Arkansas River Tailwater below Pueblo Reservoir (Pueblo Tailwater)

General Overview

We've had some tremendous Summer fishing on the "Tail" with very manageable wade conditions and great hatch activity. Though nymphing will be a staple for you at these flows typically, dry fly fishing continues to be great in the morning. With some rainwater influx, releases have increased into a great range momentarily. Please protect the resource and stay off the water in the afternoons on this section!

Fantastic dry fly fishing on the Tailwater in the mornings over the last several weeks. With warmer water temps, the Caddis lifecycle activity has been phenomenal at times and the BWO and Trico activity continues to roll on. As is typical in this window of time, focus your efforts on daybreak through 1pm, and give the fish a break in the afternoon...evenings have been fun as well. A continuation of great Midge, Trico and BWO lifecycle activity along substantial early Summer Caddis activity as made for very fun fishing on the Tailwater. We've seen alot of steady dry fly fishing which is a blast, but it has been very technical at times. Nymphing will continue to be a staple in the mornings...but be ready with those dry and dry/ dropper rigs as lifecycle activity ramps up through the day. 

Stream Conditions

Flowrate: 152 cfs (plus ~28 cfs out of the Hatchery)

Clarity: Clear

Suggested Methods

Alot of methods getting it done on the "Tail" right now. We've been leaning hard on double dry and dry/ dropper rigs. If you see actively feeding fish on or near the surface, a small tan Caddis upfront with a Trico or BWO trailer has been a great rig. If you need to get deeper, still a focus on Caddis Pupa, Trico Nymph/ Emerger or micro BWO nymph will be best. Whether you dry/ dropper or double nymph, focus on the aforementioned bug lifecycles.