Hatches, dry flies and thunderstorms in Telluride

Thunderstorm season is here.  Without rain, we would have no rivers.  Varying evoke some angler's guesswork, but we're enjoying the best overall fishing of the year in the SW corner of the state.  The week's rundown from Telluride:

San Miguel River: (225 cfs)   Thundershowers have become an every day event, a pattern that's likely to continue through much of August.  Afternoon rains keep water in the river.  In fact, the San Miguel is about 30% higher today than a week ago.  Water clarity varies quite a bit, but we haven't been shut out on the San Miguel yet this season. When it rains in the afternoon or evening, there is often a batch of dirty water that makes it's way downstream in the middle of the night and through the next morning.  Unless the water is truly brown, however, these murky conditions can provide excellent fishing opportunities.  This is the season of the Pat's Rubber Legs and other big, dark attractor flies that cast a strong silhouette in cloudy water and lure big fish out for a snack.  Dry fly fishing is also outstanding in clear water conditions.

Dries:  Throw the same attractors that worked in July, but one size smaller.  Also, mix in your upwing mayfly attractors, such as the H&L Variant and Ben Furimsky's foam body BDE mayflies.  Yeager's Neversink trude becomes a mainstay in August, too: RL Stimi #12-14, Perry's Bugmeister #10-#16, PMX (any color) #12-#16, Furimsky's BDE #12-#14, Yeager's Neversink Trude #12-14, Yeager's Neversink Caddis #12-14. In the evenings, the fish move up in the water column and are more willing to eat smaller dries.  Stimulators, caddis patterns, etc in the size 12-16 range are perfect for the evening rise.  Parachute mayflies, such as the basic Para PMD and Stalcup's Para PMD, are also highly effective.

Nymphs: Wire Prince, Pulsating Caddis, Diving Caddis, Pat's RL Stone (in all colors and sizes), Guide's Choice Hare's Ear, Poxyback Stone, Tungsten Yellow Sallie Nymph, Soft Hackle PT (#16-18), Guide's Choice Hare's Ear #14-16, Micro May #16-20.  As a generalization, fish these droppers in sizes 14-18.  Our guides are starting to fish more technical droppers including the Mayhem, Red Headed Stepchild, Micro May, Split Case emergers and the Winker Midge.  When fishing unweighted droppers, use a micro shot 6-8 inches above the dropper fly.

Dolores River: (226 cfs at Dolores, 58 cfs at Rico, 80 cfs below McPhee) Rain has pumped the Upper Dolores back up into the "ideal" range.  Is this the pretties river in Colorado?  Hatches include caddis, PMDs, a few Green Drakes, yellow sallies (actually several species between a size 12-16, olive to yellow in color), midges, a few golden stones and lots of terrestrials.  Ants will play a major roll in the trout's diet through late summer and fall.  Don't forget creek fishing.  The Dolores is indisputably the best creek fishing watershed in SW Colorado.  The high country is magnificent in early August.  Wildflowers crowd the streambanks, birds swoop from trees to pick off emerging insects and the trout eat dry flies ten hours a day.  It's sweet up there!

Dry Flies: Bloom's Para Caddis #14-16, RL Stimulator #14-16, Stalcup's Para Caddis Emerger #14-16, Morrish's Foam Hopper #10, Perry's Bugmeister #12-16, Stalcup's Para PMD #16-18, Turck's Power Ant #11-13, Green River Ant #12, Yeager's 409 #14.

Nymphs: Wire Prince #16-18, Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle #18, Pulsating Caddis #14-16, Mayhem #16, Oops! #14-16, Split Back Emerger #16-18, Jewel Crawler #16-18, Micro May #16-20.  In murky water, break out the #10 Pat's Rubber Legs and fish it under a strike indicator.  You might find one of those big fish that seemed to vanish when the water was low.

The Lower Dolores River is still fishing well enough to entertain advanced anglers who take satisfaction in butt kickings at the hands of tough trout, but hatches have slowed and a preponderance of sunny days has limited dry fly action.  Hatches include a few late PMDs, scattered caddis, midges and mahogany dun mayflies.  Terrestrials offer your best big fish dry fly opportunities over the next couple weeks.

Uncompahgre : (398 cfs below Ridgway Reservoir)  Great fishing.  The summer PMD hatch is peaking, providing reliable dry fly fishing mid-day, even on sunny days.  Generally speaking, it's better to fish late than early.  With plenty of bugs emerging mid-day, the trout stay on top through the early evening hours, eating PMD cripples and spinners, as well as midges. We're catching fish all day long on nymphs and in the middle of the day on PMD patterns. Uncompahgre trout want a well-tied fly, so choose your dry flies wisely. 

Hatches: Pale Morning Dun Mayflies and midges

Dries:  We're throwing hoppers and Bugmeisters primarily as indicator flies and technical PMD patterns during the mid-day hatch.  Our favorite match-the-hatch PMDs include the Burk's Silhouette Dun, Pink Albert, Pink Albert cripple, Melon Quill and Lawson's No Hackle.

Nymphs: Mayhem, Micro May, Split Case PMD, small Soft Hackles.

Gunnison: (665 cfs below Crystal Reservoir)  Grasshopper time.  Aquatic hatches have diminished to scattered caddis, midges and random outbursts of Tricorythodes mayflies.  One grasshopper provides more protein than any 30 of the above insects, so pack your hopper box.

Dry flies: Morrish's Foam Hopper #10, Kicking Hopper #8-12, Parachute Hopper #8-12, Yeager's 409 (yellow or brown) #14, Furimsky's BDE #12-16, Bloom's Para Caddis #14-16, Stalcup's Para Caddis Emerger #14-16, Melon Quill #16, Burk's Silhouette Dun PMD #16, Trico Spinner patterns.

Nymphs:  Soft hackle hare's ear and PT patterns #14-16, The Mayhem #16-22, Split Case PMD Emerger #16-18, Trina's Present Tail #16-18, San Juan Worm #12-16 (pink and red), Pat's RL Stone #8-10.

- John Duncan, Telluride Angler