Fishing Report

for

Rocky Mountain National park

Updated:  September 2nd

NOTICE: 
The Park Service has closed access to most of the Big Thompson, Colorado and Fall rivers inside the Park during the elk rut from Aug. 29 through October 26, from 5pm to 7am. 

Fishing Forecast:  Good to Excellent

Flows have returned to normal this week with the major streams running at about 30-40cfs.  Water clarity is excellent, with the exception of Colorado, Roaring and Fall rivers following a heavy rain.  But, both clear up quickly and fishing returns to normal.

Early mornings are not fishing well due to lower overnight temperatures.  Usually by 9:30am the sun has warmed the water enough that fish and bugs are starting to move.  We're seeing caddis first, then BWOs and a few yellow stones, with the stones coming off heavy in the afternoon.  There are a few PED & PMD coming off still, so yellow is a good fly color with 3 hatching insects in a light creamy yellow color.

Suggested Patterns

DRIES:
    Caddis #12-16 (cream, green, yellow)
    BWO #12-18
    Adams #18
    PMD #18
    Light Cahill #16
    Yellow Sally, #16
    Stimmie, #16 (green, yellow)
    Griffith's Gnat, #18-22

NYMPHS & EMERGERS:
   Soft Hackles (partridge & orange, pt softhackle), #16-18
   PT, Prince, Stones, #16-18
   Green Copper John or Olive Hares Ear, #16-18
   Black Beauty Midge, Disco Midge, #20-24
   Barrs Emerger-- PMD or BWO
   RS2 -- PMD or BWO 

Choosing the right fly
You'll notice in my Fly Patterns suggested above, I use fairly generic names for the flies.  There are specialty patterns for each of these flies, but if you match to:
   - Size
   - Color
   - Profile
on any insect you're seeing, you'll do fine.  You'll also want to seine for insects in 3 areas-- surface, water column, kicking up the bottom.

The surface will tell you what is in the top inch or so of water-- spinners, emergers, duns.

The water column will give you an idea of what will hatch shortly- adult nymphs, emergers.

The bottom will tell you what stage of the life cycle the bugs are in, and which will mature in the next 12 to 24 hours (i.e.- larger nymphs and larvae will be the next probable hatches).

As you reach the stream, and before you tie on a fly, sit and watch the fish to see where they are feeding in the water column. 

Are they hugging the bottom and barely moving, or just down from a riffle darting side to side? 
   Solution:  Tungsten bead nymph for the former, unweighted nymph for the latter.

Are the takes on the surface a subtle dimple or whorl, or do they aggressively break the surface? 
   Solution: Barr's emerger for the former, high-floating dry for the latter.

For the caddis hatches, remember there are two times to fish soft hackles:
   - when the insects swim to the surface preceding the "hatch".
   - when the insects hit the water and swim to the bottom to lay eggs.

If all of this makes sense to you, you probably don't need a guide other than to speed up learning how to fish Park waters.  If this is Greek to you, give us a call and allow us to be your guides to the "Wild" side of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Tight Lines,

Chris Conway
Owner / Guide                                    

                                                                                                              Chris holding an exceptional brown taken in Moraine Park

AREA STREAMFLOWS

Big Thompson River (Moraine Park & Upstream)
     Click for Streamflow

Colorado River (Kawuneechee Valley)
     Click for Streamflow

North St Vrain
     Click for Streamflow