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Where to Go Arkansas River – Pueblo

Current Reports

 

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SUMMER HOURS 6am to 6pm Daily

 

Photo by Covey Guide Ted Demetriou

 

Report Date: 5/22/2026

 

Current Conditions:
  The flows are absolutely perfect on the tailwater right now. Current flows are at 211 cfs. and the river has been fishing great. The outflows on the tailwater this year will closely mimic the inflows to Pueblo reservoir. If we see increases on the freestone section, we will likely see an increase on the tailwater. Class is back in session down here and the focus should shift back to smaller hatch specific bugs.   Nymphing will always be the most consistent method, but we are seeing several great windows throughout the day for good dry fly fishing. The afternoon BWO hatches have been quite fun. 
Hatches:
 Midges and BWO's are the main attractions right now. We are seeing these two hatch on and off all throughout the day. Pay attention to the hatches and switch accordingly. Cloudy days are supporting some absolutely great mayfly hatches. Caddis are also becoming quite active and will add another cool element to the days hatches. Regardless of the time of year, these fish really prefer the hatch specific insects.
Tactics:
 These fish want absolutely perfect drifts, so keep the focus on your presentation!
Tips:
  The prime fishing window is rather large right now. There are opportunities from earlier in the mornings clear through the evening. In fact we have seen some great BWO hatches later in the day here. Water temps are warming nicely and the river has really come to life. Fishing in town has been great, just be cautious on where you park. and do not leave ANYTHING in your car.

Weather:

Short Term-  We have had some cooler and wet weather over the last week. This was a nice surprise and we are glad to get any moisture we can! Today we could see a real good shot at some meaningful rain here. Anything that does happen will be rather short lived though. Things will dry out for the holiday weekend and we will see high temps in the 80's. By all accounts, we will see perfect weather for this time of year.

Long Term-  After this weekend, we will see warm temps and some increased precipitation chances each day next week. These chances are on the low side, but that wont rule out an afternoon thunderstorm. Temps will be warm and in the 80's. This patterns looks persistent, and will be the case for the foreseeable future. Longer range, its pretty hard to say what will happen. But we have a lot of moisture funneling through the area and the jet stream is in a favorable location to create storms. After a lackluster winter, this cool and wet pattern is about the best case scenario. It will undoubtedly get hot and dry, so lets enjoy it while we can!

This is an area we offer guided walk/wade and float trips, please give us a call if you are interested!
RECOMMENDED PATTERNS
For a custom fly assortment for this location, click here!
Our top 6 nymphs for today-
  • Blowtorch, sizes 18-20
  • Mercury RS2- grey or black, size 22
  • Barrs emerger, BWO, sizes 18-20
  • Caddis Candy, sizes 16-18
  • Philly cheese crane, size 8
  • Mayers mini leach, olive, sizes 14-16
Our top Dry flies for today-
  • Neil's BWO, olive, sizes 20-22
  • Parachute Adams, sizes 18-22
  • Smokejumper, olive, size 22
  • Micro CDC cripple, olive, size 22
  • Parachute BWO, size 20
Our top Streamer patterns for today-
  • Micro Dungeon, Natural. Size 10
  • Baby Gonga, yellow. Size 8
  • Conehead barely legal, olive/white, size 4

 

Standard nymph rig set up. 

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR “WHERE TO GO” PAGE FOR DETAILED INFORMATION ON OTHER AREAS! 

Shop Hand-Picked Pueblo tailwater Flies

The tailwater on the Arkansas River has blossomed into one of the best fisheries in the state, and it's a short distance from town. Fish populations are very healthy here and even hold some truly goliath trout. The technical angler will be perfectly at home here. If you go further into town, you will also find many other different species of fish, including largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, and even carp.

This area is oftentimes best fished in the shoulder seasons or winter due to high flows in the summer. But don't let bigger flows stop you! We are the only outfitter on the front range that offers both guided walk/wade and float trips here.

This is an area we specialize and are permitted to guide in, so give us a shout if you have any question or if you are interested in allowing one of our Orvis Endorsed Guides show you how best to conquer the Arkansas River – Pueblo.

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Directions - 50 miles - 50 Minutes

  1. From Anglers Covey: take I-25 south to Pueblo
  2. Get off on the highway 50 exit and go right
  3. Take highway 50 to Pueblo Blvd. and turn left
  4.  Turn right on Thatcher and take Thatcher to Valco Ponds.
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