Stabilized Flows and Clarity for the Time Being
Tincup Rapid on the Arkansas River near Howard, Colorado on Friday, May 16, 2025.
Overview:
After starting last week with a lot of warmth and sunshine that accelerated snowmelt and jumped the river to over 900 cfs at the Wellsville Guage we saw more than expected overcast conditions that helped to lower flows by the end of the week. So, for the time being, we have stabilized flows and clarity throughout the river. But if we string together a few sunny warm days I feel runoff will likely start in earnest. Keep in mind that my report is fairly general and meant to give the reader an idea of what might be going on over 100 miles of river with a few thousand feet of elevation change. It would be hard to describe exactly the conditions over all that water, but I do live minutes from the river and spend nearly every day on the water this time of year.
Weather:
Do not trust your weather app in the mountains! There are so many microclimates around here it really takes a lot of local knowledge to forecast the weather and not an algorithm. While today seems to be pretty cloudy and cool, it looks like we may get some of the warmest temperatures of the year by the end of the week. That will start to melt snow in the higher elevations. Also, we’ve been dealing with some truly horrible winds lately and I bet that may continue. At least for the next couple days.
Water Temperatures:
Air temperatures continue to slowly get more consistently warmer day and night, but due to snowmelt ramping up water temperatures won’t rise a ton. Water temperatures upriver of BV are still in the 40’s and 50’s while below Salida will slide into the 60’s on sunny afternoons.
Flows:
It’s currently 593 cfs at the Wellsville gauge. After jumping up to over 900 cfs early last week we’ve come back down to near the flow we were at this time last week. The flow changes seem to be all due to the weather. Sunny warm afternoons drive more melt that reaches the river the following morning. We are now past the peak of our snowpack for the year. The Upper Arkansas Basin was just under 100 percent of median snow water equivalent at about the time of our peak back in early April. State-wide we were at about 90 percent. The US Drought Monitor has recently put the Upper Arkansas Basin in the moderate to severe drought range after years without drought conditions here. That’s not too unexpected since we’ve been in a La Nina pattern for a while now. All of this to say, I would expect to see a normal flow year on the Arkansas in 2025, and I wouldn’t expect runoff as high and long as the last couple years.
Clarity:
Water clarity above BV has been totally fishable, but below BV has seen fairly variable clarity conditions due to snowmelt. With that said, clarity conditions are stable now below BV. But that could change quickly. Like always, the water will be clearer the further upriver you go and downstream of tributaries that have reservoirs on them, like Lake Creek and Clear Creek. Experienced anglers know that the clearer the water the more precise your presentation needs to be, but downright muddy water can be unfishable. Trout rely heavily on the sense of sight to feed. So, ideally I would want at least 18 inches to two feet of visibility.
Habitat:
The trout will be jockeying for the best velocity shelters as the water continues to rise. Look for them to be more aggressively looking to the edges of the river. But at this point, they should still be able to find mid-river runs that are still suitable. That could change quickly when the water starts to rise again. Brown Trout (which comprise at least 80% of our fish) excel at finding structure to shelter them from the velocity of the river. So, if you aren’t casting in proximity to a rock, log, eddy or riverbed contour of some kind then you’re probably not casting in proximity to a fish either. The Rainbow Trout are probably done spawning at this point. They will often sit up away from structure in the current in order to get at more food.
Food:
We are seeing fish feeding on a variety of insects right now. Midges, mayflies, caddisflies, and craneflies are on the menu. There may even be a couple early Golden Stones, Yellow Sallies, and terrestrials out there. With such a variety of insects to feed on the fish will be very opportunistic in their feeding. Don't get too preoccupied with hatches. With the rising water the trout will also get more aggressive to defend and jockey for new positions. As a result, they’ll attack and sometimes eat smaller fish that thought they had a safe spot near the shore.
Rigging:
In my opinion, tippet size should always match the size of your fly, and the length of your leader should match the technique you are using or the conditions in which you’re fishing. So, if you are using a size 18 dry fly to imitate the Blue Wing Olive duns the fish will often feed on this time of year you may want a tippet/leader combo at least in the 5x range. If it’s one of our ultra windy spring afternoons then shorten your leader to the 7.5 foot range. Also, the water is fairly slow and shallow this time of year, so you may not necessarily need the faster sink rate that light tippet gives you with nymphs. You’ll also lose less flies on the rocky bottom with slightly heavier tippet to your nymph. As the water rises, you may want to go a bit longer and lighter to your nymphs to get your fly down deeper and faster. If you want to read more about rigging, click here.
Float Fishing:
The water is rising but most boaters would still classify the conditions as technical. Especially compared to what it will be in a couple weeks. However, there is now enough water to get most fishing rafts through everything below Johnson’s Village. With that said, I’d like to see a little more water in the Milk Run and Brown’s Canyon before I go in there with my 14-foot fishing raft. There are no new hazards in the river that I know of but that can change quickly as the water rises. The boat ramp at Ruby Mountain is now open again but you may see delays getting in and out of the area due to the ongoing road widening project on County Road 300. The most common boat you’ll see on the Arkansas is a whitewater raft like the NRS Otter 140 I row. At the current low flows, you may be able to get away with small fishing rafts like the NRS Slipstream or some of the Flycrafts or Outcasts, but I’d be very careful. The Arkansas is always way too rocky for hard sided drift boats.
FLOAT fishing Etiquette:
The fish in this river are pretty used to seeing a ton of boat traffic and will quickly go back to feeding after a raft comes through. So, I don’t typically lose much sleep over quietly boating through a wade angler’s water. But I don’t fish that water either. Boat ramps should be less busy this time of year, but you should still try and keep to a max of 15 minutes of loading/unloading time on the ramp. I typically am in the habit of unstrapping and pumping my boat in the parking lot and then backing my trailer down the ramp and immediately putting my boat in the water and moving it as far up or downriver away from the ramp as possible while I park my truck or do a shuttle. I also NEVER let my dog run off leash around the ramp. The ramp is not the place to practice if you’re new to backing up trailers.
Wade fishing:
As flows rise and the fish move to the edges, wading deeper into the river becomes unnecessary. Most wade anglers I see on this river are standing in the slower structure-filled water that Brown Trout love and casting to the deeper faster water that they aren’t as often in. The most common wade fishing approach this time of year is making short drifts upstream of your position while moving upstream along the shore. There’s often no need to mess with the deep fast water. Be careful if you need to cross the river. There aren’t many safe places to cross below BV at current flows. Also, be careful of rattlesnakes in the canyons below Salida. I often see them this time of year sunning themselves along the river.
Wade fishing Etiquette:
Wade anglers here don’t often post up at a pool for long periods of time this time of year. They’re typically on the move and often look for a couple hundred upstream yards to fish. When in doubt, fish downriver of someone and not upriver. There’s lots of road access and if you come to a pull off that already has a car or two at it you should move on a find an empty pull off. With over 100 miles of Gold Medal Water there should be enough space to never feel like you’re combat fishing.