Where to Go Arkansas River – Pueblo

 We are in typical winter flow rates for the tailwater. Current flows are at 108 cfs and should hover at or near this for the remainder of the winter season. These flows have been stable for weeks now and it will be unlikely to see much variance in these flows. The fish are a bit more consolidated right now. Clarity is excellent right now. The crowds have definitely shown up so keep that in mind. The fishing has gotten a little better and we are seeing great water temps in the 40's and 50's. We are not seeing as many of the smaller fish right now, although there are places you will find a ton of them.

Hatches:

 Midges and BWO's are the main bugs right now. We have seen fish eating all of these insects both subsurface and on top. The dry fly fishing has been great all throughout the river, but a lot of the action has been for small fish.

Tactics:

 The fish will consolidate more and start occupying typical winter lies. The lower elevation of the tailwater will really support a great variety of hatches, even through the winter. As the day progresses and water  temps warm, the fish are moving into shallower riffles during pronounced hatches to feed. Dont be afraid to fish some of the faster and skinny water as we have seen a lot of fish feeding in areas like that. During times where there are no hatches, focus on the slower and deeper water. Nymphing will always be the most effective, but the dry fly fishing here can be good as well.  Streamer fishing has been okay later in the day.  Its not a bad idea to add some leech, cranefly larva, scuds, leeches, or worm patterns to your rig. The fishing has been best from about 10am to 3pm

Weather:

Short Term-  We will enjoy a couple more days of quiet weather and then some huge changes will come. Thursday and Friday will be the nicest days with temps getting into the 40's and even 50's. Morning lows will still be chilly. On Friday night we will get a strong blast of cold arctic air dropping in from the north. This system will also be bringing some snow with it. We could see 2-4 inches of snow up here through the weekend. Temps will be cold though, and highs are expected to be in the teens. Overnight lows will get well below zero. Use caution if you are planning on being outside at this time. Frostbite can occur rather fast in conditions like this.

Long Term-  The extreme cold will last into next week and gradually warm up towards the end of the week. High temps next week will be in the single digits and teens. Morning lows are sure to be brutal and well below zero. As we get to the end of next week, we should see temps around average in the high 30's. Looking beyond that, most weather models are showing dry conditions through about the 28th. It also looks like the storm track will shift a bit and at least put us in a better position to get some more snow. Lets hope that happens!

Our snowpack has been doing decent this year and is currently sitting right above average. Our snowpack as of today in the Arkansas basin is at 103% of average for this time of the year. Lets hope these storms keep coming through the high country. Snow now means water later, and we can use all we can get!

Tips:

The river has been a lot busier lately. This fishery sees the most traffic in the fall and winter.

This is an area we offer guided walk/wade and float trips, please give us a call if you are interested!

For a custom fly assortment for this location, click here!