CURRENT CONDITIONS

Flows have collapsed on the tailwater below Pueblo Dam, down to roughly 32 cfs, from around 250 cfs just nine days earlier, while the stretch from Leadville down through Salida is holding more typical late-summer numbers. Colorado remains in a warm, dry stretch this August, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife has a voluntary fishing closure in effect on the Arkansas below Pueblo Dam, from Pueblo Boulevard downstream to the Fountain Creek confluence, in place since August 8 until further notice. The closure applies from noon to midnight on days when water temperatures climb into the stress zone for trout. Fish this stretch at first light and plan to be off the water by 11am, and handle every fish with care.

HATCH AND TECHNIQUE

Tricos are still showing at first light on the lower river, with caddis picking up from about 10:30am on and PMDs mixed in through the morning. Above Salida, hoppers, caddis, and attractor dries are drawing fish to the surface through the canyon water. A dry-dropper rig covers both stretches without re-rigging all day. Once the sun is off the water, swing a streamer through the deeper runs and undercut banks for the bigger fish that hold tight to structure during the heat.