Southeast Colorado Fishing Conditions – July 26
Arkansas River Headwaters
The upper river is in excellent shape and the fishing here has been really productive lately. Flows have risen due to rain this week, but conditions are still within the ideal range for the wade anglers. Visibility is good on the upper river. We are seeing good caddis and golden/yellow sally stonefly activity mixed with drakes through Hayden Meadows down to Granite. Chalk Creek was dumping cloudy water into the river at Nathrop this week, but we are hoping this slowly clears throughout the week. Conditions are good upstream of the confluence and fish are still holding in sheltered, slower water poised for vulnerable terrestrial and aquatic insects in pocket water and slow riffles.
Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
Clear Creek Reservoir
Trout angling from shore and boat remains fair at Clear Creek Reservoir. The best trout angling has been in the morning. Almost all of the trout landed were between 8 to 12 inches in length. Fly anglers enjoyed the most success with olive colored Woolly Buggers. Trolling cowbells and worms at 1.5 mph remains the best method to land trout. A few tiger musky were caught on Pink Tasmanian Devil lures. The reservoir is closed to trailer motorized watercrafts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The current boating hours are from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Lake Pueblo
The current water temperature is around 76 degrees and the water clarity is around 4 feet in depth. The algae blooms are getting thick, so always check your lures for weeds. Anglers are reporting that the shad and baitfish are everywhere and the fishing has become more difficult with the greater availability of food. The north ramp and eastern side of the reservoir are the best areas to fish.
North Gateway Park
The bass fishing has been rated as fair to good for anglers using top water lures. Most of the catfish are being caught at night on various baits. The pan fish are biting sporadically, but overall the fishing has been slow.
