Telluride Fishing Report

While the overwhelming subjects in our area have been the drought and fires, the reality is fishing conditions across the region are still really great.  Flow levels are definitely reaching a point where we need to be aware of increasing water temps in the afternoons but the fishing prior to 2 or 3pm has been stellar.  We have been fortunate that both nighttime and daytime temperatures have been staying relatively low for this time of year.  Get off the water if your thermometer is reading 66 to 67 degrees.  PSA-please avoid driving or parking off road to prevent igniting the dry grasses with your vehicle.

The San Miguel is flowing at 93 cfs and the fish are holding in the deeper and faster water.  Hoppers fished in the wave trains will elicit a downstream chase and some really exciting fishing.  You can add a small PMD dropper to your rig in the mornings but you can definitely go single dry once the sun is off the water.

At 69 cfs, a stealth approach and a long leader will allow for some really great dry fly fishing.  Last week, a few days of cloud cover and rain brought a blanket PMD hatch, resulting in free-rising fish everywhere.  Water temperatures in the upper valley are staying pretty low but really keep an eye on them below the West Fork confluence.  A small terrestrial with an equally small dropper, if necessary, should get the job done.

The Lower Gunnison has been stellar.  The flows out of the canyon remain at 485 cfs which brings the grassy banks into play and allows for relatively smooth rowing.  A bug soup consisting of caddis, PMDs, and tricos is keeping the fish's attention on the surface.  You should see pods of trout focused on tricos for most of the morning, challenging but rewarding.  A large Morrish hopper fished river wide has been really effective and streamer fishing has started to pick up.

Miramonte Reservoir is the star of the season.  The size and number of fish being caught up there is simply unbelievable.  Balanced leeches, hoppers and large Callibaetis patterns have been consistently fooling very large brown trout in the 18-24" range.  The wind will pick up in the afternoons so try to get out there by mid morning.