July 29, 2012
Flow: 469
Water Temp: 62-68
LAST CALL...
A call for irrigation has dropped water temps and we can breathe a sigh of relief. A report from our man in high places states that this may be the last of the year. This last week showed us how hardy our biomass has become enduring 75 degree highs in the downtown sections. The Dam is putting out 62 degrees and trout are enjoying the feeding opportunity in the dog days. Hatches come and go like greased lightning so carry two rods and grab
a dry rig when opportunity knocks. Today’s picture slipped from my fingers after a long, hot and hard fished day. My last cast connected with a handsome rainbow just under 20” with healthy colors and girth. As I dipped and lifted for the pic a pair of local jerkwads hollered from atop the hill “Show me your
license”.The ‘bow hit the water running and I was cursing almighty bog to smite these locals and turn them into toads. The water is clear but stained and 4X will land fish fast and not overstress. As always our trophy trout seek protein. Dead drift big patterns like 14 hot wire princes, eggs and san juans to lip the big dogs. Use our competitor’s recommendations to catch dinks. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The stockers will help build confidence as you start your journey in the extraordinary world of fly fishing. When you’re ready for the fight of a lifetime Pueblo’s only native guide is here to serve.
Tight lines and praying for rain,
Ben

Date Line:
Arkansas River, Cat’s Run.
Flow: 82
Water Temp: 58
Time 6:30AM.
Fishing “INSANE”! Upon arrival the BWO’s were emerging and the water was boiling with fish. A size 14 pheasant tail was magic, fishing it with the ubiquitous red San Juan worm with no weight. The actual hatch occurred at about 7:30AM with size 18 BWO’s in clouds. Just for fun I switched to a Hair Wing Royal Coachman!
What a blast!! As an advisory, the fish were holding in the tailouts of the rock piles. That has been the norm for over a month. Water temperature increased dramatically past 10AM. Use heavy
tippet and do not allow an extended fight. Lactic acid build-up will kill the fish with these high temperatures.Because of the low flows I expect voluntary no fishing on the tail waters very soon. I cant’t tell you how many fish I hooked up on but by 11:30AM with a very sore arm, I retired to the Coyote Grill at the Nature Center for the Sunday Brunch. The picture is Ben, he arrived late to the party, with a nice bow between the rock piles in front of the NatureCenter deck.
Tight Lines
Lou

July 17, 2012

Flow: 89

Water Temp: 69

****** Water Alert ******

Flows dropped like a rock at 4:15 today. With high temperatures forecasted through the weekend we could be in trouble again. With flows this low the evening cool down reduces by half each night. The water near the lake is still coming out fine but in nine miles it rises to dangerous levels for trout. Fish early and closer upstream to reduce the chance of mortality. 4 and 5x tippet will help as well. Enough of the doom and gloom let’s talk fishing. Lou had a great morning at 391 cfs nymphing rock clusters and fast water with meat and taters and pheasant tails size 16. My evening trip near the upper footbridge produced 25 trout in a little over an hour dead drifting a 22 cream midge dropper below a soft hackle caddis at 18”. Looking at a 16” waterline on the rocks was a little depressing. The endless fish kept my spirits up though. In every adversity is the seed of an equal or greater benefit.
Tight lines,
Ben

July 15, 2012

Flow: 313

Water Temp: 64

End on a high note.

Pueblo is a remarkable place. It’s not just the fishery or the community that we are so honored to support. It’s the fact that it’s five minutes from my front door and the prime rib and bacon is 100 paces from were Lou’s young ward Matthew landed this beautiful brown. It was an epic fight and a dive to net it. An urban fishery has its benefits. After photos and a careful release we discovered we were hungry. Waders are optional on the patio of the Coyote Grill and the Sunday brunch was stupendous as always (included in our Sunday full day trips). We’ve seen a slew of guides offer their services and expertise on our little piece of heaven. The truth is they regarded our river as a piece of trash for twenty years. After we made it popular and shown what we’re putting in the net everyone wants a piece of the action. It’s your local guides that will put you on the big trout.

Tight lines,

Ben

---

Frostbite Fish-Off February 8-9, 2013 ENTER NOW! http://www.chapter509tu.org/FrostbiteFishOff.htm

Update
Flow: 469
Water Temp:56

Update
Flow: 366
Water Temp: 66

July 9, 2012

Flow: 181
Water Temp: 54-72
A couple bumps in flow and cooler temperatures have helped keep things cool towards downtown. The lake has turned over faster than I can remember and the water is almost gin clear and flowing at 52 degrees out of the gates. We are breathing a sigh of relief and hope we’re out the woods for now.
After several weeks of clients, tournaments and water watching I finally had the opportunity to hunt the Arkansas River’s big trout. At least that was the plan. My first distraction was 16” – 18” bows aggressively taking mayflies above the Nature Center all the way to Valco and beyond. A 22 BWO quill body was all it took. Pods were in every seam and j hook moving upstream. They spook easily so it’s effective to stick a few and move up to the next group. This distraction lasted from 7 to after noon. The next was a large number of folks still unaware of the regulations. I’ll see if I can find a spot on the site to post them. Approach these folks casually and politely and they will generally thank you for the info and move on. You’ll get a different reaction if you charge them shouting (I did this once yesterday saving a 20” bow from a stringer). I took temperatures at various times and depths in the thalweg and the nature center maintained 58-61 degrees so we’re still searching for the areas of the biggest increase. Fish the upstream sections and take care releasing trout. If you have a smart phone and a thermometer send us a temp, time and location.
Tight lines,
Ben

July 03, 2012 6:00 PM

Flow: Moffat Street: 44 + River walk: 46= 100 cfs bolow the hatchery or 63.2 from the dam.

Water Temp: 70+

***** WATER ALERT******

A drastic drop in water flow is causing rapid increases in water temperature. We have made a frenzy of calls so if I have any of this information incorrect please forgive me. According to our calls to CPW, the Board of Water Works, Bureau of Reclamation and others there was a senior water right called that is headed this way. However no one I spoke with is sure when it will hit Pueblo and more water will be released from the dam. Estimates range from 12 to 48 hours. The unfortunate thing is that none of the entities I spoke with were aware of the drop in the flow. A third party source reported seeing dead trout but this is hearsay at best. Lou and I walked separate sections and haven’t seen anything yet. As I Speak we’re getting a little cool rain that will help. As of right now I have to urge everyone to either take extreme care releasing trout or find another place to fish. The higher the water temp the less dissolved oxygen can exist. Trout become stressed and fighting an angler can cause mortality. Lake Pueblo has great opportunities for bass, walleye, carp and other species as do the valco ponds have huge fish as well.

Praying for rain,

Ben

July 2, 2012
Flow: 169
Water Temp: 61
Welcome to the jungle. A trip fell through Sunday so I took the opportunity to explore the river. At 7:00 AM there were 6 people casting over each other at the gauging station and the rest of the river was open. Where I ended up was an entirely different matter. The morning was cool and being alone I had the opportunity to explore and run between spots without worrying about anyone else. So I hit the bottom mile of our urban setting. The kayak park is helping oxygenate the water and the trout are thriving. Fish the wide runs where the water slows and you might be surprised. Pods of carp were plentiful which brings me to the lesson of the day. Just because you see a thirty pound carp doesn’t mean you should necessarily cast to it with a 5 weight. I pitched an egg with no weight in the pod and waited a few minutes for then to calm down. Of the dozen carp in the school it was the leviathan that sucked my egg. I set the hook and four seconds later it slammed into the levy on the north side of the river at what seemed thirty knots leaving a big slimy spot on the wall. I actually herd the thump.  There was a pause while it regained it senses before it decided to try going downstream.  If I had any drag set on my reel I’d be telling the tale of a broken rod.  I didn’t literally mess my britches but I’m sure I was crowning. We had another two minutes of fight but there was no doubt who was in control. All I was left with was a frayed line. Most the monsters you see us report on are on a five weight but there are limitations. The good news is I know where it lives and I’ll be back with the proper gear.
Tight lines,
Ben