WATER CLARITY: Clear

OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10

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

THE LOW-DOWN: Cold mornings and mild afternoons have been this week's special. As the summer crowds and heat wind down for autumn, so too do the flows -- these will be lowered to 130CFS by this evening.

Expect the lowered flows to have an impact, even if it's short-lived, on the Green Drake activity. These big bugs tend to do best in big water, so hatches may slow for the time being. Blue winged olives have been the name of the game and hatches will continue to improve as winter approaches. Pale morning dun hatches have slowed significantly.

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 6 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: D&D Green Drake Cripple 12, Hairwing Split Moosetail Drake 12, Harropp's Green Drake Cripple 12, No Hackle BWO 20-22, Befus' Para Emerger BWO 20-22, Improved Sparkle Dun BWO 20-22, Perfect Baetis 20-22, No Hackle BWO 20-22, TC Custom Pink No Hackle PMD 16, Melon Quill PMD 16-18, Para Rusty Spinner 16-18, 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, Cream Hackle Stacker 16 (a good cranefly pattern substitute)

NYMPHS: BTS PMD 16-18, Hunchback 2-Tone PMD 18, Tungsten Splitcase PMD Emerger 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: Borski's Bonefish Slider, Tim's Autumn Splendor, Tungsten Thin Mint, 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: 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: 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.

Like in the rest of the system, Drake activity may be impacted by lowered flows, but BWO activity should still be going on.

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

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS: 

DRIES: TC Sparkle Dun Drake 12, BDE Green Drake 10-12, Moosetail Hairwing Drake 10-12, Harrop's CDC Green Drake Cripple, Improved Sparkle Dun Green Drake 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, Adams 10-12, Parachute Adams 10-12, Irresistible Adams 12-14, Para Rusty Spinner 16-18, 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, 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: Jigged Juju PMD 16-18, Prince Nymph 14-18, Murder, She Wrote 20-22, Barr's Emerger PMD 16-18, Mercury Pheasant Tail 16-20, 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

STREAMERS:  Tungsten Double Thin Mint, Dali-Lama, Skully Bugger, Tim'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 stones and caddis than you'd think.

LOWER FRYINGPAN (Basalt upstream to Mile Marker 4) 

WATER CONDITIONS: Clear

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

OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10 

THE LOWDOWN: Caddis and Golden Stoneflies are still apparent on the lower river because of both the steeper gradient and the warmer water temps (compared to higher up the tailwater.) PMDs, BWOs, and midges are also around, like elsewhere on the Pan. Midge and BWO fishing has been the hottest option.

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: Mole Fly Baetis 20-22, 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, Missing Link Caddis 16-18, Pearl and Elk Caddis 14-18, Yellow Humpy 16-18, Goddard Caddis 16-18, Pearl and Elk Caddis 16-18, Lawson's EZ Caddis 16-18, Missing Link Caddis 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, 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, Bead Head Swiss Straw Emerger 16-18, Jigged Hot Orange Bead Soft hackle Pheasant Tail 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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