Where to Go Arkansas River – Pueblo

 The Ark tailwater has been fishing good recently. Water temps are still in that prime zone where lots of bug activity can occur. As usual, the crowds have also shown up here. This location gets a lot more busy in the fall and winter. That being said, there is still plenty of fishable water down here. Flows are low and at 79 cfs. We will not really see the flows come up through the winter. Expect technical fishing at these flows. The fish are occupying all parts of the river and moving into riffles to feed during the peak of the hatches. Nymphing has been the strongest, but we have also had some great dry fly fishing here. While the brown trout spawn is wrapping up, 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 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. We are still seeing some caddis as well.

Tactics:

Cover ground. Sight fishing has been fun with the improving clarity.

 With the increase in angling traffic, its a great time to explore some of the lesser visited ares 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-  A large scale high pressure ridge is developing across much of the west. This ridge will prevent any storms or cold air from coming south. Temps will gradually warm up as we head through the week, and we could actually see some record warm temperatures in this time. High temps this week will be in the mid to upper 50's, with morning lows still getting quite cold. The big story will be the wind this week. Winds look to be in the 15-20 mph range with gusts in the 30's. This looks to stay persistent clear into the weekend.

Long Term-  These recent storms have definitely helped out our overall snowpack, but we are still a good bit below average for this time of year. In terms of snow, the long range forecast is bleak. This stubborn high pressure ridge looks like it will stick around for at least 12 days. During this time we will see warmer than average temperatures and likely quite a bit of wind. In terms of snowpack, we shouldnt lose a whole lot with the low sun angle we see this time of the year. Hopefully as we get closer to Christmas we will see this pattern change. But for now, enjoy the warmer temps!