gauging station into the faster water behind the rocks and managed quite a few more!  The most impressive of the day would have to be this brownie that I caught in front of the gauging station.  He took a size 20 black tube midge.

When 4:00 rolled around, I didn't want to leave!  The fishing had been hot all day long with fish taking dries and nymphs.

Hot flies were caddis dries, emergers, barr's emergers, z-wing caddis, micro mayflies, two bit hookers, pheasant tails, rs2's, and black or cream midges.

Fishing closer to the dam is definitely recommended, colder water and it seemed like the water temp was perfect for lots of bug activity. 

06/17/12 Arkansas Below Pueblo

06/17/12
Arkansas Below Pueblo
7:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Flows: 130

Father's Day!

After fishing the Ark a week before with the flows around 400, I was disappointed to see the flows drop to 130.  The problem was I didn't realize this and showed up at the river and noticed it was significantly lower!  Oh well...

I headed to the water treatment plant and immediately got into some fish!  Nothing big...seems the bigger guys had moved out of the faster runs into deeper water for cover but it was good action!  Around 7:30 I noticed a lot of fish rising and the water was literally boiling with fish rising.  I switched my nymph rig to a black foam back emerger and a black rs2 and proceeded to catch fish on almost every cast!  Again, nothing big...but it was a memorable morning.  And of course I forgot the camera in the car...

After meeting up with the wife and kid for a Father's Day breakfast, we decided to head back to the river and bring Kaycee along in her backpack!  She really loves that thing and loves looking around as mommy or daddy fishes.

Brenda started off by catching a couple nice fish and this 17 incher was pretty much the norm when we fished the deeper runs.

Another smaller guy, but the action was consistent and Brenda ended up catching 4 and lost quite a few more before we could net them.  She was so excited that she didn't want to leave!

I even managed to catch a Brownie!

But of course my wife out fished me...making her 17 incher the biggest of the day!

Fish were taking two bit hookers, pheasant tails, rainbow warriors, 20 inchers, and all types of mayfly patterns.  Lots of mayflies were in the air as well, but no fish were really rising in the mid day heat.  I think if we stuck around longer, we would have seen a nice hatch as the temps went down in the afternoon.

Overall a great Father's Day!  Good fishing and quality time spent with the wife and kid!

05/29/12 - 05/30/12 Arkansas Below Pueblo

05/29/12 - 05/30/12
Arkansas Below Pueblo
1:00 - 5:00 PM
Flows 429

Memorial Day weekend means spending time with the family down in Pueblo.  I wasn't planning on fishing in town, and I was planning on heading to Canon City to fish the Ark, but since I only had an afternoon, I thought I'd give town a shot and see what I could stir up!

I headed to Valco and I wasn't too surprised to see the parking lot full.  But I didn't see another fly fisherman...just bait dunker and hardware chuckers.

I started off doing pretty well...just nothing of size.

I was pretty surprised since this was usually where we caught bigger fish in the winter, but with the higher water, I assume that the fish are moving around quite a bit.

After catching quite a few cookie cutters, I decided to head over to the water treatment plant since I haven't been there in a long time!

Again, picked up the usual cookie cutters down by weirs.

After catching a few of these guys, I would have been happy calling it a day, but I was rewarded  few casts later when landed this nice 16 incher.

With family obligations in the morning on Monday, and considering that the fishing was actually good in town, I decided to stick around again instead of driving out to Canon City or Salida.

I immediately headed to the water treatment plant and found my groove!  Fish were actively eating in the riffles and the tail outs.  Just about any place that looked fishy, held some fish.

I was even able to get into some bigger fish!

I capped off the day with a nice 19 incher!

 Sorry for the bad picture, a fish that big is kind of hard to hold with one hand and snap a picture!

Hot flies of the day were mayflies and caddis patterns.  Actually, any nymph will do in a size 16 or 18.  I used the same 3 flies for both days and only changed to experiment with new flies as the the ones I was using were getting too beat up to recognize.

Red two bit hookers, z-wing caddis, and olive mico mayflies.  Other flies that worked well too were copper johns, prince nymphs, and even some midge patterns and rs2's.

With the higher flows, more weight is needed so pinch on lead about 12 inches above your lead fly and run a longer leader.  5x tippet is good, and fluro isn't necessary, but I think it helps.  Fish are also eating on the surface, but they are not rising to a specific hatch.  I did see some caddis out fluttering about, and I even saw a few being slurped off the surface.  Unfortunately I left my fly box with my dries in the car...no matter, the nymphing was still great with the big guys feeding in the riffles.

Now is the time to get down to Pueblo!  These higher flows and summer bugs have the fish out and about feeding heavily.  The flows are perfect this year, and depending on snow pack and water conditions next year, it probably won't happen again.