3 Flies for the Week: June 26
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Time to read 2 min
I’m happy to say that prime fishing season is just around the corner. While most of the state's rivers are still maintaining runoff-level flows, they are dropping by the day. This means that we are going to see more dry fly action such as PMDs and caddis, which have already started to emerge in parts of the state. Various salmonfly and stonefly hatches are also occurring in some parts of CO right now. The Gunnison is seeing salmon flies in the Gorge section upstream of Pleasure Park, while the Colorado has yellow sallies flying around, which will be a hot ticket item to use once the water clears up a bit more. Besides the improving river conditions, stillwater and warmwater fishing are also excellent right now. Lowland stillwaters have been experiencing good chironomid hatches and hopper action. Most of the state’s alpine lakes have thawed and are offering great fishing opportunities as well. If you can’t make it out of Denver, bass and carp have been super active and eager to eat due to the consistently warmer temperatures. With all that being said, here are my three flies for this week:
#1 Comparadun - PMD sz 16 - 18
As PMD hatches become more common this summer, one of my favorite methods is a double dry rig. I typically use the infamous Chubby Chernobyl as my lead to track the location of my smaller dry fly. The Comparadun is an excellent small dry fly to trail behind this setup or to fish alone. I’ve had great success with this fly on the South Platte at Deckers and in high mountain creeks, but it should bring you success in most bodies of water.
#2 Barbless Jig Duracell - Copper Top sz 14 - 16
It’s hopper-dropper season, and I’m sure many of you are as excited as I am. Over the past couple of summers, I’ve grown fond of using jigged nymphs as my dropper because of how effectively they sink, which brings us to the Duracell. This fly has caught me countless fish and always seems to work best post-runoff in rivers like the Colorado. The CDC collar provides excellent action and the over-sized tungsten bead helps it quickly reach the depth where the fish are feeding.
#3 Keller's Montana Humdinger - Black/Brown sz 2 - 6
While there’s undoubtedly a streamer season in spring and fall, the high, off-color water from runoff is ideal for streamer fishing. As the rivers settle down from peak runoff, I highly recommend casting some streamers. The Humdinger in black is perfect for this time of year because it stands out well in murky water, attracting fish to chase it down. I like to cast streamers across the river into fast water and let them swing into slower water near the bank before retrieving them upstream. Nothing beats the thrill of watching a big brown trout chase down a streamer in fast water.
I hope you’ve found some new flies to try out in this week’s edition of 3 Flies for the Week: June 26 . I couldn’t be more excited about how the season is starting, and I hope you all find some time to get outside and enjoy our local fisheries. As always, if you have any questions or just want to chat with some fishy dudes, stop by the shop.
Harper Smith
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to Harper on email at harperloki@gmail.com, or call the shop at 303-330-1292. Thank you!
