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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: 6/14/2026

 

Current Conditions:
 Welp, after 2 weeks of really great flows, the water dropped significantly yesterday. Current flows are at 84 cfs. and low by normal standards. Its impossible to try and figure out what they are doing with the water down here. Its incredibly inconsistent and we always recommend looking at the flows before you head down. While the flows are low, the fishing has been great. This drop should intensify the dry fly activity and sight fishing activity. Water temps are still pretty decent, but prolonged low flows may start to affect that. It would be wise to keep an eye on the water temps down here.
Hatches:
 Midges, BWO's, and caddis are the main attractions right now. We are seeing these bugs 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.  Regardless of the time of year, these fish really prefer the hatch specific insects.
Tactics:
With the drop in flows, class will be back in session. Smaller terminal tackle and perfect drifts are a must!
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  hatches later in the day here. Water temps are still cool but warming up nicely. Fishing in town has been great, just be cautious on where you park. and do not leave ANYTHING in your car.

Weather:

  The flows from Cheesman have been pretty stable over the last week. The flows today are a tad higher than we have seen and are at 276 cfs. These are excellent flows for the canyon and the fishing has been great. In fact, these flows are kind of right in the perfect spot for Cheesman in June. Even with a little higher flows, these fish want everything presented perfectly. The fish are picky in here and the fishing has been technical. Anglers will want to pay attention to everything from their terminal tackle size, to perfect drifts. The fish will be much more picky and attention to detail is key. Nymphing and dry fly fishing are both great options right now. In fact, a hopper or dry/dropper has been a ton of fun at these lower flows. The fishing has been great overall.

Cheesman reservoir is currently 87% full.
Hatches:
 Midges and BWO's are still the staples. We are seeing good action in both subsurface and adult activity.  Subsurface is always the most consistent, but we have also had some great dry fly fishing for adult midges and BWO's! Caddis are starting to become more important as well. Again, adding scuds, stoneflies, cranefly larva, or worms to the regular hatching insects can be a good idea right now.
Tactics:
Its hopper/dropper time! Low flows are great for this technique and can be a ton of fun.
Tips:
Water temps are still pretty cold in the canyon. But the weather can be hot. Its best to hike in without waders and then put them on once you are in your spot.

Weather:

Short Term-  Today will cool off a bit and be absolutely beautiful. We could see an afternoon thunderstorm here today, so keep an eye out for that. Any storm should be brief and things should clear up fast. We will dry out and warm up next week. Temps could get close to record highs on Wednesday and we will see temps in the  100's! Precipitation chances are non existent during this time. Heading towards the end of week, precipitation chances will increase again. We have decent chances of rain from Friday through the weekend, and into next week. Temps will remain warm though. In all, this coming week looks like a great time to head out to the water.

Long Term-  With the increased precipitation chances next week, it looks like we have the possibility of seeing more frequent afternoon thunderstorms here. While chances are still low, there are at least chances. This would be coinciding with the summer monsoon season. Temps will also be hot and in the 80's and 90's. Longer range forecasts have been hinting at this for a little while now, and this looks like the set up to that. We desperately need to get some consistent rainfall as our snowpack statewide is already gone. This is about 3 weeks earlier than normal, and expected after our low snow year. Each year when this happens, our fire danger increases.

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-
  • Sniper baeitis, olive, sizes 20-22
  • Mercury RS2- grey or black, size 22
  • Barrs emerger, BWO, sizes 18-20
  • Caddis Candy, sizes 16-18
  • Graphic Caddis, tan, size 16
  • 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
  • Elk Hair caddis, sizes 16-18
  • 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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