podum

my recent report talked about really tough conditions. I went a week later and a little rain and some clouds helped. The fish are there, but low water and high skies make them skittish. Fish during low light or overcast during the day. Good luck. Awaiting a report.

uhg.

We saw fish too. Gin clear water and high skies. Suspect that kept us from hittin 'em. What is the value of the water between NRO and Barclay? Worth it?

Thanks for the river info Wrench. Disheartening to hear of the skunk from Sand Springs through the boat ramp.....

I'd appreciate the info from both of you. Back down there next Thurs thru Sat.

4 of us fished on a float from Bennett to NRO on Sunday and for 3 hours at Barclay Monday morning. In a word - tough. Low water, clear water, bluebird sunny skies = very few fish. Wrench, I saw you were planning to fish the same area. I'd be interested in hearing your results. We had a little success in a boulder run about halfway through the float. All of the fish came on #20 micro mayflies (as a dropper). No strikes all day on leeches/buggers, soft hackles or larger stonefly patterns. We did have a few of the new stocker browns play with us at the canoe take out on small dries. Monday at Barclay was a zero for 4 of us. Descent sticks too. Two strikes among us. Beautiful weather, fun float, great campfire Sunday night, but tough fishing. I hope it keeps raining for a while to get some flow going.

Oneshot is good peeps. He was kind to me on a chance river encounter. Also, a man of the land. Much respect.

Must do! If only for the Aspens in the fall. If you go, 7 day minimum. 2 days burned by travel, too much to do.

Gonna float Bennett to NRO

probly gonna wade the area below bennet, nro (staying there) and barclay

Gonna fish some next weekend and, while I've fished the river a lot, I've never fished the fall in very low water. Fly and technique suggestions welcome.....

Day three was my favorite. Last day in the mountains before the drive home. Forecast of snow, rain and wind (we got the first two but not the wind, mercifully). A local good friend as a guide on a small alpine stream at 12,000 feet, looking for wild brook trout and perhaps a cutthroat. It snowed and sleeted in the morning and, per usual, the fishing was tough. But it was pretty. The fishing picked up in the late morning. A dry fly day. I'm no purist, but I love to see the take! The brook trout had their spawning colors on and plenty of them were willing to play if you were stealthy. I even got a cutthroat to complete the San Juan Mountain grand slam!

I had an unexpected vacation in Lake City, Colorado last week. We arrived after a long drive (14 hours from KC) to a wonderful view of fall Aspens. Days were mid 60s, nights were cold with a morning frost every day. Great weather. With 8 days to spend, I had 3 full days of fishing (with the rest spent on activities with the family). I spent one day on a medium sized creek, one on the local big water and one on a small alpine stream. Day one was the medium sized Cebolla Creek. It averages 15-20 feet wide and flows through a beautiful valley called Powderhorn. Fishing was tough in the cold mornings all week, but improved as the sun got high in the sky and the bugs started moving. Cebolla is a wild brown trout factory (averaging 10-15 inches). There are no bait restrictions and plenty of campsites, but still lots of fish. The brushy and steep banks protect lots of water. If you are willing to do some tough wading, there are rewards. Day two, I fished the big water - the Lake Fork of the Gunnison. This is a classic western free stone river. The area just south of Blue Mesa Reservoir is a big, bruising river that isn't wadable until late July in an average snow pack year. It has big browns, a recovering rainbow population (Whirling Disease) and some cutbow hybrids. The scenery is out of this world. Its the kind of place that makes me nervous wading by myself because it is remote and takes a significant effort to get out of the canyon in most spots. I got into lots of browns and rainbows. Here is the work of an incompetent camera man trying to capture the image of a beautiful San Juan Mountain rainbow trout. The day was punctuated by a short lived fight with a 20+ brown trout that broke off on its third leap. There was lots of bear activity near town. Our car got visited one night and there were lots of sightings. Because of picture posting data limits, I'm posting part two in a second thread....

Last minute vacation decision is giving me 9 days in SW Colorado. Hoping for fantastic Aspens and lots of trout. Trip report to follow in late September. I've been to this area 6 of the last 8 years for a summer vacation. We've never gone this late and I'm committed to finding some "off the beaten path" small creeks to find native cutthroats and brook trout.

18-20 cracklebacks (griffiths gnat without the peacock herl), 16-18 cdc caddis, 10-12 hoppers.

Prayers coming for Richard's family. I love this forum for the bridges it builds. I don't know any of you but for the conversations we post. That said, I feel like I know many of you, and Richard, vicariously because of the common experiences we share. I hope we all get to fish together and support one another. God bless.

My extended relatives tend to stay extended.

This past April, my friends and I repeated our spring 2016 trip to Spinney Reservoir in central Colorado to fish the "ice off". Like last year, (1) the fishing was awesome and (2) we had weather issues one day that led us to driving south to fish the Arkansas River. The river is becoming a destination fishery. It's always had tons of pubic access and proximity to Colorado Springs and Pueblo, but has suffered the toxins of mine tailings (arsenic and other metals) and, more recently, a whirling disease outbreak that devastated the rainbow population. The mine clean up efforts and introduction of WD resistant rainbows have changed the river and fishing is great. 15 to 18 inch fish are now common now. 5 years ago, they were rare as hen's teeth. Some pics included. We were amazed at the lack of other fisherman, but the miles of public access dilutes the pressure of other anglers. If you are driving up the canyon out of Pueblo to Salida, pull off and enjoy a great fishery. In a lot of ways, these are the good old days. The People's commitment to water quality and an unpolluted environment have brought many destroyed resources back from the brink.

my hope is that it came up from the river with the hot summer heating up the water. There are some big browns in the river, but I've seen nothing like that! I'm hoping to tangle with a 22" plus fish in the river below Bennett. This gives me hope

Amen

A "Your Momma" joke? in today's politically correct world? Kudos.

Dude. Tomatoes and cottage cheese is da bomb. Add a little italian dressing and ..... heaven.

Mayflies and Caddis? The niangua trout eat tons of snails and crawfish. That plus the 15-17 inch size made me think they have been there a while. No proof though.

Ive seen them stock there. No idea whether more or less than anyone else. That said, it is a great place to drift a fly. And iv'e gotten into many fish that had clearly been there a while. When (God forbid) you clean a trout and the flesh is pink, you know it's been there for a year or so.

That's a sweet spot that holds way more fish than anyone would think. Much better in October.