Arkansas River Tailwater below Pueblo Reservoir (Pueblo Tailwater)

General Overview

It seems like the lake is turning over, as clarity is severely diminished on the tailwater the last several days. This period can be difficult until clarity returns so we'd advise heading up to the Freestone section of the Arkansas or one of your other favorite venues.

The hatch activity has been much heavier and more consistent (BWOs and Tricos). Second, water temps will drive up faster on those warm days, so you certainly want to fish sunrise to around 11am for best productivity and to protect the fish.

We're seeing some big fish early in the morning and the late afternoon/ evening can be strong as well on the cooler overcast days. Bug activity is certainly focused on the Trico and Midge populations and there are a few Caddis out there. Nymphing will be your staple, but don't leave the single dry fly and streamer rods at home. 

Stream Conditions

Flowrate: 334 cfs (plus ~25 cfs out of the Hatchery)

Clarity: Lake is turning, less than 2ft very stained

Suggested Methods

A variety of methods will take fish on the Tailwater, but focus on your smaller flies (BWO's, Tricos, Midges). We do like to run a variety of attractor nymphs at higher flows that land in the Caddis, PMD and Worm categories. Nymphing will be your staple but Dry/ Dropper can also be effective on the edges. Don't be afraid to bring a streamer rod though, as we're seeing some nice fish taken on tandem streamer rigs especially in the early morning and evenings.