Colorado

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fisherboy3

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Jun 9, 2009
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Booked a trip with some friends to fish Colorado in the middle of July, prime time for fishing there. We will be fishing the Yampa, Eagle and the Colorado rivers. Any advice on fishing these rivers? We will be guided but just for some knowledge. Hoping for some good fishing, heard a lot of good things about fly fishing these rivers and the size of the fish. Thanks again,- Kev
 
Sounds awesome! I am jealous!
 
Most western waters are a lot bigger than what we have in PA. Your typical 9' 5wt won't cut it there. Might need a 6wt and a 7wt to be properly prepared.


Tie streamers. Some big ones too.
 
I lived in and fished northern Colorado for three years, awesome fishing. I loved the headwaters for the Colorado in the park and some other high mountain creeks and lakes. I also fished the North Platte headwaters, Cache La Poudre, and some others. Never had any trouble with a 5wt, but if you are fishing the bigger waters, the 6 or 7 wt. might be better as suggested. Fly selection is much simpler than what it is here in PA. My suggestion would be to find some local fly shops for the areas you are fishing and get the low down from them. Not sure what the snowpack was this year, but that has a direct impact on the flow and temp of the water as well. Local shops will know that stuff as well. Have fun, and get ready to fall in love!!
 
Dear fisherboy,

Bring water. Snowpack is less than 50 % of normal and some regions are already approaching peak run off which is typically a June/July event in a normal year.

You might want a 7 weight for the Yampa. There are some large Northern Pike in that river. With decent water flows the fishing is far from technical. Most rivers do not have the diversity of insect life and the need for hatch matching that we often experience in PA.

If you stop in a local shop they will set you up with flies. There are a couple of shops right on the main drag in Steamboat and if you are coming out of Denver and travelling to Steamboat there are shops around Dillon.

Good luck,

Tim Murphy :)
 
Good luck with your trip. I've not fished the particular waters you list but in my other jaunts around CO I've found pretty good luck on bigger flies indeed. I did fine with a 9' for a 5WT but wasn't throwing big streamers.

If you're a tyer, I'd start whipping out a bunch of stonefly nymphs, Pale Morning Duns, and hoppers.
 
My daughter lives in CO, so I fish those rivers. I take a 9 1/2' 5 wt and do fine. I like to fish dries and you can generally manage it. Seems like caddis are around all the time and an elk hair caddis seems to be a staple. The PMD's are pretty much like sulphurs - but like any mayfly hatch can be late or early and you never know the week you have planned. Last year was a wet year and most places were blown out all summer. Nymphs seem to be either big stoneflies or little midge stuff. Bring just a few small midge dries because you can find the fish being snooty sometimes, although it isn't that way most of the time. Evenings have spinner falls so some rusty spinners wouldn't hurt. Your PA flies will work out there nearly all the time - if it works on Penn's Ck it will do well out there. Most Western flies seem more brightly colored and have more sparkle than Eastern flies. They work well, but occasionally a duller, sparser PA fly will do the trick. For example, in the tailwaters mysis shrimp are the staple and the local flies have a lot of flash that can turn off the fish in bright conditions. I find a Magic Shrimp works great when the fish turn off to the brighter flies.

Bugs don't seem as technical, but it still helps to be an accurate caster. Need to hit seams, foam lines, and fish right up to overhanging bushes. If you float, much of the fishing will be to hit the bank pretty close. If it's sunny and the water is clear the fish can spook so you will get more fish if you can accurately hit the cover spots from a moderate distance.

Good luck - the fish are all wild and feisty.
 
Bring or buy plenty of mosquito repellent, especially for the Colorado. Maybe with the early runoff they won't be as bad, but on the CO near Parshall and Hot Sulfur Springs they are really bad.

For the Yampa at that time I would fish a caddis dry with a barr's emerger dropper. That is, if you are fishing the tailwater.

Great area ... I am in the process of planning my annual trip.

 
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