Salomone: Winter fly fishing on two tailwaters.
The Blue River and Fryingpan River provide reliably high-quality angling experiences this time of year
Michael Salomone/Courtesy photo
Freestone rivers like the Eagle River mirror the frigid conditions filling the valley. Wherever the cold shuts sections down, angling slows to a sluggish pace. Slush forms and fills the river. Inconsistent ice conditions increase the hazard factor for anglers. Fly fishers looking for consistent conditions and a high degree of success during the winter will find friendly water and feeding fish on two nearby tailwaters.
Tailwaters are rivers that emerge from reservoirs through the confines of a dam. The water that is released maintains a consistent temperature range in winter, summer or fall. The food is predictable, prevalent and a little exotic. Two choices exist for productive winter fly fishing even in the darkest months of winter: the Fryingpan River located to the west of Vail and the Blue River just to the east. Both hold all the components for a successful winter fly-fishing adventure.
These two waters are not secrets. Both possess world-class renown and for good reason. Each rely heavily on catch-and-release angling. The protections in place for both ensure the longevity of the fishery. The result of the strict no-harvest conditions are fish that have reached substantial size. Couple the catch-and-release mantra with a high protein food source and the fish in both locations have the potential to reach startling proportions. Two fish I have personally caught on the Blue River measured right at the 30-inch mark.
A short, 35-minute drive from Vail along Interstate 70 to the east is all it takes to arrive in Silverthorne. There, the Blue River emerges from the dam on Lake Dillon to create a tailwater that flows through the urban area. Well known for outlet stores, the increase of things like Amazon have diminished the attraction the shopping used to possess. But the angling has still maintained an outstanding ranking.
The river flows through a heavily-urbanized area before continuing its course to Green Mountain Reservoir some 20-plus miles downstream. The first few miles hold the magic. The water temps, access and surplus food near the dam make the upper water prime area for public water monsters. Recently, an audience of family shoppers watched me as I wrangled a large rainbow into the net within yards of the parking lot.
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The Fryingpan River is a bit more of a commitment for anglers driving from Vail — about 90 minutes from Vail is the town of Basalt, where the confluence of the ‘Pan’ and Roaring Fork Rivers converge. A 14-mile long drive up the valley beside the Fryingpan River leads anglers to well-marked public access points on the river.
The upper most reaches — near the dam on Ruedi Reservoir — hold the largest fish in the Pan. The infamous ‘Toilet Bowl,’ the deep pool located directly below the dam, is an aquarium of giants. These fish feed predominantly on the mysis shrimp flushed through the dam and out of the reservoir. The shrimp come out of the dam clear but die off quickly, turning a more opaque, white color.
Mysis Shrimp were an attempt by the government to supplement both the Ruedi and Dillon reservoirs with a food source. The experiment failed for many reasons. However, the tailwater downstream benefited immensely from the prolific food source. Mysis shrimp give the fish bright colors and fat bellies.
The most productive mysis shrimp fly over the years has been Craven’s Mysis shrimp. Charlie Craven’s mysis is not a difficult fly to tie. Play with eye color if you tie your own. I have fished the same pattern with light blue, red, orange and black eyes. Orange was the best producer. Sands Epoxy shrimp is another quality imitation. The eye of the hook rides in the tail with this pattern giving it a more natural drift.
Other productive winter flies are midge larvae nymphs. Productive colors for the upper Fryingpan in winter productive are red, gray and black in sizes 18-26. Productive winter colors for the Blue River would be red, gray and olive in sizes 18-22. Top Secret nymphs in brown have been a reliable fly when adult midges are skating or found on the riverbank. Scuds and leeches are attractor patterns where color or movement entice a bite.
For fly fishers who are longing for quality angling and predictable conditions in the midst of winter, the Fryingpan River and Blue River are two tailwaters that produce.
Michael Salomone moved to the Eagle River valley in 1992. He began guiding fly-fishing professionally in 2002. His freelance writing has been published in magazines and websites including, Southwest Fly Fishing, Fly Rod & Reel, Eastern Fly Fishing, On the Fly, FlyLords, the Pointing Dog Journal, Upland Almanac, the Echo website, Vail Valley Anglers and more. He lives on the bank of the Eagle River with his wife, Lori; two daughters, Emily and Ella; and a brace of yellow Labrador retrievers.
