Arkansas River Fishing Report and Alpine Lakes Update

Michael Atwood
Jun 18
3 min read

June 18, 2025

Arkansas River Flows

Leadville (Empire Gulch): ~475 cfs

Granite (below): ~1,580 cfs

Browns Canyon/Nathrop: ~1,740 cfs

Wellsville: ~1,820 cfs

Twin Lakes Release: ~740 cfs

Turquoise Res. Release: ~16 cfs

Clear Creek Res. Release: ~235 cfs

Alpine Lakes and Streams:

This week's fishing report, from the high country!

Some of our favorite lakes are now fishable! Some others... not so much. This time of year, there is a slight risk of hiking into the high country, and finding your target lake still covered in ice. If you happen to catch the alpine lakes within a week or two of ice-off, the fishing can be really splendid! Try a leech or a chironomid under a dry fly or small indicator.

Check out this week's YouTube video update on the alpine conditions, and some helpful tactics to fool some high country trout!

Arkansas River Fishing Report:

The Latest: Well, we saw another significant bump up in flows due to increased releases from Twin Lakes on Monday and Tuesday of this week. This increase hasn't negatively affected the fishing and/or conditions here on the upper Ark. Visibility has remained good to great, and the dry fly action is really picking up. It is hard to recommend a method other than hopper-dropper on the river currently. More and more caddies and a variety of stoneflies are now much more common on the upper river. This is an exceptional time of year to fish. Water is still nice and cool, and the fish are willing to eat a variety of flies/presentations.

A lot of our favorite alpine lakes are completely open, and beginning to fish well! Check out this week's fishing report video for the latest on the alpine conditions.

You can always keep an eye on flows by visiting dwr.state.co.us/tools/stations and looking at the hydrographs.

Upriver guide, Eric Smith, displays a lovely brown trout from Antero Reservoir from a guided trip on June 18th.

General Arkansas River Fishing Report and Tactics: As our river flows decrease, we will see the water clarity improve greatly. As long as the flows stay high (like they are now), we will still see fish holding closer to the bank, or anywhere they can find refuge from the ripping velocity in the main current. Nymphing, hopper-dropper rigs, and streamers are still all good methods to try right now, take your pick!

Many caddis flies are fluttering around along the banks of the Ark through BV. Yellow sallie and golden stoneflies have also joined the mix of adult insects flying around the river corridor. Try skating or skittering an elk haired caddis or stimulator pattern close to the river bank for some good dry fly action. In my opinion, fishing in the evening hours with dry flies will be the best action!

Nymphing? I would fish your favorite attractor nymph (Duracell, CDC Pheasant Tail, French Jig, Rozas Jig) or a stonefly imitation, and pair that with a smaller offering such as flashy nymph/perdigon, etc. If you see caddis fluttering in the afternoon, try a classic such as an X-Caddis or an Elk-hair caddis. Sometimes skating/popping a caddis dry on the surface will result in more takes than a classic dead drift. Caddis flies are naturally fluttery and random with their flight, so it never hurts to try and imitate that.

Antero Reservoir and Spinney Fishing Report:

Antero continues to fish well. It has become a complete bug factory out there, midges and callibaetis galore, with damsel fly nymphs also becoming more active.

Try suspending chironomids, callibaetis nymphs, damsels or leeches below an indicator, around any drop offs and depth changes. Make sure you are using fluorocarbon tippet/leader for any subsurface flies that you are fishing. Fluorocarbon is a true difference maker in a lake such as Antero.

Go ahead... give it a little twitch!

Spinney Mountain Reservoir boat ramp is now open for the season, and there are reports of good fishing! Use similar tactics as listed above for Antero.