The Drift Fly Shop

 Fishing Report for the Arkansas River Tailwater, Pueblo:

Date: December 1st, 2024

Flow:  90 cfs from dam and 20 cfs from the fish hatchery outflow  

Temperature:  48F from the dam 

Clarity: about 2 feet due to lake turnover

****** The shop will now open at 8am on weekdays as well as Saturday starting Nov 18th ****** 

December 1st:

Fishing on the tailwater has improved significantly over the past few weeks.  Water temperatures are in the ideal range and we are seeing good midge hatches along with the start of some decent BWO hatches.  Fish are generally seeking out feeding lies with good current from around 9am to about 2pm.  This is often water that is less than 4 feet in depth and can sometimes be as shallow as a foot in riffle water.   An exception is behind full rock weirs, where the water is often deeper, but the current is bringing in a steady supply of emerging insects from the shallow water above the weir.  The dry fly fishing has been a bit dissappointing thus far as it has primarily been young of the year rainbows that are looking up.  This could definitely change at anytime if we get some strong BWO hatches that are common in December.

 

November 15th:

Winter Water Storage on Pueblo Reservoir began this morning at 12am.  Flows will remain nearly level for the next several months with a target flow of 100 cfs, which includes the hatcher outflow.  This stabilization in flows generally coincides with the start of our fall BWO hatches and this year seems to be no different.  Despite relatively poor water clarity, you can expect to find fish feeding on top during peak hatch periods on both BWO’s and midge.  Nymphing will certainly be productive as well but don’t overlook opportunities to catch big fish on little dry flies.  We hope you enjoy the start of the “winter” season on the tailwater!

 

November 11th:

The fishing has been very hit or miss lately as the river continues to transition from summer to fall hatches.  Water temperatures are approaching the low 50’s so we should see BWO hatches starting up any day now which generally brings improved consistency in the fishing.  Streamers have been producing the best results as far as size of fish and that trend will likely continue until the BWO’s kick in.  November 15th marks the start of the Winter Water Storage program on the reservoir and you can expect to see flows stabilize around 100 cfs from the dam, including the release from the fish hatchery. 

 

November 3rd:

Water temperatures are rapidly cooling as fall lake turnover is underway.  This will reduce water clarity for a couple weeks but will also be a catalyst for our fall BWO hatches.  Tricos, midge and caddis are still hatching but we should see BWO’s hatching by mid November.  Fish are mostly found in prime feeding lies of 2 – 4′ of water in riffles and runs, and a bit deeper in the full weir pools.  Nymphing techniques are generally most productive but with inclement weather in the forecast, you can expect better than average streamer fishing over the coming week.

 

October 16th:

Fishing has been hot one day and slow the next but you never know unless you go!  One thing is for sure,  there have been some very nice fish caught over the past few weeks including some big browns.  Hatches are comprised of small mayflies and midge in sz 20 to 24 and caddis size 14 to 18.  Other food items that are plentiful include leeches, juvenile crayfish and sucker fry.   

 

October 10th:

The tailwater is slowly moving into fall conditions as water temperatures are now trending down and fish are becoming more active throughout the day.  Tricos are still the primary morning hatch but there are more midge and caddis mixed in now.  A mix of tiny pseudocloeon mayflies and caddis are active in the afternoon along with midge and the smaller, black and red dragonflies that can be imitated with a sz 8 red Amy’s Ant.  This time of year you run the chance of finding fishing rising at any point during the day, from before sunrise to after sunset, or just as likely not at all.  Be prepared to mix things up until you find a technique that produces.  There are also tons of other food items available right now including leeches, snails, juvenile crayfish and suckers, scuds, water boatmen and fingerling trout!  Now is a great time to experiment with different fly patterns and presentations.  It’s also a great time to hook into one of the massive brown trout that reside in the Pueblo Tailwater as they start to congregate in riffles and runs before the November/December spawn.  

     

Recommended Patterns:

UV Emerging Thunder/Chocolate Foam Back #20-22

Top Secret Midge, Ninja midge, Mercury Black Beauty #20-24

FOD, Top Secret Baetis, JuJu Baetis #18-22

Other:  Jigged Sexy Walts, Squirrel Leech, True Blood, Tungsten San Juan Worm, egg patterns

Streamers: Peanut Envy, Wounded Sculpin, Thinmint, Big Gulp and Sparkle Yummy Minnow