Pueblo Reservoir Tailwater Fishing

The Pueblo be one of the more productive fisheries on the Front Range of Colorado. One of the big attributes that attracts anglers to this part of water is the winter fishery. Anglers can expect more temperate weather and more productive goes in the winter than most rear waters in the state. This fishery produces some excellent size ranges of both Rainbow and Brown Trout, with hard. (orvis.com)

There’s no replacement for focused instruction when making a start in fly-fishing. Trying to go it alone, coupled with the perceived cost of equipment and complexity of the sport, frequently keeps possible fly-fishers from entering and enjoying this magnificent pastime.   if you’re totally new to fly fishing or just have been out of the game for a while this class is filled with useful info and hands on practice to help cut down the learning curve.   The 101 class covers all the basics of equipment, terminology, knot tying, rigging and fly selection.   The class finishes with on-water casting instruction,  fly fishing demonstration and a brief look at the food things found in our local waters. (thedriftflyshop.com)

 is an . Although it’s a tailwater, goes below the dam can get dangerously high throughout spring runoff,  so be cautious wading. This stretch of river is recognized for being a nice urban fly fishing destination. There’s a public restroom at the parking area near Valco Ponds and the city of Pueblo is only a ten-minute drive away, with its full compliment of restaurants and stores. You will have to buy a parks pass to use the Valco Ponds parking lot. (anglerscovey.com)

One of the things most appealing about the Arkansas River tailwater is that it offers something for each fishing skill level and favored technique of fly fishing. If your are new to fly fishing and just want to catch fish, nymph any of the deep spots around bridges from the nature center all the way to the dam. Stocked trout in the 10-12″ range will keep the rod bent all day. If you enjoy the challenge of hunting big fish, you must really find the less evident, off the beaten path spots. Look for depressions and divits in otherwise featureless water and this is where lots of big fish may be found. (minturnanglers.com)

This tailwater part of the Arkansas River, located below Pueblo Reservoir, has quickly become a well-liked destination for anglers near and far. Over the past some number of years, the city of Pueblo has went through big stream restoration efforts on this part of water. The results of this work has produced a really great fishery where fish over 20 inches are common. The upper 4 miles of this tailwater, which goes through the town of Pueblo, is the most well-liked stretch of this river and was shown in the book The 50 Best Tailwaters to Fly Fish by Wendy and Terry Gunn. This river is home to a healthy population of rainbow and brown trout keen to take a well presented fly. (troutsflyfishing.com)

Fly Fishing Arkansas River, Pueblo Colorado Tailwater. The Arkansas River in Pueblo offers a large size range of fish. 10-16 inch fish are common and 18-22 inch fish aren’t as unusual as you may think. The Arkansas River below Pueblo Reservoir is Colorado’s Premiere Rainbow Trout Fishery. In 2004-2005, millions were spent to enhance the Arkansas River Tailwater. Today this became a distinctive Rainbow Trout fishery. In the heart of Pueblo, you may be able to catch big rainbows in dries during the winter. The Blue Winged Olive hatch begins in the fall and continues well into December. (youtube.com)

Hit Pueblo on January seventh. Water temp was 38 degrees and fish were findable on graph, however not catchable. A cold snap rolled through after a series of warm days, and pushed the fish deep. Normal fish depth on Pueblo is around 35 feet and shallower, however today fish were in 70-80 ft deep. Shad were scattered and not balled up like one could hope for. Most fish are caught on jigging spoons and deep drop shot this time of year, and some may be taken on craw colored crankbaits wiggle warts are my favorite, but nothing was working today. Look for the most of shad and fish to be found on deep points and major river channel swings. (fishhound.com)

The famed Cheeseman Canyon is the next great winter tailwater fishery on the South Fork of the Platte. This canyon is fishable straight through most winters. Treat yourself to a day of solitude on a random workday and test these beautiful browns and bows. Also when in the Cheeseman Canyon area, particularly if the weather was warm and the goes are up, don t overlook fishing around the town of Deckers, below Cheeseman Canyon. This stretch may be iced up throughout long, cold stretches, however also offers winter fisherman a relaxing environment with cooperative trout. Anglers who double as mountain bikers will enjoy the last big winter trout fishery on the Platte before it hits Denver. (Click for info)

Got a chance to fish this Saturday and decided on the Arknsas River below Pueblo Reservoir. The water clearness was about 2 feet and the fishing was good. We started off nymphing and caught some nice fish throwing a three fly rig on 6x fluoro. Your 1st fly for this was should be some kind of attractor pattern. Size 12 pink squirmies seemed to work the best and provided enough wight to not have to use any split shot. Trailing the worm, the most productive flies were #18-22 BWo Barr’s Emergers, #18-22 RS-2, and #18-22 Red Zebra Midges. From 11-2 there was an unbelievable BWO hatch, that had lots of fish feeding on the surface. (frontrangeanglers.com)

No doubt about it, the Arkansas River tailwater below Pueblo Reservoir is a winter fly fishing paradise. As the dead of winter sets in around the rest of the state’s higher elevations, the lower elevation and higher temperatures have kept the bug activity high on the tailwater in Pueblo. Starting now through mid-March, when the BWO activity will really pick up, is when you will want to concentrate your fly patterns on small midge larva and emergers. In early mornings as the water temps are chilly you will find the most of your fish in deep pools and tight to structure. As the day warms concentrate your efforts on rear outs of riffles as you will find lots of keen trout prepared to take your Dorsey’s Top Secret. (coloradoflyfishingreports.com)