Measure your time not in months, but hatches

Fly anglers often measure time not in months but by hatches. This is particularly appropriate on the Arkansas where April may mean ice and midges on the river above Granite, blue-wing olive mayflies at Wellsville and brachycentrus caddis filling the skies at Parkdale.

Any description of the seasons on the Arkansas must therefore be introduced with the understanding that while a general sequence to the insect year can be provided, the actual emergence dates of various species vary in large part with elevation and temperature.

Midges

Pen and ink drawings by Don Puterbaugh

While various species of midge (diptera) can be found throughout the year on the Arkansas, their significance for the angler falls during that period of the year when they are a primary food source. Taking the middle river in the vicinity of Salida as an example, midge larva are important to the fly-fisherman during January and February. Because of the “banana belt” climate though, 55 -degree days do occur during that time and with them can come midge hatches significant enough to produce pods of rising fish.

Aside from midges, this period of the year sees little insect activity. Mayfly and stonefly nymphs become more active in February, when growing stones in particular will shed their husks to allow for continued growth. This is not a hatch but a periodic stage of their growth process. The brightly colored nymphs are more vulnerable and hence available to trout as they kick free of their skins and seek shelter beneath rocks. There is no way to know whether stoneflies in a given reach of water are going through this process short of tying on an epoxy back stone or similar pattern and giving it a try.

Blue wing olive mayflies

While the late spring caddis hatch garners national attention, ask most locals to rank the hatches on the Arkansas and most will favor the baetis, or blue-wing olive, mayflies. Beginning about mid-March, the “St. Patrick’s Day Hatch” continues through late April. The nymphs typically spend their lives clinging to rocks in faster riffles, so hatching adults tend to emerge toward the bottom end of these runs. While blue-wings can be spotted on any day during this period, they prefer cool, low light days with high humidity.

A spring or fall snowstorm creates ideal conditions for a baetis hatch. Locals watch the weather in spring and plan to be on the water by 11 a.m. on stormy days. In water up to four feet deep, fish a size 12 Parachute Adams with a bead-head Micro-Mayfly 30 inches beneath it.

In deeper water put on some weight, a beadhead nymph and an unweighted emerger 30 inches behind that. As the hatch begins, fish will follow the swimming nymphs higher into the water column, hitting a trailing fly on either rig. When fish start to break the surface, switch to an emerger behind the Adams.

Once adult mayflies are visible, switch to a small Parachute Adams or other high-visibility blue-wing pattern for your second fly. Blue-wing hatches can be quite localized. If you find feeding fish, stay with them, even if you occasionally put them down. Hatches like this are the one time on the Arkansas when fish are not long put off by the presence of a human.

Brown trout hatch

It is worth keeping in mind that in addition to the diversity of insects that hatch through the year on the Arkansas, the brown trout fry emerge from the gravel bottom in April. Only an inch or so in length, the young fish are vulnerable to predation by larger browns and rainbows. Fishing a Wooly Bugger or other dark streamer at this time of year can be particularly effective, especially when the standard insect imitations don’t seem to be producing much action.

Mother’s Day caddis hatch

Beginning in mid-April near Cañon City, the brachycentrus caddis flies explode upon the lives of fish and anglers alike. As mid-day water temperatures hit 54 degrees, the Mother’s Day caddis come off in a profusion that rivals any hatch anywhere.
The frequent comparison of the hatch to a blizzard is no hyperbole. Drivers traveling through Bighorn Sheep Canyon at the right time of day can literally be stopped by the sheer numbers of bugs smeared on their windshields.

Because of its relationship to water temperature, as the days of spring grow longer and warmer, the magic 54 degrees and hatching bugs can be found further upstream each day.

The hatch “progresses” upstream, as do anglers, until air temperatures become warm enough to not only warm upstream reaches to 54 degrees but also initiate the spring runoff, which cools the river and ends the hatch. In years of low snowpack, the hatch has been known to continue clear up to Granite. However, in most years it does not ascend much beyond Buena Vista.

High Water Stoneflies

Golden Stoneflies and Yellow Sallies comprise an important part of the Arkansas River trout’s diet during the periods of higher flow. The nymphal forms, as mentioned above, are especially vulnerable to fish during the instar stage, when they grow too large for their exoskeletons, molt out of them, and brightly colored, like a snake just shed of its skin, tumbles downstream until it can grab a rock and crawl to safety.

From mid-June to early July, light-sensitive Golden Stoneflies crawl out of the river at night, break out of their skins and fly up from the river into the brush to mate. While this is not a major hatch in terms of number of insects, the size of each individual makes them an attractive meal for trout. Far more prolific are the smaller Yellow Sallies. This hatch has gained a lot of momentum in recent years and in 2004 was a significant source of action for anglers into early August.

The stonefly hatches are best fished from a boat as high water at this time of year can make wading difficult. As mentioned in the section on water flows, wading anglers working narrow strips of useable habitat along the shoreline at this time of year can have some tremendous action. One rarely sees large numbers of these two species, but if you see several in an area, generally females ovipositing in the river, it is definitely worth tying on a yellow or orange stimulator and working the banks and cliff faces.

Terrestrials

With the hot days and taller grass of July, the riverbank is generally abuzz with activity of terrestrial insects. Chief among these for trout is the grasshopper. Various beetles are also plentiful, some appearing only every several years. Anglers find grasshoppers are a great summer and fall pattern to fish on the Arkansas.

They are easy to see and provide great buoyancy for suspending a beadhead nymph. A Schroeder’s Parachute Hopper with a Beadhead Pheasant Tail below it is probably the single most commonly used combination on the river.

And while most Colorado rivers provide good terrestrial fishing through August, on the Arkansas, particularly on the lower river below Howard, hoppers are often effective through most of October.

Pale morning dun mayflies

The hot summer period encompassing the second half of July and August sees a second significant mayfly hatch — pale morning duns. Though these hatches are not as intense as those of the blue wing olives, it is a strong enough hatch to trigger serious feeding.

PMDs come off on warm sunny days and range in size from 14-18. Common patterns for imitating them are the Light Cahill, Lawson’s PMD, Parachute Cahill, and Brooks Sprout PMD. To imitate the nymphal form, use Pheasant Tails, Barr’s Emerger and RS-2s, all in size 14-18.

Red quills

Like the pale morning dun, the red quill is a later season mayfly that hatches in sporadic numbers on isolated sections of river. The red quill is a late afternoon and evening emerger that hatches from mid-August to mid-September. Red quill patterns in sizes 14-18 are the ticket for this hatch.

Fall Fishing

As the river drops in late August and September, unparalleled opportunity awaits anglers. Summer travelers have returned to their homes, rafting companies close down, and despite the incredible weather and fall colors, the area grows quiet. Anglers can get an affordable room, a great meal without waiting for a table and find miles of river going unfished each day. As mentioned above, the use of terrestrials, particularly hoppers, in combination with a beadhead continues to be deadly.
The first doses of winter weather are generally met with hatches of blue-wing olives. And as the season turns towards the brown trout spawn in mid-October, the fish become more territorial and more concentrated in groups. Anglers working the river in late September and October should be careful not to tread on the polished ovals of gravel that nesting browns have cleared of sediment.

Anglers should also be alert for clusters of fish, knowing that in this season, where one is found generally many will be close by. Fall anglers should continue to move in search of fish, but once action is had, fish an area thoroughly. Even with low, clear water, browns are not as easily disturbed at this time of year and anglers can work through a whole pack of fish around a group of redds without spooking them off. Streamers can be especially effective at triggering a territorial strike.

Winter descends

As winter comes to the Upper Arkansas, November and December bring the slowest fishing of the year. It is still worth noting that warmer days do occur, and with them can come some good fishing with midge larva and pupa. Unpredictable, such days remind us that spring is not so far off after all.