Updated Thursday January 5, 2012
Happy New year to all you anglers. we are hoping for a wonderful season on the river and conditions right now are superb. The 2011-2012 ski season is in full swing so wax up your boards and go take a few runs THEN hit the river around 11-12. By then the day has warmed up and also helped to warm up the water temps just enough to make the fish a bit more active and ready to start feeding. Keep in mind that during the Winter months, the fish need to eat daily just like they do during the Summer months. When the water is real cold, the fish become lethargic and are not willing to move very far to get food so you really need to take more time and dissect each run, riffle and pool and after a 1/2 dozen good drifts without any action, move your set up only a foot or so further away or closer to you and give it another 1/2 dozen good drifts. You need to bump the fish right between the eyes with your bugs for them to be enticed enough to open thier mouths and eat. Winter fishing takes more patience but is well worth the wait. The payoff is large and the fish have the potential to be also. Look for sporadic hatches of Blue Winged Olives on the overcast days and Midges in grey and black hatching through out the day. No surface activity means one of two things, nymphs or streamers. When fishing streamers in colder waters remember that the real fish dont move fast so be sure and retrieve you imitation much slower than you would during the warmer months. If it moves too fast the fish will not even look at it. We are pleased to be able to offer such a wide array of trips during the Winter to accommodate all ages and ability levels so whatever you choose to do while you are visiting our wonderful valley, try to set aside 4-5 hours for a fly fishing trip on World Class waters with the World Class guides of Gore Creek Fly Fisherman. You will walk away with a much deeper understanding of fly fishing and why we love so much what we do. GCFF has been around the valley for 30 years and is the valley's oldest fly shop and guiding service. Our guides are the best around and would love to share with you their passion for fly fishing. If you are curious and never have fished before or know how to fish and just want to find out what the fish are feeding on then give us a call. All of our shops are closed for the Winter but we will continue to offer guided trips year round and will answer the phone to offer advice at any time.To contact one of our fly fishing experts call (970) 476-3296.
Gore Creek River Report
The clarity and levels are perfect for a day on the water. You can stir up a few trout either on the surface with dry flies or down below with the nymph and the emerger. Fish with dry flies in sizes 12-18. For sub-surface flies run your set up with any smaller midge imitations,(sizes 16-20) behind any general attractor nymphs like Princes and Pheasant Tails in sizes 16-18. Lots of bigger stones are on the crawl so don't be afraid of tying on a bigger lead nymph in sizes 12-14.The fish will begin to hold in the deeper pools that won't freeze over come the middle of the Winter. Remember that they will also be moving much slower so wait until the water warms up a bit, like around 10-11 am. Gore Creek will freeze over first and the best place to have any potential opportunities will be just West of Lionshead below the snow cat bridge across from Chicago Pizza just East of Cascade Village. Top flies to try are; Blk/Grey RS-2 (#18-22), Red/Green Disco Midge (#18-22) Red/ Black Zebra Midge (#18-20) , Barr BWO Emerger (#18-22) Crystal Flash Midge (#18-22) Johnnie Flash Emerger (#20-22) All rankings are based on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best. Clarity: 8 Fishability: 5 Water temp: 30 CFS: 14 Visit USGS for the latest river report. |
Colorado River ReportThe Upper Colorado below Gore Canyon meanders through the spec Incredible scenery and excellent fishing are available to you just about any time of the year. Good activity below the surface with stone patterns such as girdle bugs and 20 inchers in sizes 12-16. The Prince and Pheasant Tail are always good options along with the stripping of the streamer. Fish are healthy and hungry as we move into early Winter so be aware that they don't start feeding until the water warms up a bit around 10-11am. All water is still accessible but the fish will be re-locating to the deeper pools for the Winter to avoid the deep freeze that effects the shallower areas.Most activity in the Winter will take place sub-surface except on the overcast or snowy days when you might find a few BWO or Midge hatches occuring sporadically during those days. The takes will be much more subtle during the colder months so watch your indicator closely and if it moves the slightest bit away from its normal drift the lock your finger and pick up your rod. It could very possibly be a slow moving trout looking for a meal. If streamer fishing is your favorite thing to do then now is the time to get out your streamer box and start stripping. Winter streamer fishing requires a much slower retrieve as cold water temps only allow the fish to move so fast. Black buggers, Autumn Splendors, Tequellys and any variation of these patterns in sizes 4-10 could produce some amazing results. top flies to try are; Pat's Rubber Leg and other stones #2 - #12, san juan and shammy worms, soft hackle and other pheasant tails #12 - #18, biot midges #20 - #22, merc flashback RSII #20 - #24, jujubaetis #18 - #22, drowned rusty spinner #14 - #18, rainbow warriors #16 - #20, zebra, red, olive copper bobs #10 - #18, electric caddis #16, yellow sally #14 - #18, barr bwo and pmd emerger #16 - #22, crystal hunchback pmd #16 - #18, soft hackle and guides choice hare's ear #12 - #18, formerly, flash, and rubber leg princes #10 - #20, Trico emergers #20 - #22, WD Flashy (black, olive, brown) #20 - #22. Clarity: 6 Water temp: 31 Fishability: 3 CFS @ Kremmling: 452 Visit USGS for the latest river report.
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Eagle River Report
Possibly one of the best trout rivers in the country, the Eagle has earned its reputation as a river for everybody all the time with fish eating everything from the smallest midge to the largest grasshopper. Fish are healthy and hungry as we move into early Winter so be aware that they don't start feeding until the water warms up a bit around 10-11am. All water is still accessible but the fish will be re-locating to the deeper pools for the Winter to avoid the deep freeze that effects the shallower areas.Most activity in the Winter will take place sub-surface except on the overcast or snowy days when you might find a few BWO or Midge hatches occuring sporadically during those days. The takes will be much more subtle during the colder months so watch your indicator closely and if it moves the slightest bit away from its normal drift the lock your finger and pick up your rod. It could very possibly be a slow moving trout looking for a meal. If streamer fishing is your favorite thing to do then now is the time to get out your streamer box and start stripping. Winter streamer fishing requires a much slower retrieve as cold water temps only allow the fish to move so fast. Top flies to try are; 20 incher and other stones #6 - #12, eggs, medallion midge #22 - #24, jujubaetis #20 - #22, soft hackle emerger #20 - #22, biot bwo mayfly emerger #18 - #22, soft hackle bwo #20, soft hackle/ pheasant tails #14 - #20, rainbow warriors #16 - #20, zebra, red/ olive copper bobs #16 - #20, electric caddis #16, barr bwo and pmd emerger #18 - #22, crystal hunchback pmd #16 - #18, biot midges #20 - #22, drowned rusty spinner #14 - #20, soft hackle and guides choice hare's ear (natural and olive) #16 - #20, formerly prince #10 - #20, merc flashback RSII #18 - #24. Eagle clarity: 6 Eagle fishability: 3 Eagle water temp: 30 Eagle CFS: 61 Visit USGS for the latest river report. |
Running through the Vail Valley, Gore Creek presents an intimate small stream setting for anglers to stalk everything from high mountain Brook Trout to trophy size Rainbow and Brown Trout. Gore Creek offers anglers a plethora of year-round opportunities. From mind-blowing blanket Caddis fly hatches when the fish will eat anything to the ultra-technical aspects of sight fishing nymphs without indicators using 7x Super flourocarbon tippet. Talk about a rush!
tacular Canyon Country offering not only outstanding fishing, but also an unforgettable setting. From the early spring Blue Winged Olive hatches, to epic late spring salmonfly hatches that give way to an abundance of caddis and summer mayflies, the broad runs of this river produce some incredible fishing. Float fishing provides the best opportunities to cover water and experience all the beauty that this mighty river has to offer! The only thing that rivals the beauty of these canyons are the trout you will encounter on your journey down this river!
The Eagle River brings together a wealth of opportunities from early-season float fishing to year-round wade fishing. From winter nymphing with sz 22 midge patterns to blizzard like caddis hatches in early summer and then the epic emergence of Green Drakes (sz 10's & 12's!) mid-summer, there is always a trout to chase no matter what time of year.
