The Colorado River, my favorite river in summer and fall, has at last begun to look like summer; only within the past several days has it taken on a proper personality for July. The flows have finally dropped below 900 cfs in the Middle Park section, near Hot Sulphur Springs and Parshall.
The river is one of my favorites because of the varied insect life and the rich numbers of trout. Most of them are browns, and most are in the 15-inch range, though a larger fish certainly does show up from time to time, and a rainbow trout makes a surprising appearance to induce a bit of melancholy and memories of the river before Whirling Disease showed a decade or more ago.
Dry fly fishing is the post-runoff draw, of course, as a number of insects begin to whir and flash in the sun above and on the river. In a visit earlier this week, the water showed still a bit of color, but certainly it's closer to clear than snowmelt brown. The water temperature was plus- or minus-60 degree (F), and midges, caddis, mayflies, and stoneflies all showed themselves during a few hours there.
First thing, the midges hummed delicately in the morning air, though they never reach the intensity of the aquarium midge hatches in some tailwaters. Almost immediately, a few different caddis began to pop and flutter. The fish seemed most eager to take a size 16 brown or blonde body Elk Hair Caddis; certainly more of this caddis was in the air and scooting across the water. This lasted until mid-morning, and then a size 14-16 PMD joined the hatch.
Strangely, few fish left the caddis to take a PMD. Mostly, I got refusals on the usually steady PMD dry. A quick change back to the caddis proved to still be the ticket, as fish continued to grab the more elusive bug when they could.
By mid-day, a smaller stonefly - smaller, at least, than the Colorado's Salmonfly - joined the action. This size 14 yellowish bug was best imitated, according to the fish, with a yellow-green Stimulator of the same size.
Both the caddis and the stonefly required working the water, as fish eating these bugs are more opportunistic than the trout who "set up" in a particular spot and wait for mayflies to drift into a convenient feeding lane. Fish are holding in almost all available nooks and crannies, and their rise is quick and generally even splashier than caddis rises to these stoneflies, as the Yellow Sallies are only on the surface for a few seconds before departing.
During the stonefly hatch, which extended well into mid-afternoon, I once saw a more exuberant fish jump into the air while attempting to catch a stonefly that was lifting off. The trout seemed comfortable with the acrobatic move, and so did the Yellow Sally, as she eluded him with hardly a change of wing beats above the water's surface. I seemed to be the only one startled by the drama. A river in summertime can certainly be nice.
