Arkansas River - CO

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

ArkAnglers's Tip of the Week

Summer has arrived early and great fishing can be had NOW, especially in the early hours of the day. There's a slight chance of precipitation a few days this week which would offer much needed relief in several different categories for the valley. Smoke from forest fires around the west is varying factor in the valley and changes day by day. We've enjoyed better air quality over the last 4-5 days. We encourage river anglers to consider an early start to the day and take a break during the heat of the day, from roughly 2 to 5PM on the warmer afternoons. It's also a good strategy to seek opportunities at higher elevations where temperatures are less of a concern. Resident river fish will naturally shift out of forage mode in early to mid afternoon and fishing can be challenging at best while the fish rest. The last hour or so of daylight can see the action kick into gear again as temperatures drop and trout key on egg-laying caddis and mayfly spinners. The Arkansas River is unique due to the higher than average dissolved oxygen content throughout the system, and as such offers respite to trout even when water temperatures warm where other rivers can struggle. Wade fishing is exceptional throughout all river basins and floating is incredibly technical in the lower basin. Boaters should be experienced and intimately familiar with public and private land boundaries before putting on. We are now seeing yellow sally stoneflies, golden stoneflies, red quills, pale morning duns, and various summer caddis hatches below town. The lower reaches of Bighorn Sheep Canyon have also seen sporadic trico hatches. Hayden Meadows near Leadville has active Green Drake hatches ongoing. Combined with an early emergence of seasonal grasshoppers, these are all producing outstanding dry dropper fishing and are creating great dry and double dry opportunities at times. Sallies average a 14-16, golden stones a 10-12, red quills a 12-14, pale morning duns a 16-18, and tricos a 22-24. Wet and dry imitations alike need to be in the arsenal to take advantage of the growing mass of food below Salida.

Directions open in app

Water Flow Data

Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby