Roaring Fork River Report 7-4-17

July 4, 2017

UPPER ROARING FORK- ASPEN DOWNSTREAM TO BASALT     
                  
FLOW: 850 cfs below Maroon Creek (Woody Creek Canyon) and dropping fast..

WATER CLARITY: The Fork has been clearing significantly.  It's go time!

OVERALL RATING: 6 out of 10 in the morning, 8 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 cleaning up beautifully.  The upper river is still a bit more challenging due to flows, but it has been fishing extremely well, and getting better every day.

HATCHES: Midges sz 22-24, BWOs 18-22, caddis 16-18, Pale Morning Duns 16-18, golden stoneflies 6-12

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS:  

DRIES: Sparkledun PMD Pink 16-18, Perfect PMD 16-18, 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, Charlie Boy Hopper 12, Stimulator Yellow 10

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: 1250 cfs in Basalt 

WATER CONDITIONS: Clarity is improving! The Fork is dropping fast.

OVERALL RATING:  7 out of 10 on foot and float fishing is already a 8 out of 10 in Basalt

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Green Drakes, Yellow Sallies, PMDs, BWOs, Midges, Caddis, Golden Stonefly nymphs, Sculpins, Cranefly larva 

THE LOW DOWN: The renownedgreen drake hatch is now happening!  The wave is around Carbondale and down-valley now, and our guides are seeing mid-day hatches of drakes on float trips too. 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 and Sallies 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, but conditions are changing so fast now that you will begin to find plenty of soft water.

HATCHES: Green Drakes 10-12, Yellow Sallies 14-16, PMDs 16-18, 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: Sparkledun Green Drake 10-12, Drake Cripple 10-12, Split Flag PMD 16-18, Sparkledun Pink PMD 16-18, 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: 2270 cfs in Glenwood Springs.  The Fork is dropping over 400 cfs a day now....it's on!

WATER CONDITIONS: Very different from just a week ago.  We are seeing excellent clarity now all day long.

OVERALL RATING: 6 out of 10 in the mornings, 9 out of 10 at twilight!  The famous GREEN DRAKE HATCH is here. Float fishing has been excellent this week already.

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Green Drakes, Pale Morning Duns, Yellow Sallies, BWOs, caddis, midges, golden stonefly nymphs, sculpins, cranefly larva

THE LOW DOWN: Runoff is on it's last legs and the green drake hatch is going strong.  Float guides have been boating fish left and right this week, and even seeing some drakes hatch mid-day.  We are also seeing good numbers of Yellow Sallies, PMDs and caddis!

The drake wave is below Carbondale at this point, and will roll upstream over the coming month.

HATCHES: Green drakes 10-12, Yellow Sallies 14-16, PMDs 16-18, Caddis 12-18, 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: H and L Variant 10-12, Royal Wulff 10-12, Hairy Sally 14-16, 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: Lightning rounds are finally here... The reason we live and work in the RFV.  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