Roaring Fork River 6-18-17
Posted on 18 June 2017
June 18, 2017
UPPER ROARING FORK- ASPEN DOWNSTREAM TO BASALT
FLOW: 1250 cfs below Maroon Creek (Woody Creek Canyon) and rising
WATER CLARITY: The Fork keeps coming up, be safe but on the flipside don't be afraid of finding those soft water spots where fish will hang out.
OVERALL RATING: 0 out of 10 in the morning, 3 out of 10 in the afternoon
FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Midges, BWOs, Caddis, Golden Stonefly nymphs, Sculpins. Some juvenile PMD and green drake nymphs
THE LOW DOWN: The Roaring Fork is living up to it's name this week. As water has stopped being diverted from up on Independence Pass, it has cranked up the Fork quite a bit. You'll notice little to no visibility in the early hours and a foot or so of clarity in the late afternoon as the yo-yo cycle keeps repeating itself.
The upper river is narrow and less forgiving than the lower reaches, be smart out there and choose your battles wisely.
HATCHES: Midges sz 22-24, BWOs 18-22, Caddis 16-18
APPROPRIATE PATTERNS:
DRIES: Bills Midge Emerger 20-22, Bills Midge Adult 20-22, Flag Adams 18-20, Perfect Baetis 18-20, Ethawing Caddis 16-18, Pearl and Elk Caddis 16-18
NYMPHS: BLMs 18-20, Tungsten Bead Baetis 20, BTS Baetis 20-22, Sparklewing RS2 20-22, Freestone Emerger 20, BH Polywing Emerger 20, Biot Baetis 20-22, Soft Hackle BWO 20-22, Prince 18, Eggs 16-18, San Juan Worm 10, Poxyback Golden Stone 8-12
STREAMERS: Weir's Sculpin 6, Autumn Splendor 6, Zuddler 6, Slumpies 6-8
HINTS: Focus on the Roaring Fork later in the day to be successful.
MIDDLE ROARING FORK- BASALT DOWNSTREAM TO CARBONDALE
FLOW: 3240 cfs in Basalt
WATER CONDITIONS: The Fork is cranked up to 11, but this won't last much longer with the hot week on deck. As with the upper, skip it early but fish it late!
OVERALL RATING: 2 out of 10 in the mornings, 4 out of 10 in the afternoons
FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: PMDs, BWOs, Midges, Caddis, Golden Stonefly nymphs, Sculpins, Cranefly larva
THE LOW DOWN: Noticing all of the anglers plying the Roaring Fork around Basalt at twilight? It only improves from here. These anglers are primarily skating caddis dries around the edges and below the willows with some pretty good success! We are starting to see handfuls of PMDs here and there as well.
On the nymphing side of things, use those worms and golden stones as attractors and follow them up with some shiny baetis and PMD nymphs. There's no mystery where the fish are residing during high water.
HATCHES: BWOs 18-20, Midges sz 22-24, Caddis 16-18
APPROPIATE PATTERNS
NYMPHS: BLMs 18-20, Tung Split Case BWO 20-22, Princes 16-20, CJs Red 16-18, PTs 16-20, Tung Teasers 16-18 Freestone Emerger 20, BH Polywing Emerger 18-20, Biot Baetis 18-20, Sparklewing RS2 20-22, Tailwater Assassin 20-22, Imposter 20-22, Eggs 16-18, Cat Poop 10-12, Twenty Incher 14-16, San Juan Worm 10
DRIES: Bills Midge Adult 20-22, HOH CDC Spent Midge 22-24, Colletts BWO Adult 18-20, Sparkledun BWO 18-20, Goddard Caddis 16-18, Ethawing Caddis 16-18, Pearl and Elk Caddis 16-18
STREAMERS: Peanuts, Gongas, Carlton Banks, Splendors, Bread n Butter Bugger 6
HINTS: If you find yourself struggling down here, move! Covering water is key on the middle Fork.
LOWER ROARING FORK- CARBONDALE TO GLENWOOD
FLOW: 5730 cfs in Glenwood Springs
WATER CONDITIONS: The Crystal River adds quite a bit of discoloration this time of year in addition to the high flows of spring runoff. This is the most challenging section of the Roaring Fork to fish this week.
OVERALL RATING: 2 out of 10
FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: BWOs, Caddis, Midges, Eggs, Golden Stonefly nymphs, Caddis larva, Sculpins, Cranefly larva
THE LOW DOWN: Runoff is here- albeit for just another week or so. As mentioned above, the conditions are about as challenging as they can get this time of year. The river is big and fast, but as in the middle and upper river- it doesn't hurt to head to the water around twilight to see if there are any risers along the edges. Drakes are on our doorstep, people!
HATCHES: PMDs 16-18, Caddis 16-18, BWOs 18-20, Midges 20-22
APPROPRIATE PATTERNS:
NYMPHS: Prince Nymph 12-18, Tung PT 18-20, BLMs 18-20, Freestone Emerger 20, RS2s 20-22, Polywing Emerger 18-20, Biot Baetis 18-20, Thread Body Baetis 18-20, Soft Hackle BWO 20-22, Imposters 20-22, Cat Poop 8-12, Twenty Incher 14-16
DRIES: Pearl and Elk 16-18, Ethawing Caddis 16-18, Goddard Caddis 16-18, Morgans Midge 18-20, Sprout Midge 18-20, Skittering Zelon Midge 20-22, Improved Sparkledun BWO 18-20, Perfect Baetis 20, CDC BWO Comparadun 18-20
STREAMERS: Carlton Banks, Meat Gazers, Sculpzillas, Peanuts, Gongas, Splendors
HINTS: Lightening rounds will be here before we know it... Caddis have been hatching at last light, bust out your dry shake and headlamps!
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Link to the USGS Real Time Flow Chart for the Fork @ Aspen
Link to the USGS Real Time Flow Chart for the Fork @ Basalt (Emma)
Link to the USGS Real Time Flow Chart for the Fork @ Glenwood
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