Aspen Outfitting Company’s Upper Roaring Fork River Report 2/10/23

Cian McGillicuddyFly Fishing, Winter Fly FishingLeave a Comment

The second week of February has given us warmer days and the fishing remains very productive, particularly during midday and the afternoon. As we mentioned last week, safety is the number one priority on the river. With significant temperature changes from night to day, ice shelves are prone to breaking. Keep an eye up-river for ice flows and if you see the water levels starting to rise, move away from the water. With cold temperatures and low flows in the Upper Fork, the fish are stacked up in slower, deeper water. Focus on deep holes and eddies near natural structure for great results.

Aspen Outfitting Company’s Upper Roaring Fork River Report 2/3/23

Cian McGillicuddyFly Fishing, Winter Fly FishingLeave a Comment

It’s the first week of February and it looks like the coldest part of the winter is behind us. Fishing remains very productive, particularly during the middle of the day. As always, safety is the number one priority on the river. With significant temperature changes from night to day, ice shelves are prone to breaking. Keep an eye up-river for ice flows and if you see the water levels starting to rise, move away from the water quickly. With cold temperatures and low flows in the Upper Fork, the fish are stacked up in slower, deeper water. Focus on deep holes and eddies near natural structure for some great results.

Aspen Outfitting Company’s Roaring Fork River Report 1/27/23

Cian McGillicuddyFly FishingLeave a Comment

Happy X Games to all! We’re excited to see all of the incredible things happening up on the mountain, but we certainly aren’t going to forget about the fish! The fishing has been really good this past week, and could get even better with warmer temperatures projected for next week. Right now, the fish are stacked up in slower, deeper water. Focus on deep holes and eddies near natural structure for the best results. During this time of the year, when you find one fish, you often find many — so make sure to cover water until you find success.

Aspen Outfitting Company’s Upper Roaring Fork River Report 1/20/23

Cian McGillicuddyFly Fishing, Winter Fly FishingLeave a Comment

Going into the last 10 days of January, the fishing has been great! With cold temperatures and low flows in the Upper Fork, the fish are stacked up in slower, deeper water. Focus on deep holes and eddies near natural structure for the best results. During this time of the year, when you find one fish, you often find many — so make sure to cover water until you find success.

Fishing Runoff

Cian McGillicuddyFly FishingLeave a Comment

Summer is here and the Roaring Fork is roaring! The Roaring Fork is classified as a “Freestone” river, meaning that it contains no dams from its headwaters to its confluence with the Colorado River. As a result, water levels in the Fork and other Freestones are controlled by snow melt and precipitation alone. That means that in spring and early summer, snow melt produced by warm weather at high elevations causes a surge of water to course through our river systems in a process we call “runoff.” Runoff means high, fast moving water, and presents unique challenges to trout and anglers alike. But, as fishermen we can take advantage of the fast moving, murky water to fool trout with big flashy bugs and heavy tippet. If you haven’t fished high water, you’re missing out on an amazing and unique experience!

Mother’s Day Caddis Hatch

Cian McGillicuddyFly FishingLeave a Comment

Mother’s day is here, and what an amazing day it is! We get to celebrate the women who gave us life, helped shape who we are and supply us with a never ending stream of love. But, as luck would have it, it’s also the namesake of the prolific “Mother’s Day Caddis” hatch on the Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers.  … Read More

Streamer Fishing the Spring!

Cian McGillicuddyFly FishingLeave a Comment

Streamer fishing is always a blast, especially with warming spring weather! March, April and May are some of the best months of the year to throw streamers. Good fly selection, rigging and presentation will skew the odds in your favor and let you take advantage of this wonderful time of year. Let’s dive in!

Fishing Mindfully: The Rainbow Trout Spawn

Cian McGillicuddyFly FishingLeave a Comment

Spring is here in Aspen, and the fishing has been fantastic! Spring is an amazing time of the year to chase trout on the Roaring Fork river. As the water warms, insects begin to hatch in greater numbers and the fishing heats up. However, fishing at this time of year requires a little extra attention – because spring is when the rainbow trout are spawning.