Category: Riffle and Rise Blog

Had a nice few days of camping and fishing up near the headwaters of the Arkansas River. Caught lots of pretty wild brown trout. It was a really great trip.

Summer is upon us now and the bugs are hatching and the trout are looking up. Let’s hope for some rain!

When the big rivers are in runoff, the small creeks can fish well since they will typically drop and clear sooner. June can be a good time to fish the mountain streams, especially during low water years like this one.

This SNOTEL graph shows the recent snowpack and Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) details for the Gunnison River Basin. (Click on image to enlarge.) We are well below average/normal, and sadly, we’re looking at drought conditions this summer.

A pretty wild trout with nice fins and good color. Love the red spots on brown trout. No two fish ever look the same. (Click on images to enlarge.)

Fishing the small streams prior to runoff can be a lot of fun. It’s pretty much Wooly Buggers all day long. There’s just something about being up in the mountains and catching a lot of wild trout with a 7-foot bamboo rod and not seeing another angler the entire time.

Pre-runoff streamer fishing can be great in early spring, especially for a few days after they release 2 or 3 million salmon fry in the East River so they can make their down way to Blue Mesa Reservoir. It’s just crazy good fishing.

The snow is melting in the Gunnison Valley and the rivers are rising with early runoff. Fish are keying in on stonefly nymphs and midges, and they also chasing streamers. This runoff will probably be short and sweet based on the above average temperatures we’re experiencing. Fishing will continue to be good until the rivers blow out, which could be in the next two weeks (or less).

Got out for some early season fishing over the weekend. There was a good midge hatch in the afternoon and we caught some decent fish on dry flies. Water is very low still, but with temps creeping up to nearly 60 degrees later this week, we’ll see rivers begin to rise.

Spent a few weeks in Texas and got to visit Louisiana for a few days as well. It was good to get away for part of the winter and help out Peri’s mom. Pulled the camper down and camped in the Texas Hill Country and also in Natchitoches, Louisiana. After about 5 weeks, 2 flat tires, and a cracked windshield, I am back home in Colorado and looking at a snow storm coming and below zero temps. Next year I hope to be gone for January AND February. But it’s time to ramp up for the upcoming fishing season now. Sure hope we don’t have another drought. Stay tuned.
(Check out my road trip inspired song, 18 Wheelers and Jesus.)