The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

Just got back from Christmas in Colorado, where I spent time with my brothers and nephew, froze my ass off and wet a line in the Arkansas River near Pueblo. This river is about 2 hours south of Denver on I-25.

I’d chosen to fish the Ark because it’s 10-15 degrees warmer than most of the front range of the Colorado Rockies and also because the Colorado Division of Wildlife had told me that fishing the tailwater below Pueblo Reservoir in the winter is one of Colorado’s best kept secrets. This statement was later confirmed by the manager of Arkanglers fly shop in Pueblo, who said from November through March, the Ark is the only place he fishes.

That could also be because most everything else is frozen and colder.

The info that I’ve gleaned is that this is a long river with two sections, above Pueblo Reservoir and a shorter length below it.

Above the reservoir the flows are higher, drifting is possible and the fish are 90% browns and 10% bows. Below the dam, winter flows run 50-200 cfs. (In the summer it’s kind of unfishable at 2,000 cfs.) It’s the tailwater below the dam that is becoming popular with fly fishers. In the past few years, the City of Pueblo has been involved in a number of stream improvement projects.

The fish are not large on the Ark; there are no special regs to encourage C&R.

My brother Warren, 12 year old nephew Zachary and I decided to start below the dam where the river is warmest. It was 41 degrees. We fished above a hatchery where the flows were 65 cfs and wading would be easy for the boy. Most of the fish in this area are bows.

Bottom line, Zach got cold quickly and our fishing was limited to 2 ½ hours. I spent much of the time helping him and Warren with their tackle, but did manage to land 6 small bows up to a foot long. This time of year, nymphing is the best technique. I caught all my bait-sized fish on #12 copper johns in copper and red.

There was a lot of activity just below the surface as the little dudes slurped emergers. I didn't get to move downstream very far since I was teaching as much as fishing.

Happy New Year and may your nets be full in 2009…and your wallets too!

AB

Thanks for the report Bruce. Do you happen to have a picture or two of the stretch below the dam.

Jet

Hey Jet,

Happy New Year to you and Joey. Tell him I still remember him and would love to fish with him again someday. You can come along too.

I didn't take any pix. It was snowing much of the time and dark, and I'm still using a film camera. Just not enough light. Look for digital from me in 2009.

There is a bridge just downstream from the dam. We fished the downstream side of the bridge.

One spot we didn't fish that was recommended by the manager of the fly shop, was about 1/4 mile downstream just below the hatchery. I was told that water is diverted from the Ark through the hatchery, and then back again into the river. This adds about 30 cfs to the flows. Since we were fishing in about 65 cfs, I bet that additional 30 cfs would have made that area a nice place to try if I'd had more time.