7/24/2016 Gunnison Valley River Report

The “big” rivers in the Gunnison Country are fishing well right now, with BWOs, PMDs, caddisflies, stoneflies, and even some lingering green drakes being the aquatic invertebrates of the most importance popping currently.  Float trips on the Gunny are catching fish hand-over-fist with hopper/dropper/dropper set-ups.  Flows on the “three rivers” are fantastic, while the Lake Fork of the Gunnison could stand to drop a few CFS (fishes best at or slightly below 200 CFS) to make things a bit easier, although on recent trips to the Lake Fork at 278 and 255 CFS respectively the fly angling was outstanding on a #8 Brown and Yellow Pat’s Rubberlegs trailed with a #16 Flashback Pheasant Tail.  If you don’t nymph during the summer, you should go buy a few Pat’s Rubberlegs and hit one of the big 4 major trout streams in the Gunnison Valley, and likely you’ll be converted to being a nymph fisherman overnight.  A dry dropper rig composed of a #12-14 Royal or Yellow Stimulator trailed with either a #16 BH Prince Nymph, Barr’s BH PMD or BWO Emerger, or a Rainbow Warrior is also killer on all the big waters right now.  Trout are targeting dries voraciously and a simple Stimulator, Elk Hair Caddis, or Parachute Adams will catch a mess of fish now.
    Small Gunnison Basin trout streams like Quartz, Tomichi, Cochetopa, Cebolla, and Spring Creeks are on fire with fish rising to dries currently.  Water levels on these creeks are just about perfect, so you should plan a trip before the summer drags on and the levels diminish and put a kybosh on at least quality mid-day angling.  The angling this week will be about as good as it gets during the summertime in the Gunnison Country, albeit a bit crowded on the more well-known fly waters, so go enjoy a day or two on the river or creek and experience fly fishing in the undisputed marquee angling destination in the entire Centennial State…the Gunnison Valley.