Where to Go Arkansas River – Pueblo

 The flows on the tailwater are back on the roller coaster. Flows started to plummet again this morning and are currently at 119 cfs. below the dam. We are unsure where they will end up, but lets hope this drop doesnt last too long. The clarity is improving slightly. There is about 2- 3 feet inches of visibility right now. The fishing has been unpredictable with the changing flows, but as a general rule will be better at slightly higher flows. It would be a good idea to keep an eye on the flows here. They can rise or fall without warning at any time. Its anybodys guess as to what the flows are going to be on any given day. The best advice is to look at the flows coming into the reservoir. The outflows should match up pretty good with those. Also the weather forecast and downstream water demand will play a part in the flows on the tailwater. Water temps are still warm, so please be mindful of them.

Hatches:

 Midges, Trico's, Caddis, and BWO's are the main bugs right now. We have seen fish eating all of these hatches mostly subsurface. The dry fly fishing has been great in certain areas. Keep your eyes open!

Tactics:

 The fish will concentrate with this drop in flows. Once the flows have settled, fish will venture back into riffles to feed during hatches. Dont be afraid to fish some of the faster water as we have seen a lot of fish feeding in areas like that. Nymphing will always be the most effective, but we have seen some fantastic dry fly fishing here on some days. Streamer fishing has been okay  throughout the day as well.  Its not a bad idea to add some leech, cranefly larva, scuds, leeches, or worm patterns to your rig.

Weather:

Short Term-  Again, its now October but it certainly wont feel like it weather-wise. We will continue to have some very warm and mild conditions. Temps through this week and into the weekend will be in the mid 80's. Today will be the coolest day of the week. Morning lows will be cooler, but things will warm up fast each day.   Precipitation chances are also very low at this time. We could see some windier days, especially in the afternoons. Fire danger will also increase during this timeframe. If you like mild summer-like weather, then this week is for you. Get out there and take advantage of the gorgeous conditions!

Long Term-  As we head past this coming weekend and the beginning of next week, it looks like we will have more of the same. This extended warmer period looks to last well into the middle of October. We will see temps in the 80's with morning lows in the 40's and 50's. Long range forecasts are hinting at some changes towards the end of the month, but for now we will stay warm and dry.

 

Tips:

The river has been busier with these lower flows. Remember that the entire river fishes well. The annual tarantula migration is upon us. While these large spiders are pretty much harmless, seeing a ton of them all together can be a little unnerving.

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!