Frying Pan Anglers – a full service fly fishing shop and outfitter based in Basalt Colorado which provides guided fly fishing trips on the frying pan river, roaring fork river, Colorado river and other rivers in the Basalt area. Frying Pan Anglers carries fly fishing equipment, with Hardy fly fishing equipment, and fly fishing supplies. It provides regular fishing reports and fly fishing reports for the frying pan river, the roaring fork river and Colorado river in our area. Frying Pan Anglers is the premier fly fishing and guided fly fishing outfitter for the best quality guides and fly fishing equipment. Frying Pan Anglers provides a range of fly fishing equipment including orvis, hardy, greys, lamson, ross, galvan, and bauer fly fishing reels. In addition it carries orvis helios fly rods, hardy, greys, GL Loomis, mystic echo and St Croix fly rods. It is your one stop fly fishing shop and fly fishing outfitter in the frying pan river area for guided float and wade fishing trips and tours. It hosts excellent fly fishing guides and fly fishing tours on the frying pan river and other local waters. The guides will provide excellent teaching and coaching for clients of Frying Pan Anglers.Frying Pan Anglers – a full service fly fishing shop and outfitter based in Basalt Colorado which provides guided fly fishing trips on the frying pan river, roaring fork river, Colorado river and other rivers in the Basalt area. Frying Pan Anglers carries fly fishing equipment, with Hardy fly fishing equipment, and fly fishing supplies. It provides regular fishing reports and fly fishing reports for the frying pan river, the roaring fork river and Colorado river in our area. Frying Pan Anglers is the premier fly fishing and guided fly fishing outfitter for the best quality guides and fly fishing equipment. Frying Pan Anglers provides a range of fly fishing equipment including orvis, hardy, greys, lamson, ross, galvan, and bauer fly fishing reels. In addition it carries orvis helios fly rods, hardy, greys, GL Loomis, mystic echo and St Croix fly rods. It is your one stop fly fishing shop and fly fishing outfitter in the frying pan river area for guided float and wade fishing trips and tours. It hosts excellent fly fishing guides and fly fishing tours on the frying pan river and other local waters. The guides will provide excellent teaching and coaching for clients of Frying Pan Anglers.


Aspen Fly fishing Guided Trips

cabins on the Frying Pan River

river flow report for the frying pan roaring fork and colorado rivers

Frying Pan River Roaring Fork River and Colorado River guided fishing trips

book a guided frying pan river guided fishing trip

frying pan river trout flies

photos of the frying pan river, roaring fork river and colorado rivers

topics and discussions of the frying pan roaring fork and colorado rivers

fishing equipment and supplies for colorado fishing

frying pan anglers


 
 
 
     


Fishing Report

For the Week ending 24h August 2008


The last weeks in August mark a turnover of folk in our valley. The holidaying families return home for school. There is a lull before the next group of visitors come out for the colors and the cooling weather. Saturday however saw 91degrees in Glenwood. So it has not cooled off quite yet.

The fishing has been excellent again this week on the Pan, the Fork and the Colorado. The level of the Fork continues to drop as the past week saw little rain to color up the water or raise the level. The dry weather also helped clear the Colorado.

The lower flow is making floating the Fork up higher a more challenging proposition however if you are prepared to do some work the rewards are there. The run-off has certainly widened the river and flattened the river bed in places eliminating some of the channels which previously assisted in making the river easily navigable.

The hatches remain prolific with the best dry fly activity being on the Pan. However there are sporadic responses on the Fork to dries if your timing is good.

Overall the fishing remains excellent as we move towards Autumn. So if you have not made the journey up here yet this year there is still time left as we get into some of the best fishing times of the year.

 

Ed with a beauty caught by Mark Schnickner


Frying Pan

Current Flow: below the Dam - 320cfs. (if you want more uptodate figures check out current readings on our "Links" page)

The fishing remains spectacularly good on the Pan. The hatches are prolific with the drakes still coming off at the Dam. Cameron and Harry have reported some excellent dry fly fishing all week. Lower down the hatches continue through the day starting off with midges and PMD’s then BWO’s followed by more midges and PMD’s in the evening. The caddis are about as well and the fish are responding well to caddis patterns fished on the edges in the evening.

The flow in the Pan remains relatively high at 320cfs make wading a little tough if you are not steady on your legs. But it has certainly shifted around the larger fish and they can be found along edges and in the quieter sections or deeper down behind structure. One would expect the flow in the Pan to drop off shortly so watch the flows in anticipation. The weather is expected to warm up some more in the coming week for a few days and then cool a little again with the possibility of some rain.

The outlook for fishing is excellent as the families go back to school and numbers on the river begin to abate into autumn. A perfect time to consider getting out onto the river.

Recommended Flies: We are now well into the summer season so the full array of food is available to the trout which have benefitted from the high water and little interference from fishermen. So be prepared to try midges, BWO's, PMD's, drakes, caddis and terrestrials.

The midges will come off during the day, particularly if it is sunny. So try WD-40's #20 , red and black chironocones #20, brassie's #18 - #22, midge larva patterns #18 - #22, copper johns #18 - #22, black polywings #18 - #22 and garcia's rojo midges # 18 - #22.

If the fish start moving higher in the water column or get active under the surface, try the gray loopwing emergers #20 - #22, the FPA special emergers, biot emergers both with and without the trailing shuck and gray RS2's #18 - #22.

When they are on the surface, try dry patterns such as the z-wing real midge, suspended midge and any similar dry black and gray patterns such as a parachute Adams in sizes from #20 through to #28.

For baetis, try some small nymph patterns such as pheasant tails and the FPA sparkle baetis #20 - #24 down deep. In addition try the emerger patterns like crystal hunchback, juju baetis, the mighty mite, icebreakers and the FPA sparkle baetis - #18 - #24 and rs2 #18 - #22 and soft hackle baetis #18 -#22.

If BWO’s start to come off try dry patterns like the adams and parachute adams #20-#24 and the matthews #18 - #24 with an emerger dropper. If the fish are under the surface try fishing 2 emergers with a very small weight to get the flies down a little. An rs2#20 behind an FPA emerger or sparkle baetis with a thorax bead will do the trick.

On the bright days the BWO's will tend to come off in the shade. But if it starts to rain, don't come in. Just stay out on the water as long as you can - unless its an electrical storm!

PMD’s are now coming off both in the mornings and the afternoons so try emergers and dries as the hatches start. Try barr’s emerger #16 - #18, the FPA special emerger #16 - #18, the red and ginger quills #16 - #18, rusty spinners #16 - #18 and Lawson’s No Hackle #16 - #18. In addition try soft hackle patterns.

The drakes are now coming off so carry drake nymphs, emergers and dries with you. As the pressure of fishing increases, don’t use the standard dry patterns. Come by the shop and see our range of different drakes. We have 2 drawers full of different patterns down to #14. Every year we try and get in new patterns for a difference. In addition try old favorites which have been forgotten like Adams patterns #10 - #12. They are great mayfly patterns and few fishermen use them today. In addition try cripples. The trout will soon have seen most patterns known to man, so the trick it to try and get something just a little different, present it as well as you can and use your imagination.

Also try stimulators, caddis and larger nymphs particularly mid and lower down the Pan. Try crane flies for something a little different.

Roaring Fork

Current Flow: near Emma - 619cfs (if you want more uptodate figures check out current readings on our "Links" page).

The fishing on the Fork remains excellent as the level continues to fall slowly. At 619cfs it is still higher than traditional levels at this time of year and therefore the fish remain well spread out near a lot of structure. The river bottom has changed a little in places since last year so floating craft have to work a little to get through some spots. But it should remain good floating for a while yet. Lower down, of course the water is excellent for floating so most of the traffic finds its way down closer to Glenwood if you like to float as part of a flotilla. So if you do want to float closer to Glenwood, pick you time carefully to make sure you have at least some part of the river to yourself.

As the level continues fall, the wading access is improving markedly with a lot of structure now reasonably accessible to fishermen. Higher up the Fork the traffic remains minimal despite the traffic on the Pan. So if you do want to access some relatively untouched water and are prepared to walk a little, drop into the shop and we can point you to areas which are publicly accessible and yet little fished because it involves walking more than a few hundred feet from your car.

Recommended Flies: Try baetis and PMD nymphs in the morning. In addition in quieter areas where there are a lot of midges coming off, try black and gray midge emergers. Try small baetis nymph patterns such as pheasant tails #18 - #24. Baetis emergers try RS2, the crystal hunchback, juju baetis, the mighty mite, icebreakers and the FPA sparkle baetis - #18 - #24. In addition try the rusty spinners.

As the day progresses and the hatches evolve try caddis dries and emergers and dries with baetis and PMD emergers. Try Barrs emergers, the bubbleback, and the FPA PMD beadtail emergers.

The drakes are also coming off higher up although they are intermittent now. So try nymphs such as the muskrat, and when you see some coming off try emergers and dries. See our comments on drakes on the Frying Pan.

Also try princes, brassies, and copper johns as well as stone fly nymphs.

If you are floating, try streamers and big stone fly nymphs. Also try large dry patterns such as stimulators well placed behind structure or in eddies or quieter sections as you float by. The fish will start to come up to them.

Also try terrestrial patterns.

Some lovely fish Alan and I took in recent floats on the Fork.

Colorado River

A week of dry weather and the conditions in the Colorado are good. Ed and Harry have been floating it and reporting some good trips on both dries, streamers and nymphing.

Recommended Flies: BWO nymphs, emergers and dries; midge emergers and dries during the hatches, larger PMD nymphs down to #14 as well as emergers and dries, 20 inchers size #10 - #14; streamers #2 - #8. Drake nymphs emergers and dries. Yellow sallies. Also try terrestrial patterns as well as caddis.

 

 
 

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