FRYINGPAN RIVER REPORT JULY 6, 2026

UPPER FRYINGPAN (Mile Marker 8 upstream to Ruedi Reservoir)

FLOW: 165 CFS

WATER CLARITY: Clear

OVERALL RATING: 7 out of 10

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Pale Morning Duns, Blue Winged Olives, Midges, Mysis Shrimp, Sculpins THE LOW-DOWN: Be a Pain in the A.N.S.! Clean Your Gear | Colorado Parks and Wildlife

We have two wader and boot cleaning stations here at Taylor Creek!

Flows have increased for the first time in months, this time by about +50CFS. It’s a welcome sight to have a few more inches of water in our favorite holes – it relaxes the fish a bit and helps the bugs to boot. Out main hatches consist of PMDs, some BWOs, midges and caddis, though caddis often go ignored by these spoiled trout. Hatches tend to be best in the late morning to midafternoon, but you can expect to see midges coming off around first and last light. We have witnessed a few decent PMD spinner falls in the early mornings as well.

Mysis shrimp are a year-round food factor.

HATCHES: Pale Morning Duns 16-18, Blue Winged Olives 20-22, Midges 18-26, Winter Stones 16

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS: DRIES: Pink Lady Improved Sparkledun 16-18, Hackle Stacker PMD 16-18, Comparadun PMD 16-18, Mole Fly PMD 16-18, Uber-Realistic Baetis 20-22, Lawson's No Hackle Baetis 20-22, Harrop's CDC Biot Dun BWO 20-22, Roy Palm's Special Fryingpan Emerger 20-22, TC Sparkledun Baetis 20-22, Barr's Vis-a-Dun Baetis 20-22, Parachute Adams 20-22, HOH Hanging Midge Grey/Black 20-22, Mole Midge 20-24, Roy Palm's Special Frying Pan Emerger 20-22, Bill's Midge Emerger 20-22, Hatching Midge 20-22, Matthew's Improved Z-Lon Midge 22-24, Dorsey's Midge Emerger 22-24, McCannel's Massacre Midge 22-24 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

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

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

MIDDLE FRYINGPAN (Mile Marker 4 upstream to Mile Marker 8) WATER CONDITIONS: Clear

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

OVERALL RATING: 7 out of 10 THE LOW DOWN: While the middle river doesn’t hold quite the same number of fish, the crowds are less and the hatches just as prolific on the right day. We have been seeing good midge hatches early and late, as well as some decent PMD fishing when the wind relaxes. Caddis hatch in droves here and the fish are a little more inclined to chase them down than up under the dam. That said, it’s still the Pan and presentation is still paramount, so keep tippet light and drifts short.

HATCHES: PMDs 14-18, Caddis 12-18, Blue Winged Olives 20-22, Midges 18-26

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS: DRIES: Elk Hair Caddis 12-18, Missing Link Caddis 16-18, E/C Caddis 16-18, Film Critic PMD 16-18, CDC Comparadun PMD 16-18, Uber-realistic Baetis 20-22, Lawson's No Hackle Baetis 20-22, Harrop's CDC Biot Dun BWO 20-22, Roy Palm's Special Fryingpan Emerger 20-22, TC Sparkledun Baetis 20-22, Barr's Vis-a-Dun Baetis 20-22Parachute Adams 20-22, HOH Hanging Midge Grey/Black 20-22, Mole Midge 20-24, Roy Palm's Special Frying Pan Emerger 20-22, Bill's Midge Emerger 20-22, Hatching Midge 20-22, Matthew's Improved Z-Lon Midge 22-24, Dorsey's Midge Emerger 22-24, McCannel's Massacre Midge 22-24

NYMPHS: Pat Dorsey's Top Secret Midge 22-24, Pat Dorsey's Black Beauty 20-22, Mercury Pheasant Tail 16-20, Tim Heng's BLM 18, CDC RS2 20-22, Zebra Midge Red 18-20

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 hold more fish than you'd think!

LOWER FRYINGPAN (Basalt upstream to Mile Marker 4)

WATER CONDITIONS: Clear

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Caddis, Pale Morning Duns, Golden Stones, Blue Winged Olives, Midges, Sculpins

OVERALL RATING: 7 out of 10

THE LOWDOWN: We are seeing all the usual suspects, and the flows have been low and predictable. This is a great time of year to fish high/low with a hopper and dropper. Like we always advise, cover a lot of water when fishing the lower river, the pools don’t have 30 fish in them like the upper river by the dam. Most bugs are coming off midday. PMDs on the lower tend to be larger and mostly yellow.

HATCHES: Golden Stones 6-10, Caddis 12-18, Pale Morning Duns 16-18, Blue Winged Olives 18-20, Midges 20-26

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS:

DRIES: Cloud 9 Golden Stone 6-8, Chubby Chernobyl Gold 6-10, Missing Link Caddis 16-18, Stimulator 12-18, Lawson's No Hackle Baetis 20-22, Harrop's CDC Biot Dun BWO 20-22, Roy Palm's Special Fryingpan Emerger 20-22, Traditional Adams 20-22, 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: Cat Poop Stone 10-12, 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

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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