WATER CLARITY: Clear

OVERALL RATING: 7 out of 10 (9 out of 10 on a warm and cloudy day)

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Midges, Blue Winged Olive nymphs, Mysis Shrimp, Sculpins

THE LOW-DOWN: Cloudy days have been offering up some very decent midge hatches, and we've even had some luck throwing small streamers as of late. Nymphing with a small egg and a midge pupa has been deadly. Tiny bugs (think 20 and smaller) and careful presentation are the way. 

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 5x and 6x tippets. Some days heavier tippets are just fine, as well. Keep your drifts short and sweet, 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.

Mysis shrimp are a year-round food factor.

HATCHES: Midges 18-26, (you might see an oddball BWO or two out there also)

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS:  

DRIES: 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, Hatching Midge 20-22, No Hackle BWO 20-22, Befus' Para Emerger BWO 20-22

NYMPHS: 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, Egg 16-18

STREAMERS: Barr's Slumpbuster, Borski's Bonefish Slider, Tim Heng's Autumn Splendor, Tungsten Thin Mint, Craven's Swim Coach

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: Improved with the warm-ups

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Blue Winged Olive nymphs, Midges, Sculpins

OVERALL RATING: 6 out of 10

THE LOW DOWN: 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.

Like in the rest of the system, we're fishing midges 90% of the time, with the odd BWO thrown in on the right day.

HATCHES: Midges 20-26, (you might see an oddball BWO or two out there also)

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS: 

DRIES: CDC Biot BWO 20-22, Mole Fly Baetis 20-22, Harrop's CDC Biot Dun BWO 20-22, Harrop's CDC Thorax BWO 20-22, HOH Hanging Midge 20-22, Roy's Special Fryingpan Emerger 20-22, Massacre Midge 20-22

NYMPHS: Murder, She Wrote 20-22, Mercury Pheasant Tail 16-20, Tim Heng's BLM 16-18, Flashwing Black (or Gray) RS2 20-22, Zebra Midge Red 18-20, Tungsten Frenchie 16, Egg 16-18

STREAMERS:  Tungsten Double Thin Mint, Dali-Lama, Skully Bugger, Tim Heng's Autumn Splendor

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 fish than you'd think!

LOWER FRYINGPAN (Basalt upstream to Mile Marker 4) 

WATER CONDITIONS: Much improved with the recent warm-ups. Still some icy banks in the shade but looking much better.

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Blue Winged Olive nymphs, Midges, Sculpins

OVERALL RATING: 5 out of 10 

THE LOWDOWN: Our advice? Head up towards the dam for a more productive day. 

Midges are about all you'll see here these days, but the fish pushing up out of the Fork can make for a great day of angling. 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.

Generally, 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.

HATCHES: Midges 20-26, (you might see an oddball BWO or two out there also)

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS: 

DRIES: Morgans Midge 18-22, Hatching Midge 20-22, Sprout Midge 22-24, HOH CDC Spent Midge 22-24, Mole Fly Baetis 20-22, Harrop's CDC Biot Dun BWO 20-22, CDC Comparadun BWO 20-22 

NYMPHS: Jerome Baetis 20-22, Ultra Bling RS2 Gray 18-20, Stott's Good Carl 20, Murder She Wrote Rust 20-22, Bling Midge 20-24, Egg 16-18

STREAMERS:  Home Invader, Carlton Banks, Skully Bugger, Dali-Lama

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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