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Arkansas River Fishing Report | Late May, 2026

Arkansas River Flows

Empire Gulch near Malta: ~110 cfs

Below Granite: ~300 cfs

Nathrop: ~430 cfs

Wellsville: ~390 cfs


Cutthroat Trout from an alpine lake, which has iced-off early this year.
Cutthroat Trout from an alpine lake, which has iced-off early this year.

Arkansas River Fishing Report:


The Latest: 

Hey Folks, welcome back to a new Upriver Arkansas River fishing report! Stay tuned for more fishing report videos on the way throughout this season.


It is runoff season, but we are not dealing with runoff conditions on the upper Ark. An historically low snowpack year is causing flows to remain much lower and more clear that a normal year. For the time being, this is providing excellent fishing conditions, especially for the wade angler. The upper Arkansas River is characterized by flowing low and clear right now, with caddis activity really starting to pop, even well upstream of BV. Midges remain active in the mornings, and on cooler, overcast afternoons you can still find some BWOs hatching.


General Arkansas River Fishing Report and Tactics:

The Ark is fishing very well right now, from Bighorn Canyon, up into Hayden Meadows. Water clarity remains quite clear, and flows have been steady as of late. Our guided trips are being tremendously successful running hopper/dropper rigs throughout much of the day. A sz. 12/14 chubby with a sz. 16/18 perdigon or CDC collared nymph is usually the ticket to keep you busy all day. There are opportunities to fish dry flies, when the hatches are cranking. When the caddis are taking flight, consider switching over to a single, or a tandem dry fly setup. When fishing caddis dries, don't worry about getting a dead drift. Instead, you can drag, swing and skitter your dry imitation on the surface of the water. This is a more realistic imitation of the natural caddis adults, as their flight is quite fluttery and random. Trout often explode towards the surface, sometimes launching their entire bodies out of the water, to chase the adult caddis flies.


Alpine Lakes and Streams:

Many of our alpine lakes that typically thaw in late June, are already thawed and accessible this year. This is the earliest I have ever accessed some of these alpine lakes. This is an extremely early alpine season, and some cutties are already beginning their spawning behaviors. You might find that water levels are low in our alpine lakes this year.

The tributary streams are flowing much lower and more clear than normal for this time of year. Tie on your favorite dry fly, and don't spook these fish, they will rise with reckless abandon.


Spinney Mtn and Antero Reservoir Fishing Report:

Antero is closed for the year due to drought conditions.

Spinney Mountain is still closed to motorized/trailered boats, although you can hand-launch. The midge hatch has been underway for weeks at Spinney and Elevenmile Reservoirs. Callibaetis hatches should be right around the corner.



Contact Us:

Phone: 719-395-9227

Socials: @UpriverFlyFishing

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