Flows got another boost this past week on the Eagle river, and have been holding steady between 500 and 700 CFS.  This makes for ideal float conditions on the lower Eagle, as well as excellent wading.  Despite the bump in flows the water is still relatively clear, especially above Gypsum.  Nymphing is still the go-to tactic throughout most of the day, but scattered showers have

provided great dry fly fishing opportunities later in the day. 

Upper Eagle

On the upper Eagle, between Minturn and Edwards, fish are holding in deeper seams and pockets.  Fishing heavy bead head nymphs, like perdigons, has been key to get your flies down into the strike zone quickly.  Many of these pockets are small and drifts are short so lighter rigs are often past the fish before they reach the proper depth.  Trailing a heavy nymph with something small and unweighted has also been a good way to find fish.  The beadhead gets your rig down, while the unweighted fly tumbles and moves in the current, getting the attention of fish that are looking for emergers moving through the water column. Midges still make up the bulk of the morning hatches, while mayflies and caddis become more abundant later in the day as the water warms up.  Small jig streamers and wooly buggers have also been consistently pulling fish out of faster water and areas with structure.

Lower Eagle

Fishing on the lower Eagle has been excellent recently.  Cool weather and rain has kept flows high enough to float from Edwards down through Gypsum.  Hatches have been abundant and varied on the lower sections of the Eagle, with mayflies, caddis, and stone flies all hatching throughout the day.  Fish have started moving up into faster riffles and shallower water, making hopper dropper rigs more effective.  The slower seams along grassy banks are also good areas to target.  The most productive flies on the lower Eagle have been pheasant tails and frenchies, as well as small mayfly emergers like Rs2’s. Small stone fly patterns like a Micro Pat’s or 2-Bit Hooker have been excellent lead flies on nymph rigs. Streamer fishing has started to slow down but can still be productive, especially on cooler mornings.  Go-to streamer colors have been olive and tan.