Arkansas River Tailwater Fishing Report July 25th 2013

Hello all, I wanted to toss out a little info on what I have been seeing on the river over the last few weeks. We get so many calls in the shop as to the fishing conditions and it has been so difficult since the conditions are changing so fast. In the last 2 weeks we have seen the river go from 200cfs to 1200 cfs and then back down to 300cfs for a few days and now it has dropped to 130cfs. This weekend we began to see free drifting moss like we have never seen before, every few casts call for fly cleaning. Water temps at Moffat have climbed into the upper 70’s on the hot days. Clarity has been between 6 and 18 inches over the same time. Wednesday evening, a friend and I got to the river at about 5:30, about an hour after a P-west downpour and the clarity was somewhere between chocolate milk and a brick wall.

  Now, in spite of all the seemingly strange conditions, fishing at times has been very good. A guide trip Sunday morning saw several hookups and a personal best 18 inch bow to the net. Sunday evening Cat and I fished for a few hours and the water had cleared considerably from the morning and we hooked quite a few with half a dozen or so to the net. Wednesday’s trip to the water saw nothing for the first hour and then as the water started to clear the fished really wanted to play. Flies of choice were the Depth charge when the clarity was way off and the Winston Caddis, FOD, RS2, and the Ninjas when the water was a little clearer. With the monsoon season fully upon us I am not sure I would encourage long travel to fish the Ark right now, however if you are within an hour away, get out there and enjoy.  

  Keep in mind on the hot sunny days that noon till 5:00 or so will have rubber rafts bouncing off you and through you runs all day. Fishing really early and late and might keep your sanity intact, and besides the water temps are cooler then and are safer for the fish. On the hot days, please keep your fishing west of P-blvd where the water is a little cooler. Fight the fish as quick as possible and when releasing maybe give them an extra few secs and make sure they are ready to go. Softmouth still seems to be a little bit of an issue so don’t get down on yourself if you are losing fish in the heat of battle. As always I wanted to say thanks and hope you have a great summer on the water. Connell, Cat, Winston and The Drift Fly Shop…..

 

                                Richards best Rainbow ever !!!!!!