October 15, 2011
The start of Fall brought in some cool bursts of weather, but it never lasts -- in fact, a little precipitation up high can stimulate fish and hatches. And remember, the fish don't care, they're already cold and wet! We also seen a lowering of streamflows on the Big Thompson below Lake Estes as well, which seems to have kick-started the Autumn baetis and midge hatches.
The centerpiece fly fishing venue of the area, Rocky Mt. National Park, has seen colder conditions at high elevations than the lower Estes valley lately. This, coupled with the small, Freestone nature of the streams in the park has resulted in a slowing of dry fly fishing action in the streams, but allowing a last blast of feeding activity in the high lakes preceding Ice-in.
Fly fishing in the lower Estes valley for last two weeks has been very strong. Insect hatch activity -- especially smaller Mayflies and Midges -- has been consistently heavy in the lower valley streams, with accompanying trout feeding displays. EPMS guided groups have been having excellent success on the Big Thompson and North Fork of the Big Thompson rivers, with some larger specimens even being caught on film before release!
Flows on the Tailwaters of the Lower Big Thompson downstream of Estes Park are now at 65cfs, allowing great drifts in longer pools when the feed is on. Nymphing on the Lower Big T has been the ticket during the midday feeding segment (9am to 3pm), with Tungsten beadheads on point above unweighted emergers and nymph droppers getting great response Lighter Flourocarbon tippets down to 6x - especially on droppers -- are required in the lower, clear water as well. Technical rigging for both pattern and depth will serve the Tailwater afficionado well in the Trophy Trout water immediately below the Olympus Dam behind the shop. The largest trout in the valley live within easy walking distance of EPMS.
For those interested in fishing Dry Flies, smaller Mayfly and Stonefly adults like Yellow Sallies are now on the menu, with smallish emergers fished "damp" in the surface film as droppers about 12" below the indicator point flies. EPMS "Evening Hatch" trips have been seeing increasing displays of small Blue-winged Olive mayflies at dusk, one of the premiere hatches of the American West. Long 6x leaders and delicate drift control is the secret to taking selectively feeding trout.
Also, in the evenings on the Thompson, don't hesitate to try a weightier streamer pattern like a Conehead Wooley Bugger or Zonker fished down and cross current. Our minority population of Brown trout are very predatory, and the larger males patrol the banks searching for fingerlings in low light conditions. Be sure to use heavy leaders of at least 3x, as the strikes can be vicious on a downstream take!
Lakes in RMNP are still open for the most part, and we've been receiving recent reports of good fishing with small Midge or Terrestrial patterns hung in the surface films at the end of long 6x leaders of up to 12'. Trail approaches at higher elevations are now sometimes wet, and our high mountain weather has been consistently unpredictable this year, so anglers wishing to venture up high should be well equipped to deal with full conditions, including freezing rain and snow.
If you are a fisherman, now is a great time to visit the Estes valley! Stop in the shop -- our friendly staff will be more than happy to answer your questions about conditions, and of course, we maintain a fully stocked fishing shop for all your gear needs. With late retail shop hours for the after dinner fisherman, EMPS also is the only guide service in the Estes Valley that guides the Evening Hatch segment of the day, getting off the water at dusk. If you are new to the area, feel free to book a guided day out with one of our experienced guides -- they will enthusiastically show you how to fish the Estes Valley the way the locals do!
Tight Lines!
The Guide Staff at EPMS |
|
