Colorado River

Summer Fishing.

After run-off has finished and the water is clear there is excellent fishing on the Colorado during Summer. The drakes will hatch there before they start hatching on the Fork and then the Pan. Other hatches occur there earlier as well.

At the height of summer, a distinction has to be drawn between fishing the Colorado below the confluence with the Roaring Fork and above it. In the hot weather, the Colorado near Dotsero, for instance, gets affected by the heat. The water warms and the fish become lethargic during the day. The only reasonable fishing is in the mornings or in the later afternoons against the steep banks with hoppers. If you took the time though it is a pretty float through open rural lands down towards Dotsero.

However, below the Fork the water is cooled by the colder water from the Roaring Fork. So in fact the fishing on the Colorado below Glenwood is better in the summer heat until even the lower Fork starts to warm a little. There is excellent floating if the water is clear down to Silt and Rifle. Furthermore, down that far, there are carp which is a favorite of Ed.

One disadvantage of the Colorado below Glenwood is that the water can color up very quickly if there is a sudden summer downpour. If the Crystal river or Thompson Creek blow out, that will dirty the Fork which in turn will affect the Colorado and the fishing in the Colorado can be off for days.

Flies:

Theo’s bead head stone-tan-#10
Tungsten rubber leg hares ear -#14
Barrs copper john-red and copper-#14, #16
Double bead head Biot stone, hares ear-#6, #8
Bead head twenty incher #10, #8
Mercers poxy stone-brown-#10
Half back stone-#6, #8
Brown hackle peacock- various sizes
Roaring Fork stone-#8, #10, #12
Various Prince Nymphs;
caddis;
Terrestrials

[Index]

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