Peak dry fly fishing in Telluride

August 3, 2011

Drying weather and clouds of hatching insects are combining to offer the best dry fly fishing of the 2011 summer season.  Fish now in SW Colorado, or forever hold your peace!

Dolores River: (50-100 cfs near Rico, 200-350 cfs at Dolores)  The Main Branch Upper Dolores is in beautiful condition from top to bottom.  Thanks to recent intermittent rain, water clarity varies from day to day, but aquatic insects are hatching in tremendous numbers and fish are rising to dry flies.  There are no super hatches in early August, but the menu is broad: pale morning duns, slate duns, blue winged olives, caddis, yellow sallie stoneflies, giant golden stoneflies and midges.  This is also the beginning of ant season on the Dolores.   Our favorite patterns include the Stalcup's Extended Body Parachute PMD, Harrop's Pink Albert Thorax and basic yellow or pink parachute patterns.  Elk Hair Caddis, parachute Caddis and attractor caddis such as Yeager's Neversink caddis will cover your caddis dry flies.  The Turck's Power Ant, Green River Ant and basic black/white ant dry flies are highly effective searching patterns.  In addition to the main river, tributary creeks are all fishing well.  Small yellow dry flies, such as the PMX or Yeager's 409, make excellent attractor flies.  Terrestrials, such as the Flopper and Parachute Hopper, are a logical choice for dry-dropper rigs.  For your dropper, use a size #16-20 soft hackle PT, #16-18 Psycho Prince (orange or blue), tungsten WD-40, #16-18 Superflash PT and #16-18 Present Tail.  Of course, the Mayhem, fished "banjo" with a micro shot is a truly deadly dropper.

Lower Dolores River (75 cfs)  The PMD hatch has faded, but rising fish may be found all over the river during certain periods of the day.  Throw terrestrials, such as hopper and beetle patterns, when no heads are rising.  Watch for a morning midge hatch and afternoon caddis and mahogany duns. We're still catching a few fish on PMDs, but other hatches now predominate.  Fish small single midges to morning risers: Stalcup's Hatching Midge #22, parachute midges (any color) #24-26, Parachute Adams #24-26.  Harrop's Mahogany and PMD patterns are effective when mayflies are present and unusual hopper patterns, such as the Flopper, Kicking Hopper, Grillo's Pool Toy and Morrish's Hoppers are efficient searching patterns.  Fish the Stalcup's para caddis emerger if any caddis are hanging around.

San Miguel: (300 - 400 cfs at Placerville)  Wading will remain tough over the next couple weeks.  Wade conservatively.  Leave those pockets on the far bank until early August.  Fish close at hand with attractor dry flies on short, stout leaders.  The methodical angler will enjoy some great fishing over the next couple weeks, before the general public tunes in to the San Miguel.  Favorite patterns include the Bugmeister, PMX, Bloom's Para Caddis, Parachute PMD patterns, the Chernobyl Ant, the Parachute Adams and other San Miguel classics. On Trout Lake, Alta, Woods Lake and other local stillwaters, fish Wooly Buggers, soft hackles and other life-like streamers and nymphs.  In the evenings, fish will rise if the wind dies down.  Catch them on midge patterns and drab-colored general imitator dry flies such as the Griffiths Gnat and Parachute Adams.

Uncompahgre: (406 cfs below Ridgway Reservoir)  At 400 cfs, flows are much more wadeable than earlier in the season.  Dry fly fishing has been highly productive, especially on cloudy days.  Throw classic PMD dries and emergers: Thorax or Dun Pink Albert, Burk's Silhouette Dun, Stalcup's Hatching PMD, the Walker's Mayhem #16-18, Barr's Emerger #16-18, soft hackle patterns #16-18, JD Juice #16-18, WD-40 #18. 

Gunnison: (1,280 cfs) Flows have slowly ramped down this week and we expect them to continue dropping down to approximately 1,100 cfs by August 5th.  This is a terrific fishing flow for both wading anglers and floaters!

Dry flies: Bloom's Para Caddis #14-16, EH Caddis #14-16, Stalcup's Para Caddis Emerger #14-16, Parachute Adams #16-18, Flopper, Parachute Hopper, Morrish's Foam Hopper.

Nymphs:  Pat's Rubber Leg Stone, brown or black, size #6-#8, Mayhem (yellow) #16-18, Barr's Emerger (PMD) #16-18, Pulsating Caddis #14-16, LaFontaine's Caddis Emerger #14-16.

Streamers:  Black Wooly Bugger (#6-10), Rubberlegs Bugger #4-6, Black Slump Buster #4-8.