Eagle River:
Water temperatures on the mid to lower Eagle are hitting 65°F or higher by noon each day. If you’re fishing in the afternoon be sure to carry a thermometer. Cooler water can be found farther upriver, so plan your day accordingly.
Trout thrive in cooler water (45–62°F). If you’re hooking fish, land them quickly, keep them in the water (“keep ’em wet”), and always wet your hands before handling them. We recommend snapping photos of trout while they’re in the net, in the water. Please avoid fishing when temps reach 65–68°F or higher. There are plenty of nearby “cool water” alternatives—give the shop a call for recommendations.
The Eagle is fishing great for wading anglers. With the increased water temps please fish it responsibly. Flows have slowed enough to end the float season. Morning hatches include pseudo baetis, lasting on and off through the day. Mid- to late morning brings the dominate hatch which are Tricos, followed by Micro Caddis late morning and through out the day. Caddis sizes increase through the afternoon into evening, when the heaviest hatches occur. Red Quills are also showing throughout the day.
For success, try a “skinny rig” (small indicator, minimal weight) or fish unweighted flies in natural colors. Downsizing tippet to 5.5X–6X and increasing the space between flies can help fool wary fish in low, clear water. Dry-dropper or mini-rig setups are also productive, especially in shallow, oxygen-rich riffles.
Upper Colorado River:
The flows and water temps are looking great on the Colorado for both wade and float fishing. With flows at 1,200 cfs after recent releases, we are seeing more active and productive fishing. Late morning you can expect a trico hatch Which can best be fished subsurface by throwing Mini-Rigs and drowning adult trico spinners and emerger patterns such as RS2’s or black crystal midges. Fishing streamers between hatches has been very productive- try throwing articulated Rusty Trombones in White/Cream. The evening bite has been prime time to be on the water with an abundance of hatches such as- Pseudo Baetis, PMD’s, Red Quills, Micro Caddis and some Caddis size #16-#18 are also coming off closer to dark. Fishing a large PMD size #14 to a “purple haze” size #16 drew many fish to the surface and net.
Justin Nolan