Salomone: Fun float or float fishing.
Take advantage of the autumn colors and hungry trout while you still can
Michael Salomone/Courtesy photo
The mountains are showing fall colors everywhere you look. Vail is spectacular now with the aspens in perfect unison. The recent weather has felt like autumn. Trout are presenting opportunities for fly fishers to pick their approach, from dry flies to nymphing or hard-core streamer action. It is all here now. Get your Colorado River floats in while the weather is pleasant, the fishing is prime and the leaves are aglow. The Colorado River is where you need to be for fun floating or float fishing.
Sections of the upper Colorado River are showing prime autumn color. But the leaves won’t hold on long. The recent rains have helped rejuvenate trees from this summer’s drought, but the moisture is a little too late. Fly fishers who wait to float the river will miss the opportunity for some of the most stunning floats of the year.
Recent time floating from Radium down to Rancho del Rio and onto State Bridge and Two Bridges has produced some awesome fly fishing. Fly fishers have issues with packing multiple rods to cover all approaches. Anglers will find fish eating dry flies, nymphs and streamers.
A float on the Colorado River is leaf peeping taken to the next level. If you have taken the drives to view the colors in the mountains, traversed the crowded passes and negotiated the parked cars along the shoulder with camera toting tourists, give the river perspective a try. The bankside colors are glowing under heavy autumn sunlight.
The best opportunities for a colorful fall float are along the upper Colorado River. From Radium down stream the autumn hues are holding strong. Yellow, burgundy and orange light up the trees and riverside bushes with a glorious vibrancy only seen in the fall season. Plan to float the lower sections of the Colorado River in the coming weeks as the leaves on the upper sections begin to wane towards winter. The colors will hold for a bit longer farther down the valley.
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Horse Creek boat ramp is a well maintained, quiet drop-in location. Stunning cottonwoods line the riverside as you float though Luark Ranch immediately below the put-in. Cottonwood and Lyon’s Gulch boat ramps and on down to the Dotsero boat ramp will give fun floaters and fall fishers prime leaf action — along with stellar fishing — for a few more weeks.
Fall weather has a cool feel to the air, foreshadowing the snowy months ahead. Anyone floating the river should pack a light jacket or rain gear. Sporadic thunderstorms pop up even when the weathermen forecast clear skies. Colorado weather can be unpredictable. It is best to be prepared when out on the river. A light jacket blocks the chilling effects from a cool breeze when it blows down the river.
Dry-fly fishers will want to target the bankside cushion of water where the current begins to slow. Heavy current that pushes against cutbanks are good, too, but the shoulder of water along the riverside smoothes and shows signs of active fish more easily. Blue Wing Olives and midges are the key insects trout are actively eating. Foam is another key point along the river; trout are munching on adult insects trapped in the foam or drowned when emerging. Tail outs are another section of the river where trout become active, feeding on adults and emergers. Keep your selections small in the size 18 to 20 range for the best success.
Nymphing always produces fish on the Colorado River. A subtle, finesse approach with nymphs covers the mid to upper column of water where fish are searching for rising, emerging insects. Soft hackle nymphs and foamback emergers trigger fish into eating. Both flies have the illusion of life as they swim and rise in the water like real emerging bugs. Pheasant tails and zebra midges cover the action well.
As expected, streamers are fashionable during fall. A 6-weight rod is the tool for casting intermediate sink or specialty shooting head lines. Articulated flies have a swimming action that moody predatory brown trout find irresistible. Tandem streamers in two contrasting colors are good when prospecting for the most productive option.
The trees along the river capture sunlight with a glowing vibrancy. Trout are feeding in predictable fashion. Fun floating or float fishing — now is the time to soak in the best colors of the year along the river.
Michael Salomone has lived in the Eagle River valley since 1992. He started his professional guiding career in 2002 and currently guides for Vail Valley Anglers. He lives on the bank of the Eagle River with his wife, Lori, his youngest daughter, Ella, and a yellow Labrador named Poppy. His published writing has appeared in Southwest Fly Fishing, Fly Rod & Reel, Eastern Fly Fishing, On the Fly, FlyLords, the Pointing Dog Journal, Upland Almanac, TROUT, American Fly Fishing, USA Today Hunt & Fish and Fly Fisherman magazines.
