08/05/24

Where to fish? Float season on the upper Rio has come to a close. So put your wading boots on and go wade fish. The upper Rio Grande has been fishing fair. Common wade spots we have liked recently are mile marker 8 and 10 between South fork and Creede. There are pull offs for each spot right of highway 149. Also, check out thirty mile campground as well below the Rio Grande reservoir. Creeks and high alpine lakes are your numbers game right now, stop by the fly shop and we will give you directions and flies.  

What time to fish? 6am to 1:00pm has been prime time. We are still getting trico hatches, midge hatches, and BWO hatches but other than that, not much to write home about. We are starting to see some early season terrestrial fishing. So make sure you have a few tan and pink bottom hoppers on you. It seems that about 9:00am-1:00pm is the best feeding time. Our Water temps have been getting really high by about 2:00pm. So we ask please respect the fishery once you are seeing temps over 67 degrees, stop fishing!  

What to use! For dry fly action we have been catching fish on big hoppers(pink and tan bottoms) and small single dries. BWO patterns or most extended body mayfly patterns from 16-20 have been productive. If you see the single rising fish or a small pod of fish on a seam line, most small mayfly dries will do the trick right now. Brown, olive, or gray and you will be playing the game right. Fish long leaders right now as it’s been a sunny past couple of days. 

Subsurface flies are a total mix. Our best flies have been fast sinking (tungsten heads), and BWO emergers. Olive and light gray perdigons, slim hares ears, and small tungsten pats rubber legs have been great for point flies. RS2’s, WD-40’s, zebra midges, chewee cranefly larva, rainbow warriors, black beauties, and various baetis patterns have been the ticket for small bugs.

Where are the fish? Because of higher water temps and low flows one of the best areas to target fish is in the fast heavy water. Look for the big riffles and heavy seam lines. Riffles that are 3 feet deep, foem-ed up, and have a red to green color transformation at the top of the run are key. These areas have more oxygen so, think oxygen, cooler water spots, and quicker water. Add some weight and depth and don’t forget to swing your flies.

If there is big cloud cover pay attention to the deep slow pools for the sippers. They are not aggressive on top but will take advantage of a hatch and move into the soft water. 

We are in the season of 5x tippet, sometimes even 6x. Long leaders, smaller dries, and smaller nymphs. The river has still been fishing well but, fish to the conditions. As always please give us a ring or stop by for advice.