Arkansas River Fly Fishing Report
Gold Medal waterArkansas River near Nathrop. Guides and local shops report an ideal wade-fishing window of roughly 225–300 cfs (Hook n Fly). Live gauge data below updates automatically.
Want today's Rig of the Day pick for Arkansas River? Flip its card in the live River Conditions grid on the homepage.
What's swimming in the Arkansas River
- Brown Trout make up more than 80% of the trout community, averaging 12 inches with fish to 16 inches and occasional 20-inchers, and CPW calls it "predominantly a wild brown trout fishery" (CPW Upper Arkansas fishery survey).
- Rainbow Trout average 14 inches; a whirling-disease-resistant strain has been stocked since 2009, and the Gunnison River Rainbow strain since 2017 (CPW Upper Arkansas fishery survey).
- The reach supports up to 5,000 trout per mile, and CPW's Fishing Atlas flags the Chaffee County Arkansas as a wild, not-stocked fishery (CPW survey; CPW Fishing Atlas).
- The Nathrop stretch sits inside the Gold Medal reach designated January 2014 from Lake Fork Creek to Parkdale, 102 miles total (CPW survey).
Getting to the Arkansas River
- Fisherman's Bridge, Ruby Mountain and Hecla Junction are part of the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA), managed by CPW -- part of nine access sites between Buena Vista and Salida, including Browns Canyon National Monument (CPW AHRA Buena Vista).
- Bighorn Springs SWA (Fishing Easement), near Nathrop, is a 122-acre easement with three fishing access sites; open sunrise to half an hour after sunset, fishing only, parking in designated areas only, dogs prohibited (CPW Bighorn Springs SWA).
- Johnson Village SWA and Champion SWA (Fishing Easements) cover Chaffee County; Champion SWA restricts access to fishing only, designated parking areas only (CPW Champion SWA).
- CPW counts over 80 miles of public walk/wade access on this reach (CPW Upper Arkansas fishery survey).
- Gold MedalLake Fork Creek to Parkdale (102 miles, includes the Nathrop stretch), designated January 2014 -- check current bag limits at the CPW link below (CPW fishery survey; CPW special regulations).
29 sourced hatch windows for the Arkansas River
Species, size, and season, each tied to the published fly-shop or guide-service chart it came from. See Hatch Charts for every Colorado river we track and a precision-level key.
| Species | Season Window | Size | Precision | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midges (various) | Jan 1–Dec 31 | #20-28 | Week-level estimate | Fly Shack |
| Midges | Mar 1–Oct 31 | #20-24 | Day-level | Big Y Fly Co |
| BWO (spring) | Mar 1–May 30 | #16-20 | Day-level | Big Y Fly Co |
| Blue-Winged Olive | Mar 1–May 31 | #18-20 | Month-level | FlyFishFinder |
| Blue Winged Olive (spring) | Mar 23–May 14 | #16-22 | Week-level estimate | Fly Shack |
| Midges & Blue-Winged Olives | Apr 1–Apr 30 | #18-24 | Month-level | Rise Beyond Fly Fishing |
| Grannom (caddis) | Apr 8–May 22 | #14-16 | Week-level estimate | Fly Shack |
| Grannom Caddis | Apr 15–May 30 | #14-16 | Day-level | Big Y Fly Co |
| Caddis | May 1–Sep 30 | #14-16 | Month-level | FlyFishFinder |
| Golden Stonefly | May 15–Jul 7 | #8-10 | Week-level estimate | Fly Shack |
| Golden Stone | May 15–Jul 15 | #8-10 | Day-level | Big Y Fly Co |
| Salmonfly / Golden Stone | May 15–Jun 30 | Salmonfly #4-6; Stimulator #6-8 | Month-level | FlyFishFinder |
| Pale Morning Dun | Jun 1–Aug 31 | #16-18 | Month-level | FlyFishFinder |
| Caddis & PMDs | Jun 1–Jun 30 | #14-18 | Month-level | Rise Beyond Fly Fishing |
| Caddis | Jun 15–Sep 15 | #10-18 | Day-level | Big Y Fly Co |
| Pale Morning Dun | Jul 1–Aug 22 | #16-20 | Week-level estimate | Fly Shack |
| Trico | Jul 1–Sep 14 | #22 | Week-level estimate | Fly Shack |
| Golden Stones | Jul 1–Jul 31 | #8-12 | Month-level | Rise Beyond Fly Fishing |
| Caddis (various) | Jul 8–Sep 7 | #10-18 | Week-level estimate | Fly Shack |
| Terrestrials (various) | Jul 8–Sep 22 | #6-18 | Week-level estimate | Fly Shack |
| PMD | Jul 15–Sep 15 | #16-18 | Day-level | Big Y Fly Co |
| Trico | Jul 15–Aug 30 | #22 | Day-level | Big Y Fly Co |
| Hoppers | Jul 15–Sep 25 | #6-12 | Day-level | Big Y Fly Co |
| Tricos | Aug 1–Aug 31 | #20-22 | Month-level | Rise Beyond Fly Fishing |
| BWO (fall) | Sep 1–Oct 31 | #16-20 | Day-level | Big Y Fly Co |
| Blue-Winged Olive | Sep 1–Nov 30 | #18-20 | Month-level | FlyFishFinder |
| Stoneflies | Sep 1–Sep 30 | #10-14 | Month-level | Rise Beyond Fly Fishing |
| Blue Winged Olive (fall) | Sep 8–Oct 31 | #16-22 | Week-level estimate | Fly Shack |
| Midges, BWO, PMD, Caddis, Stoneflies, Trico, Terrestrials, Streamers | Seasonal (no specific dates published) | — | Seasonal estimate | Check Your Flies (Arkansas River Basin) |
14 fly pairings from real fishing reports
Up to 2 pairings for this river are always free to browse in full. Fly names, leader/tippet spec, and full source are unlocked by .
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Recent reports from anglers on the Arkansas River
Real ratings, notes, condition tags, and rig tags logged by signed-in anglers after fishing this water.
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Fly shops on the Arkansas River
Arkansas River fly fishing questions
What is a good flow (cfs) to fish the Arkansas River?
Guides and local shops report an ideal wade-fishing window of roughly 225–300 cfs on the Arkansas River (Hook n Fly). TroutTips shows the live current reading against this range so you can check before you go.
Is the Arkansas River designated Gold Medal water?
Yes, at least part of the Arkansas River carries Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Gold Medal water designation.
What flies work on the Arkansas River?
TroutTips tracks 14 fly pairings reported specifically on the Arkansas River, each tied to a season and a real source. See the Fly Pairings section on this page for the full list.
Are there fly shops near the Arkansas River?
Yes, ArkAnglers (Salida), ArkAnglers (Buena Vista), The Next Eddy, UpRiver Fly Fishing, Royal Gorge Anglers, The Colorado Angler, Mountain Angler, Breckenridge Outfitters, Angler's Covey guide this river. See the Nearby Fly Shops section on this page for details.