Arkansas Headwaters

Fall fishing is in full swing on the Arkansas River with Bighorn Sheep Canyon flows in the low 400 cfs range and the river running clear. Early in the day, expect midge larvae and pupae drifting on the current with many fish moving into faster, broken water. During the afternoons, expect blue wing olive mayfly nymph drifts. These afternoon drifts are fairly consistent on a daily basis from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and will be accompanied by an actual mayfly hatch if there is cloud cover and cooler conditions. In the early evening, expect brown trout to take up ambush lies along the banks and to be open to larger attractor dries and streamers. There is virtually no boat traffic on the Arkansas River now, making the wade fishing in Bighorn Sheep and Browns Canyons a great experience. Further upstream, flows are getting low and spooking in Hayden Meadows and it is taking longer for the river to warm up. With continued dry weather in the forecast, expect good water quality during the week ahead. Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area

Clear Creek Reservoir

Trout fishing at Clear Creek Reservoir remains fair from both boat and shore. A majority of anglers reported landing groups of 8 to 12 inch rainbow trout. Shore anglers caught several trout on a bubble and Pistol Pete combination. Shore anglers usually experience success by fishing worms off the bottom as well. A majority of boat anglers reported landing multiple trout with a few boat anglers not landing a single trout at all. Trolling worms with flashers along the southern part of the reservoir was the most productive method to catch trout. Trout also went for pink Tasmanian Devil lures from a boat. Landing a kokanee salmon from a boat remains a difficult task. Midday water surface temperatures are averaging around 65 degrees. The reservoir is closed to trailer motorized watercrafts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The current boating hours are from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Lathrop

A majority of the anglers are having luck pulling in stocked trout on both lakes. Martin is providing a great northern pike bite, which will continue into the fall. The trout can be caught on PowerBait or night crawlers. No reports have come in for muskie or walleye lately. Stop by the visitor center to show off your catch, and get in the book. Lathrop State Park

Trinidad Lake

The current surface temperature is around 70 degrees. Juvenile smallmouth and perch are being caught from areas of cover using night crawlers. We are also seeing a few trout being caught on PowerBait from shore. Early mornings and later evenings continue to be the most productive times to fish. The catfish are hit or miss still throughout the lake at night using worms and liver. Fishing from shore has slowed down. Boaters are still catching trout, walleye, and perch using jigs tipped with a night crawler or artificial minnow. Some boaters are catching fish trolling worm harnesses. Trinidad Lake State Park