Conejos River Anglers Current News: Can It Get Any Better?

The big bugs are out and the fish know it! Christmas has arrived here on the Conejos, as Golden Stoneflies and Salmonflies are crawling out from the depths onto the rocky shores to hatch at night and the flows remain at amazing levels. They are sticking around close to the shore mostly until early afternoon on most days, and the fishing has been incredible from early morning into the afternoons. For all of you dry fly enthusiasts (I mean who isn't a fan of throwing massive dries), the time has come and will be here for some time as the emergence makes it way up the river.

Currently the bugs have been emerging on the lower river, making their way up toward the Bear Creek and Sheep creek developments, and will only move upstream as these warm, sunny days continue. It seems with all of the activity, we have been finding fish in virtually all places of the river, from the typical holding spots, to dead-middle of the fast runs. On recent guide trips, Jon, Troy, Randy and myself have been focusing on the lower river in order to find more fish that have already figured out that the big bugs floating by are food. Using Salmonfly patterns such as the Designated Hitter, M's Fluttering, FlushFloater and the CDC Salmonfly have all been great for the different circumstances. Some of the patterns tend to "splay out" a bit when wet which really turns the fish on when the naturals are fluttering on the surface. Other patterns tend to have a slimmer profile which really work well when the adults seem to land on the water and not flutter as much. Stop in to make sure you grab a few of each so you are prepared for a great day on the water.

For the Golden Stones, using patterns such as Yeagers Tantrum, Karnopps Freestone, Designated Hitter, the Flush Floater and large yellow Crystal Stimulators have all been helping fish find our nets.

In addition to the large stone flies, the caddis have also made their arrival in full force. So far the fish are not keying in on them wholeheartedly, but once the stones move upstream expect to find many eager rising fish for adult caddis. We picked out some great new adult caddis patterns to take advantage of the low water year so make sure you check those out as well.

Nymphing large stonefly patterns teamed with smaller versions of mayfly nymphs is still the best way to get the large trout to strike in the deep pools and seams. Tungsten Goldens, large, dark Pat's Rubber Legs, Hot Belly Pheasant Tails, Ruby Micro Mays and olive Depth Charge Birds Nests have been catching fish as nymphs. Everyday we find out some new bit of info from our guides so make sure to stop in for the latest scoop and location for the best action. Here are a few pics to wet your palate from recent guide trips: