WATER CLARITY: Clear

OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Green Drakes, Blue Winged Olives, Pale Morning Duns, Mysis Shrimp, Midges, Craneflies, PMD Rusty Spinners, Sculpins

THE LOW-DOWN: Release is holding steady even with increased flows into the reservoir.

Green Drakes can now be seen in this stretch, but don't expect heavy hatches or  fish to be keyed in on them quite yet. Blue winged olive, cranefly and midge hatches are happening midday, and will continue to improve with stable water levels. Pale Morning Duns are living up to their name, and hatching from 9 to noon, generally. Caddis are apparent on the upper Pan, but we tend to save those patterns for the lower river.

The renowned PMD Rusty Spinner fall is now happening at dawn and dusk for those who like to fish early and late. Don't forget to nymph that spinner after they all suddenly disappear! 

Pay attention to the hatches -- they tend to come off in waves and you need to roll with the changes. Like always, the hatches can be thick in one spot and next to nothing in others, so sometimes you have to move around.

If you're struggling and seeing others whacking fish, keep your rigs short and sweet and try some "drab" nymphs like skinny plain pheasant tails and RS2s on fluorocarbon 6x tippets. Keep your drifts short and sweet too, the fish will not tolerate seeing your fly line or butt section of your leader. Downstream dry fly presentations are practically a "rule" to stay effective. Be sure to ask about some of our custom Fryingpan patterns you can't get anywhere else.

Fishing on the Pan from 7 until dark can be quite productive, oftentimes we see another midge hatch near dusk under the dam.

Mysis shrimp are a year-round food factor, and don't forget your box full of streamers for low-light periods or any time it's breezy or stormy.

HATCHES: Green Drakes 10-12, Blue Winged Olives 20-22, Pale Morning Duns 14-18, Craneflies 10-16, Midges 18-26

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS:  

DRIES: TC Custom Sparkledun Green Drake 10-12, Fryingpan Green Drake Cripple 10-12, CDC PMD Rusty Spinner 14-18, Para Rusty Spinner 16-18, No Hackle BWO 20-22, Befus' Para Emerger BWO 20-22, Melon Quill PMD 16-18, Improved Sparkle Dun BWO 20-22, Perfect Baetis 20-22, No Hackle BWO 20-22, HOH Hanging Midge Grey/Black 20-22, Mole Midge 20-22, Roy Palm's Special Frying Pan Emerger 20-22, Bill's Midge Emerger 20-22, HOH CDC Midge Adult 22-24, HOH CDC Spent Midge 22-24, Hatching Midge 20-22, Morgan's Para Midge 20-22, Cream Hackle Stacker 16 (a good cranefly pattern substitute)

NYMPHS: Bead Head Swiss Straw Emerger 16-18, Soft Hackle Peacock 16, Barr's Emerger and Barr's Black Back Emerger 20-22, Stott's Good Carl 20, Stott's Juggernaut 20, Dorsey's Mercury RS2 Gray 20-22, Skinny-tied Pheasant Tail 20-24, Killer Mayfly Olive/ Brown 22, Jigged JJ Nymph BWO 18-20, TC Candy Cane Midge 18-22, Tim's Mysis 16-18, Will's Epoxy Mysis 18-20, Craven's Mysis 16-18

STREAMERS: Cousin It Sculpin 6, Baby Gonga Tan/Yellow 8, Autumn Splendor 8, Carlton Banks White/Olive 4

HINTS: Fryingpan fish will not tolerate hero casting or laying line and indicators over them, they'll shut down and stop feeding. Be stealthy, and present your offering with minimal line on the water whether dry fly or nymph.

MIDDLE FRYINGPAN (Mile Marker 4 upstream to Mile Marker 8)

WATER CONDITIONS: Clear

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Green Drakes, Blue Winged Olives, Pale Morning Duns, Midges, Craneflies, Caddis, Sculpins

OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10 

THE LOW DOWN: The Drake hatch is getting stronger and stronger along this stretch, and we've gotten reports of fish taking the big bug late into the evening. Typically, however, we see this hatch mid-day, like most other summer Fryingpan hatches. 

For those who get bummed out seeing other anglers, here's a hint: the middle river has the same hatches without the crowds! Another benefit of fishing the middle river is the plethora of public access. What is private is clearly marked, and the rest is there for you to explore.

HATCHES: Green Drakes 10-12, Caddis 12-18, Craneflies 10-16, Golden Stoneflies 4-10, Blue Winged Olives 20-22, Pale Morning Duns 18-20, PMD Rusty Spinners 14-18, Yellow Sallies 16, Midges 20-26

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS: 

DRIES: Taylor Creek Sparkle Dun Drake 12, BDE Green Drake 10-12, Hairwing Drake 10-12, Harropp's CDC Green Drake Cripple, Improved Sparke Dun Green Drake 12, Adams 10-12, Parachute Adams 10-12, Irresistible Adams 12-14, Para Rusty Spinner 16-18, Cranefly Adult 10, Hackle Stacker PMD 16-18, Melon Quill 16-18, No Hackle PMD 16-18, Pearl and Elk Caddis 12-18, Outrigger Caddis 16, Rogue Foam Golden Stone 8-10, Chubby Chernobyl 8-12, CDC Biot BWO 20-22, Uber-Realistic BWO 20-22, Mole Fly Baetis 20-22, Harrop's CDC Biot Dun BWO 20-22, Harrop's CDC Thorax BWO 20-22, Melon Quill PMD 16-18, TC Custom Sparkle Dun PMD 16-18, HOH Hanging Midge 20-22, Roy's Special Fryingpan Emerger 20-22, Garcia's Mini Hot Yellow Sallie 16, Outrigger Yellow Sallie 16

NYMPHS: Griffin's Twenty Incher 10-14, Guides Choice Hare's Ear 14-18, Cat Poop Stonefly Nymph 8-10, Prince Nymph 14-18, Murder She Wrote 20-22, Barr's Emerger PMD 16-18, Tungsten Pheasant Tail 14-16, Tim Heng's BLM 16-18, Flashwing Black (or gray) RS2 20-22, Zebra Midge Red 18-20, Morrish Iron Sallie Nymph 16-18, Soft hackle Peacock 16, Tungsten Frenchie 16, Jigged Hot Orange Bead Soft hackle Pheasant Tail 16-18

STREAMERS:  Tungsten Double Mint 8, Beldar Lemon Drop 8, White Zuddler 8, Hansen's Meal Ticket 4

HINTS: Keep moving if you're mid-river, there's going to be quiet zones and others with more activity the more you explore. The middle river can surprisingly hold more stones and caddis than you'd think.

LOWER FRYINGPAN (Basalt upstream to Mile Marker 4) 

WATER CONDITIONS: Off-color. This section was completely shot yesterday due to bright red color pumping out of Seven Castles Creek; expect a similar story if we see more heavy rains this week. 

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Hoppers, Caddis, Blue Winged Olives, Green Drakes, Midges, Craneflies, Golden Stoneflies, Pale Morning Duns, PMD Spinners, Sculpins

OVERALL RATING: 7 out of 10 

THE LOWDOWN: Green Drakes are on their way up the Fryingpan. Keep in mind that this hatch tends to start on the Fork and work its way up the Pan into October, so this is just the start of things to come. These big boys hatch out of faster water than you may be used to fishing, so keep your flies dry, high and visible. 

There are Caddis, Golden Stoneflies and Hoppers galore in the lower river, because of the steeper gradient. When you add in PMDs, BWOs, Craneflies and midges, the hatches can be a bit "complex". 

Paying attention to what each fish is eating will help eliminate the mystery, and like the upper Pan, the waves of hatches will change frequently and you've got to adjust.

Euro-nymphers will be quite pleased with the lower Fryingpan, there is a ton of access and these fish aren't as picky as the perfect-presentation-required fish upstream.

If the crowds of people upstream are thick, come explore some lower Fryingpan access spots!

HATCHES: Golden Stoneflies 6-10, Craneflies 10-16, Caddis 14-18, Pale Morning Duns 14-18, PMD Rusty Spinners 14-18, Blue Winged Olives 20-22, Midges 20-26

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS: 

DRIES: Chubby Chernobyl 6-12, Egg-Laying Golden Stonefly 8, TC Custom Green Drake Sparkledun 10-12, Fryingpan Cripple Green Drake 12, Cloud Nine Golden Stone 8-10, Cranefly Adult 10, Missing Link Caddis 16-18, Pearl and Elk Caddis 14-18, Yellow Humpy 16-18, Goddard Caddis 16-18, Mole Fly Baetis 20-22, Pearl and Elk Caddis 16-18, Lawson's EZ Caddis 16-18, Missing Link Caddis 16-18, Harrop's CDC Biot Dun BWO 20-22, CDC Comparadun BWO 20-22, Morgans Midge 18-22, Hatching Midge 20-22, Sprout Midge 22-24, HOH CDC Spent Midge 22-24, HOH CDC Midge Adult 24 Sparkle Flag PMD 16-18, Morris May PMD 16-18 

NYMPHS: Jigged Iron Lotus 16-18, Purple Perdigon 16-18, Red or Lime Copper John 14-18, Jerome Baetis 20-22, Ultra Bling RS2 Gray 18-20, Tungsten Split Case PMD 18, Jerome PMD Nymph 16-18, Cat Poop Stonefly 6-10, Griffin's Twenty Incher 10-16, Prince Nymph 10-18, Stott's Good Carl 20, Tungsten PMD Trigger Nymph 16-18, Tungsten Redemption PMD Nymph 16-18, Murder She Wrote Rust 20-22, Hare's Ear and Guide's Choice Hare's Ear 14-18, Magnymphico 16-18, Stott's USD Drake Nymph 12, Bead Head Swiss Straw Emerger 16-18, Jigged Hot Orange Bead Soft hackle Pheasant Tail 16-18

STREAMERS:  Home Invader 2, Grease Monkey Natural 4, Double Dirty Hippy 4

HINTS: Fish in the lower river tend to ramble and migrate around, so keep searching if you're not feeling the love.

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

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