December 8, 2024

UPPER ROARING FORK - ASPEN DOWNSTREAM TO BASALT   

FLOW: 21 CFS at Aspen

WATER CLARITY: Very Low and Clear

OVERALL RATING: 6 out of 10

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Blue Winged Olives, Midges, Sculpins

THE LOWDOWN: For now the Fork is steady, if very low and clear (typical for the next 5 months). Expect some snow and ice on your approach to this upper stretch.

These fish won't tolerate a noisy approach or a sloppy presentation. We're sticking to our small flies -- think midges and blue winged olives -- and short rigs. With these cold mornings, afternoons have tended to be the most buggy. 

The browns are at the tail end of spawn this time of year and it's hungry work, so the odds are in your favor.

Dry-dropper fishing and euro-nymphing are two go-to methods on this upper stretch as well.

HATCHES: Blue Winged Olives 18-22, Midges 18-24

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS:  
DRIES: TC Sparkledun BWO 20-22, HOH CDC Thorax BWO 20-22, CDC Biot Comparadun BWO 22, Harrop's CDC Biot Emerger BWO 20, Dorsey's Midge Emerger 22, Antonio's Hi-Vis Quill Midge 20, Solitude Hatching Midge Black 22,  McChannel's Massacre Midge 22-24, Bill Fitzsimmons Trailing Shuck Midge 22-26

NYMPHS: Stott's Raisinette 20, Tungsten Two Bead Nymph 18-20, Bead Head Swiss Straw Emerger 16-18, Jigged Hot Orange Bead CDC Pheasant Tail 18-20,  Tungsten Rainbow Warrior 18-22, BTS Baetis 20-22, Sparklewing RS2 20-22, Beadwing Midge Emerger Grey 20-22, Pulsating Midge Emerger 20, Freestone Emerger Olive 22, Tailwater Tiny Midge Red 20-22, Chartreuse Egg

STREAMERS: Swim Coach, Slump Buster, Carlton Banks, Baby Gonga, Autumn Splendor

HINTS: Fish the soft water along the banks before you cast into the middle of the river

MIDDLE ROARING FORK - BASALT DOWNSTREAM TO CARBONDALE 

FLOW: 300 CFS at Basalt

WATER CLARITY: Very low and Clear

OVERALL RATING: 6 out of 10

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT:  Blue Winged Olives, Midges, Sculpins 

THE LOWDOWN: Melting snow during the sunniest part of the day has led to a regular oscillation in the CFS charts, with flows peaking mid afternoon and dropping again overnight. This difference is usually no more than ±100CFS so it's not worrisome, nor should it impact the quality of fishing. We expect the curves to flatten out as days get colder in the next week. 

With cold overnight temps, it's normal for the river to be slushy and crunchy into the afternoon. It's a good idea to keep an eye upstream, as ice and anglers don't tend to get along (don't ask how we know). 

It's the time of year where our middle and lower Fork boxes mirror our Fryingpan boxes with their tiny nymphs and understated dries. Midge and BWO activity is probably the most prevalent. In all honesty, its a real nymphing game right now; we're not seeing much in the way of hatches. With the cooler weather, fish will start moving back out from the riffles and into the slower, deeper water. 

There's not a lot of public access mid-valley, but local favorites are Catherine Store, behind Crown Mountain Park, and the section along Two Rivers Road here in Basalt.

HATCHES: Blue Winged Olives 20-22, Midges 18-24

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS
NYMPHS: Murder, She Wrote Epoxyback Rust 20, Thorax BWO Emerger 20-22, Jigged JuJu BWO 20, Mercury Bead RS2 Grey 22, Tungsten Zebra Midge Red 20-22, T Midge Black 24, Stott's Good Carl 20, Jigged Tungsten Red Tie PT 18-20, Tungsten Rainbow Warrior 20-22

DRIES: Hackle Dun Baetis 20-22, No Hackle BWO 20-22, TC Custom Sparkle Dun BWO 18-20, Traditional Adams 16-20, Fitzsimmon's Midge Adult Black 22, Harrop's CDC Spent Midge Black 22-24, Morgan's Midge Dark 24, Brook's Sprout Midge Grey 22-24

STREAMERS: Tungsten Double Mint, Tungsten Thin Mint, Baby Gonga, Carlton Banks, Circus Peanut, Tim's Autumn Splendor

HINTS: Fish the banks first- trout are lazy!

LOWER ROARING FORK - CARBONDALE DOWNSTREAM TO GLENWOOD  

FLOW: 480 CFS in Glenwood Springs

WATER CLARITY: Very low and Clear

OVERALL RATING: 7 out of 10

FOOD SOURCES PRESENT: Blue Winged Olives, Midges

THE LOW DOWN: The same daily increase and decrease in flows affecting the middle Fork (quite obviously) is being seen on the lower as well. But, again, no worries, and it shouldn't affect fishing. You can also expect the same morning ice/slush with dropping nighttime temps. 

Construction on Westbank boat ramp will continue through the winter; expect some color downstream from the heavy machinery when river work takes place. Add that to the color commonly spewed from the Crystal after moisture and this section can get pretty hazy. As of now, though, fall fishing abounds.

At this point in the year hatches almost exclusively comprise BWOs and midges. The buggiest time of day is the afternoon by far. The streamer bite can be hot all-day-round.

HATCHES: Blue Winged Olives 18-22, Midges 18-26

APPROPRIATE PATTERNS: 
NYMPHS: Rust Murder She Wrote 18-20, Tim Heng's BLM 18-20, Tungsten Two Bead Nymph Black 18-20, Bead Head Swiss Straw Emerger 16-18, Stott's Raisinette 20, Stott's Mercury Bad Carl Grey 20, BMW Foam Top RS2 Black 20-22, Mercury Bead RS2 Grey 22, Pandemic BWO Emerger 20-22, Freestone Emerger Olive 22, Internal Wire Tube Midge Black/Red 20, Desert Storm Midge Fluor. Orange 22, TC Custom Midge Red/Clear 20-22

DRIES: Improved Sparkle Dun BWO 18-22, No Hackle BWO 20-22, Roy's Special Emerger 20, Adams 18-22, TC Custom Collette's Para BWO 20-22, Hackle Dun Baetis 20-22, Mike Lawson's No-Hackle BWO 20-22, Mole Fly Baetis 20-22, Brook's Sprout Midge Grey 20-22, Bill Fitzsimmon's Midge Adult 22, Bill's Midge Emerger 22-24, Antonio's Hi-Vis Quill Midge Emerger 20-22, Harrop's Midge Adult Black 20-22

STREAMERS: Swim Coach, Circus Peanut, Grease Monkey, Slumpbuster, Devourer of Souls, Meal Ticket, Tim's Autumn Splendor,

HINTS: Generally, cloudy days tend to produce the best mayfly action.

Upper Roaring Fork: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/co/nwis/uv/?site_no=09076300&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060

Middle Roaring Fork: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?09081000

Lower Roaring Fork: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?09085000