Time: 11:00AM – 4:30PM
Location: Large Horn Sheep Canyon
Arkansas River 03/27/2024 Photo Album
I was trying to find hotter temperatures somewhere in Colorado just after an additional slug of winter hit the point out on Sunday, March 24, 2024. As I scanned my Weather conditions Underground app, I observed that most highs were in the 40’s, and I am averse to fishing in winter disorders. Nonetheless, I identified a ray of hope, when I tapped on the Canon Town spot, wherever the higher on Wednesday was envisioned to peak at 52 degrees. I made the decision to check out the lower Arkansas River.
I was reluctant to fish in the decreased canyon since of the Hayden Creek fireplace burn up scar and subsequent ash flows major to decreased insect populations and subsequently an impression on trout quantities. For this purpose I averted the region above the intervening eight decades, but climate concerns induced me to reevaluate. I named ArkAnglers, and the gentleman I talked to confident me that the reduced canyon had recovered, so that turned my desired destination.
Highway construction on I25 and big road operate in Canon City slowed my progress, but I arrived at my preferred spot by 10:30AM. I was excited to renew my acquaintance with a favourite spot in reduced Huge Horn Sheep Canyon. The temperature was 42 degrees, as I well prepared to fish. I donned my Beneath Armour extensive sleeve thermal undershirt, fleece cardigan, North Confront mild down coat and rain shell together with my billed New Zealand hat with earflaps. I was layered up and prepared for the chilly. For a fly casting instrument I selected my most recent Sage R8 4 pounds.
I started in a section of the primary river that ran next to US24. The river was tinged with shade, so I rigged with a strike indicator, break up shot, molting rubber legs stonefly, and 20 incher. I used heaps of bodyweight, and It was at this issue that I identified that I lost the wool product for my New Zealand strike indicator, so I was forced to deploy an orange Thingamabobber.
I worked the deep, sluggish shifting slicks future to the steep rocky bank for 45 minutes, until eventually I acquired snagged. The wedged flies have been in a spot that was also rapid and deep to possibility a rescue, so I yanked specifically on the line and popped off both flies and the break up shot. I replaced the tandem with an emerald caddis pupa and common RS2, and just in advance of I quit for lunch, a nice, thick rainbow nailed the caddis emerger. I was on the board, but my arms ended up stinging from the chilly, and it was lunch time, so I climbed the lender and returned to the auto. I grabbed my lunch and sat in the motorists seat, and I turned on the car to examine the temperature, and it displayed 36 levels. How could this be?
When I returned to the river, I extra fingerless wool gloves to my winter season attire, and I crossed the highway and several braids to get to the northern-most channel. For the remainder of the afternoon I labored my way up the full north branch and landed a different 7 trout. Just one extra trout took the caddis pupa, and the remainder snatched the RS2, The rainbow that grabbed the pupa, broke off the RS2 in the process of preventing, and I replaced it with a sparkle wing model of the RS2.
Around 2PM the tempo of the motion increased noticeably, and I noticed a few all-natural olives earlier mentioned the river together with two bankside risers nevertheless, my accomplishment amount was such that I stuck with the indicator nymphing set up. Evidently, however, the fish had been tuned into baetis action in the mid to late afternoon.
In addition to the eight fish that I landed on the day, I professional at least 6 extra trout hook ups, that I fought for various lengths of time, before they managed to escape. The downside of making use of dimensions 20 RS2’s is the lessen ratio of hooked to landed fish. A single of these fugitives from my hook level was a respectable rainbow that absolutely cleared the surface area of the river and snapped off the RS2, as the intense fish splashed back down. I replaced the sparkle wing with a beadhead gentle hackle emerger, and that yielded a few fish above the remainder of my time on the river.
Remarkably, 5 of the landed trout were rainbows, with the remainder being browns. I say amazingly mainly because memory tells me that this segment of the Arkansas River was ninety percent brown trout, when I fished it 8 decades ago prior to the Hayden Fire. The size of the trout was pretty favorable with virtually all falling in just the twelve to fourteen inch range, with chunky 13 inch fish being the norm.
As I hiked again alongside the main stem of the river at 4PM, I noticed some climbing trout along the near financial institution, and I could see extra naturals drifting up from the river, than I experienced found beforehand. This observation prompted me to increase my working day, and I taken off all the nymphing accoutrements and tied on a CDC BWO. By the time I reconfigured, on the other hand, the flurry of surface area feeding subsided, but I did control to get a search from the most upstream feeder. I was acquiring issues with tracking the small fly in the surface glare, so I additional a peacock hippie stomper as the ahead fly, but that shift failed to develop results, so I identified as it quits and returned to the Telluride.
When I would have most popular much more surface feeding and dry fly motion, I was very delighted with my working day. Eight wonderful trout about 4 several hours equals an ordinary of two fish for every hour catch charge, but this could have conveniently been superior, experienced I converted extra of my connections. The size of the trout was satisfactory, and the trout were being very hot fighters that challenged my fish preventing qualities. This was my to start with utilization of the indicator nymphing system in really awhile, and I was delighted with my skill to accomplish achievement. Above all, I discovered that the decreased Huge Horn Sheep Canyon has, indeed, recovered from the fire, and I will undoubtedly increase the space as a foreseeable future fly fishing vacation spot.
Landed Fish: 8