Where to Go Arkansas River – Pueblo

 Conditions have remained good on the Ark tailwater. The flows are at 82 cfs. and are pretty typical for this time of year. We are very unlikely to see these flows vary too much throughout the rest of the winter. Water temps are still in that prime zone that can foster some great winter bug activity. The river has been super busy this year and it doesnt seem to matter if its a weekend or a weekday. This location gets a lot more busy in the fall and winter. That being said, there is still plenty of fishable water down here. The fishing can be on the technical side, but persistence is the key. The fish are occupying all parts of the river and moving into riffles or shallower water to feed during the peak of the hatches. Nymphing has been the strongest, but we have also had some great dry fly fishing here. There are a lot of "pickles" or smaller fish in the river right now. You have to get through them to find some of the larger fish. Its important to take great care of these little guys though, as they are the future big fish in this fishery. There are still quite a few redds in the river and still some fish occupying them. While the brown trout spawn is pretty much done please be cautious of them and their redds (spawning beds). If you see redds there is a good chance they are holding eggs. Its important not to disturb those areas, they are also the future of this fishery!

Hatches:

There are Midges, BWO's and still some Tricos in the system. Especially with lower flows, keep your patterns small and sparse! Pay attention to the hatches and switch accordingly. Cloudy days are supporting some absolutely epic BWO hatches.

Tactics:

Cover ground. Even though its busy you can still find some parts of the river that are relatively empty. Keep your terminal tackle on the small side with 5x and 6x tippet, and either small or no indicators.

 With the increase in angling traffic, its a great time to explore some of the lesser visited areas on the tailwater. Fishing in town has been great, just be cautious on where you park. and do not leave ANYTHING in your car.

Weather:

Short Term-  Things have been very quiet in terms of weather down here this season. This week will be very nice and cool down towards the weekend. Highs will be in the mid 50's and cool as we head through the week. Morning lows will be chilly and it could take some time to warm up each day. On Friday, a small system looks to clip this area. As of now, there is a slight chance for snow but it doesnt look to be all that impressive. Temps will cool after that and be closer to seasonal averages. Saturday will be cool but it will warm up nicely by Sunday.

Long Term-  After next weekend, all signs are pointing at another dry and warmer than average period. It doesnt look good for really any snow chances through the end of the month and into February. High temps next week will be in the 50's and be absolutely gorgeous. Overall, this persistent pattern we have seen this year is getting concerning. This is the time of year where we have a chance to build up our snowpack and insure good water through the summer. We are currently sitting at record lows for our snowpack with no relief in sight.  Its definitely time to do those snow dances people!!