December 21, 2017

UPPER FRYINGPAN

FLOW: 88 cfs

WATER CLARITY: Low and clear

OVERALL RATING: 7 out of 10 

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: BWOs, midges, mysis shrimp

THE LOW-DOWN : Winter is slowly moving its way into the Roaring Fork Valley, and the Fryingpan River has perfect flows. Blue Wing Olives are not as prominent as they once were the last couple weeks, and we are focusing more on midges day by day.  

The cooling trend has shortened up the hatch periods, but we are still seeing plenty of bugs aloft and on the water in the afternoons.  We are mostly throwing nymphs in the mornings and focusing on the suberb dry fly activity into the afternoons.

The river is loaded with fall BWO nymphs, so bring along your pheasant tails and RS2s to play around with until the hatch gets rolling!  Mysis shrimp are always a food factor in the upper reaches, and if you see risers in the morning, they're probably focused on small dark and light midge adults.

Please be aware of spawning trout, and avoid stepping and casting onto redds. From now until the end of Spring, fish will be attempting to spawn. Please give the browns and rainbows a wide berth.

HATCHES: Midges and mysis shrimp at the very top.

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS:  

DRIES:  CDC Comparadun BWO 20-22, Hackle Dun Baetis 20-22, Roy Palm’s Special Fryingpan Emerger 22, Colletts Para BWO 20-22, HOH CDC Thorax BWO 20-22, Befus Para Emerger 18-22, Biot Wing Midge 20,22, HOH CDC Midge Adult 22-24, CDC Transitional Midge 22, Bill’s Midge Emerger 20-22

NYMPHS:  Chocolate Thunder 20-22, Split Case BWO 20-22, Epoxyback Baetis 20-22, Tungsten Hoover Baetis 20-22, Bat Wing Emerger BWO 20, Bling Midge 20-22, Flashdance Midge 20-22, TC Candy Cane Midge 22, Tim's Mysis 16-18, Will's Epoxy Mysis 16-20

STREAMERS:  Sands' Stingin Sculpin 8, Articulated Goldie 4, SlumpBuster Natural 8

HINTS:  There's no need to be on the upper Fryingpan at first light, let the water warm up a little first.  

MIDDLE RIVER FRYINGPAN

WATER CONDITIONS: Perfect!

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Midges, BWOs

OVERALL RATING: 7 out of 10

THE LOW DOWN: Stronger hatches seem to be happening up high on the Pan, but that is not a universal truth. 

Don't overlook the improving streamer fishing, especially in the afternoons.  Small and natural flies work best, and play around with your retrieve until the fish start to react positively.

HATCHES: Midges 20-26, BWOs 18-22

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS: 

DRIES: Befus Para Emerger BWO 18-20, CDC Wing BWO 18-22, Parachute Adams 16-20, Bill’s Midge Adult 20-22, Brooks Sprout Midge 18-20

NYMPHS: Flashwing Black (or gray) RS2 20-22, Zebra Midge Red 18-20, Black Beauty 20-22, Top Secret Midge 20-22

STREAMERS:  Skully Bugger Rust/White 4, Bonefish Deep Minnow 6-8, Bread n Butter Bugger 6-8

HINTS: Move around and cover a lot of water.  There are plenty of wide-open miles in the middle Fryingpan that don't get a ton of pressure because of the walking distances involved.

LOWER  FRYINGPAN:   

WATER CONDITIONS: Clean and beautiful

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Midges, BWOs

OVERALL RATING: 6 out of 10

THE LOWDOWN: As we always say, it's warmer closer to town, so it can sometimes be a bit "buggier."  Try some hopper dropper fishing on the lower reaches, it allows you to fish nymphs in the shallow riffles effectively.  As with the middle section, the streamer fishing is steadily improving as we cool off.

 HATCHES: Midges, BWOs

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS: 

DRIES:  Flag Adams 18, Sparkledun BWO 18-20, Morgans Midge 18-22, Perfect Baetis 20-22, Collett's BWO 20-22

NYMPHS:  RIP Midge 20-22, Medallion Midge 20-22, Ultra Bling RS2 Gray 18-20, Desert Storm Midge 20-22

STREAMERS:  Slumpbuster Black 6-8, Wooly Bugger Olive 4-8, Autumn Splendor 4-8

HINTS: As most anglers seem to prefer the elbow to elbow fishing up under the dam, enjoy a little solitude down low!

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/co/nwis/uv/?site_no=09080400

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