Colorado River Report 9-4-21

WATER CONDITIONS: Low, off-color, and please keep an eye on temps

OVERALL RATING:  2 out 10 

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Pale Morning Duns, Caddis, Golden Stoneflies, Midges

THE LOW DOWN: The closures on the Colorado have been lifted, but there are serious concerns for the fish. After almost two months of very muddy water due to mudslides, the fish are in a fragile state. 

Our advice is to fish early, ease off if you've caught a bunch, and perhaps leave the large two-hook streamers behind for another week or two.

Insect hatches have dropped off with all of the sediment in the water, we will update this report after we get out there and see what's happening after leaving this river alone all summer.

Our best guess is that the river will not clear significantly until spring runoff next year, but we shall see.

HATCHES: Pale Morning Duns 14-18, Caddis 14-18, Golden Stones 6-10, Midges 16-22

Appropriate Patterns  

DRIES: Rogue Foam Stone Golden 8-10, Egg Layer Golden Stone 8, Chubby Chernobyl Gold 6-8, Sparkle Dun PMD 16-18, Elk Hair Caddis 14-18, Missing Link Caddis 14-18, CDC Transitional Midge 20-22, Griffiths Gnat 18-22, Sprout Midge 20-22, HOH Spent Midge 20-22, Hatching Midge 20-22. 

NYMPHS: Split Back PMD, Poxyback Golden Stone 8-12, Spanflex Black Stone 8-10, Prince 14-18, Tung Z Wing Caddis 14-16, Tung Trapper Nymph 16-18, BLMs 18-20, San Juan Worm 10, Tung Bead Baetis 18-20, Biot Baetis 18-20, RS2s 20, Polywing Emerger 18-20, Imposters 20-22, Assassins 20-22, Freestone Emerger 20, Biot Midge 20-22, Copper John Red 14-18, San Juan Worm 10

STREAMERS: Carlton Banks 4, Autumn Splendor 4, Grease Monkey 6, Galloup's Dungeon 2-4

HINTS: Let's be gentle with the fish out there, they have had poor oxygen content in the river since July.

Link to Real Time Flows:

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?09085100