2023 Summer Update and Fishing Report
It’s been a fun season so far here in northwest Colorado! After a winter with record snowpack, followed by a wet spring and early summer, conditions have been green, wildflowers have been plentiful, and the trout are fat and happy.
Here’s a quick recap of our summer season so far in the Flat Tops Wilderness Area…
4th of July Week at a Remote Wilderness Camp
High Water
Last winter brought higher-than-average snowfall throughout much of the state. Right here in the White River basin, snowpack (snow-water equivalent) measured anywhere from 150% to 180% of median.
When we opened the lodge to our first guests on June 28th this year, the water was clear, but high and moving fast. Being so close to the headwaters, we usually don’t see big fluctuations in water levels early or late in the season. But this year, the fishing was definitely challenging those first couple of weeks. Anglers still did very well, catching lots of fish - and some big fish! But finding places to wade and cross the river were more difficult than usual.
Over the 4th of July week, a few anglers and fishing guides packed in to one of our remote wilderness camps on the river. While the water was high, our guides adapted to the conditions and everyone landed fish over 20” that week. Those are exceptional fish for a small wilderness stream!
We often see some of our biggest fish during those first couple of weeks of the season. And it was fun to see that even on a year like this, with much higher than average runoff, the water was still crystal clear and the fishing was a lot of fun!
Early July rainbow trout, landed near one of our remote camps.
Summer Hatches
As the month of July progressed, the water slowed down to normal levels. And as the temperatures warmed up, we saw incredible hatches of caddis, various mayflies and stoneflies. It’s not unusual to see all of these bugs fluttering around the water at the same time.
Due to the air and water temperatures at this high elevation, the dry fly fishing here can be slow in the mornings during the first part of the summer season. But in the afternoons, it was absolutely amazing. Because of that, we started many of our trips later in the day, so that we could focus on the afternoon dry fly fishing.
Wild brook trout, caught on a dry fly this summer.
Hopper Mania
By early August, grasshoppers were buzzing and the hopper fishing really took hold. By this time in the season, hopper-dropper rigs become the standard around here. And often times, that dropper gets replaced by a second dry fly in the afternoons. Fishing double dries might be as good as it gets.
The hopper fishing (and terrestrials in general) should continue right up until the end of our fishing season in early October. Of course snow and cold weather are a real possibility in September. But usually, those early September storms melt off quickly and trout will continue to eat opportunistically right through it.
Two of our friendly pack mules, loaded for a trip to a remote wilderness camp.
Beyond the River
In addition to all the fun we’ve had fly fishing this summer, we’ve enjoyed hosting a variety of guests who’ve enjoyed horseback riding, hiking and simply relaxing at the lodge. We’d like to extend a big thanks to everyone who has visited us so far this year!
We’ve enjoyed great meals, lots of laughs around the campfire, and the joy of meeting great folks from all over the country and the world!
Booking for 2024
At this point, we are already beginning to book fly fishing adventures for 2024! Trips are booking earlier than we’ve ever experienced. So if you have your heart set on specific dates for next season, let’s lock those in soon. Please call or text us at 970-536-1341. Or you can send us an email.
In your message, please include your name, contact information, approximately how many people in your group, and which dates you are interested in booking. We will get back to you as soon as possible to confirm.
In the meantime, you can visit our Fishing Page to learn more.