August Fishing Forecast In And Around Pueblo: 2013

Pueblo Tailwater:

Drift client Gale enjoying a beautiful summer day on the tailwater.

In a good water year, the Pueblo tailwater generally doesn’t start fishing until mid to late August.  2013 has not been one of those years.  This summer we saw good fishing flows from the low 200’s to the upper 500’s by the end of June, aside from the occasional bump in flows when rainwater was being moved downstream.  I feel confident that August will be a very fishable month on the tailwater.  Prime hatches of interest will be tricos in the early morning, caddis and aquatic moths from late morning through dusk, along with a mix of PMD’s, Pink Alberts and tiny baetis throughout the midday hours.  Terrestrials should also be productive on top and the streamer fishing will be kicking into gear as well.

When fishing the Pueblo Tailwater in late summer, keep in mind this is not your typical mountain tailwater.  Come August we see water temperatures from the dam in the mid to upper 60’s.  With the multitude of rock weirs, boulder clusters and riffle water below the dam, dissolved oxygen levels remain quite high.  However, to ensure successful catch and release practices, focus your efforts on the first four miles of the tailwater, from Pueblo Blvd up to the dam.  If flows are over 200cfs, fishing  below Pueblo Blvd in the morning hours is not an issue.  Regardless of location and flow, it is also important to play fish aggressively and land them as soon as possible.  Luckily the water carries a decent tint this time of year which allows anglers to use 4 or 5x tippet on all but the smallest of flies.

Barring unusually cool weather, you will be most comfortable wet wading on the tailwater through summer and into early fall. I prefer quick drying pants over shorts as it affords protection from bugs, sun and Poison Ivy.     

Arkansas River – Parkdale to Salida (Bighorn Sheep Canyon)

Aside from the sometimes frequent “gully washers” that will turn the river into a temporary mocha latte, fishing on the Arkansas river can be fantastic throughout the Big Horn Sheep canyon.  Along with the typical hatches of red quills, micro caddis, yellow sallies and tricos, you will find the best terrestrial fishing of the year.  A double dry combo such as a Charlie Boy Hopper trailed by a red quill or ant pattern can be absolutely deadly.  If the fish are not willing to come up to eat then lose the second dry and a bead head pattern like a caddis pupa, pheasant tail or copper john in sizes 14 – 18 should do the trick.  I prefer to trail dry flies with a short length of tippet in the 12 – 18” range.  When dropping a nymph(or two) off the back of a dry, I will double the length to 2 – 3’ and longer in some instances.

High Lakes:

The days are still quite long and if you’ve been talking about hitting some alpine lakes this year the clock is ticking.  Winter comes early in the high country so now is the time to pick a lake and go for it before the weather turns.  The Sangre and Collegiate Peaks mountain ranges have dozens of lakes that hold a mix of rainbows, brookies, and cutthroat.  Most require a decent hike but many can be access with a 4x4 vehicle with decent clearance.  The fishing can be feast or famine on these lakes but when you hit it right it will be memorable.  A short list of top fly patterns for these high lakes and streams include the Parachute Adams, Foam Caddis, Beetle, Renegade and Griffiths Gnat for dry flies (sz 14 – 18) and wooly buggers, prince nymph, pheasant tail and the birds nest in sizes 12 – 16 to cover the subsurface action.  The water in these lakes are crystal clear so plan on using 5 and 6x tippet.   

 

Whatever water you find yourself fishing as summer comes to an end we wish you many hook-ups and happy landings.
 Thanks For Reading, The Drift