Anything worth the trip in late April, early May

Started by sanjuanwormhatch, January 12, 2017, 09:04:25 AM

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sanjuanwormhatch

Probably more like early May.  Preferably trout.

How reliable and easy to nail down is the mothers day caddis hatch?  Guessing the answers are not very, and not easy. 

benben reincarnated

Ask @peter p he used to talk about fishing it when he lived in Colorado.

Dougfish

With the winter they are having, the surf will be up then.  :o
"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here?
 Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? "
Kelly's Heroes,1970

"I don't wanna go to hell,
But if I do,
It'll be 'cause of you..."
Strange Desire, The Black Keys, 2006

sanjuanwormhatch


The Dude

Early May will be heavy snowmelt. You basically have to fish you ass off until noon/early afternoon, and then the streams turn to chocolate milk. Pack it up and go drinking, then repeat the next day.
I was born by the river in a little tent, And just like the river I've been running ever since, It's been a long, long time coming, But I know change is gonna come.

natureboy

What about further south - San Juan, Lee's Ferry, etc.?

sanjuanwormhatch

That would probably be the most logical solution but I just have a hard time flying halfway across the country to fish a tailwater.  That makes me either a purist or a dumbass or both I know. 

ptfranze

I'll talk to my buddy that lives in Littleton.  Where ar eyou going exactly?  An option might be if there is high snow runoff down low that some of the alpine streams and lakes would be at decent level.  Don't know how much of a drive that would entail though. 

sanjuanwormhatch

I'm very flexible.  Would be awesome if close prox to a Southwest airport. 

ptfranze

My friend said "it really just depends where you go, we still get snow in the mountains in may.  Runoff doesn't really get bad until late June and July.  If you are in Breckenridge or Summit County at all you are not going to end up having much run off in early May. "

ptfranze

I asked about Estes Park, cause Chris worked there and it's only 1.5 hours from the airport.  He said that would be fine too.  Really the only placce he thinks you might have some runoff problems would be any of the Front Range rivers.  He says if you are at elevation you will should be easily fine in early May. 

RiverbumCO

I would do the Arkansas for caddis. It's slightly more arid, but it does drain Leadville. Leadville gets mucho snow, but is a real cool "old west" town and the highest elevation "city" in the US I believe.

Anyway, the Ark has one of those written-about hatches but is far enough away from fucks that you'll find a rock to man.  There's a mid afternoon period for dries that is the shit. Right before the water goes to straight sludge it'll get a nice brown tint to it and the fish move towards the banks and crush dries. Real good stuff.

I wouldn't curtail a late may trip to the upper Colorado for salmonflies. Think nymphs as big as Galloup streamers. They won't be popping off in numbers but the subsurface game should be on fire. It's sage/juniper country so the ground should be dry enough to camp. I'd suggest somewhere near Pumphouse or Radium. Might even score a yurt at Rancho Del Rio, a legit hippie/rafting commune. A six or so mile float puts you at the newly rebuilt State Bridge outdoor amphitheater. A supreme locale to eat a handful of mushrooms and watch good music.

If you require more civilized digs, stay near Beaver Creek but fish around Wolcott. Killer caddis on the Eagle River, less wildernessy but those black buttes in Wolcott give you a nice remote feel. The fish aren't as big as the Ark, but there's a plenty and most are around 15-16".

Happy trails, Pilgrim.
My real name is Chad Farthouse.

Dougfish

Loved our visit to Leadville. Bad ass town. Beanie and vest bought there, and fish caught. Old fish hatchery is cool, too.
"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here?
 Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? "
Kelly's Heroes,1970

"I don't wanna go to hell,
But if I do,
It'll be 'cause of you..."
Strange Desire, The Black Keys, 2006

sanjuanwormhatch

I'm throwing caution (and my balls) to the wind (literally) and am going to Northern rockies (jackson) in mid may.  Hey, maybe I'll hit the mothers day caddis hatch.  Worst case scenario I'll be in a cool place with a free place to stay and can do some hiking or whatever normal people do when they go to fishing destinations.  And of course drink lots of snake river brews.

peter p

Riverbum nailed it.   I have heard the caddis on the Arkansas have really been down.  Not like in the heyday when you felt like they were crawling on you hours after leaving the stream.   Salmon flies will probably be tough this year with the amount of snow they have so far. 
Peter