This is the time of year when some waters are fishing far better than others. The headwaters of some are nearly clear of snow while others are still snowpacked, leading to not only different flow rates but wide-ranging temperatures and clarity as well. For the most active fishing, choose smaller streams with plenty of beaver ponds upstream that help modify temperature and flow. Here is how it is looking right now:

Big Blue Creek
Fishing is fantastic. It is still cold the higher one goes, but with that exception nearly all of the stream is very productive. As one person said yesterday, "I fished only a day and it didn't matter what day I fished. The results were the same -- lots of strikes"! One special note on Big Blue. Remember that the average brookie size has diminished over the years because of the high limits on the species. Catch and release is as important here as on any stream!

Cebolla Creek
Stone flies are emerging along most of the creek with a few sporatic hatches of caddis and pale morning duns. Midges are hatching almost constantly. Brillant skies make early and late fishing the best times of the day. A size 12 or 14 stimulator with a twenty-incher or yellow stone dropper is a good bet. Red copper johns are also working well as a nymph.

Henson Creek
It's water is still very cold. Typically, this is a mid-to-late summer stream, although a dry-dropper combination can tease out a few.

Lake Fork of the Gunnison
Sapinero Canyon: There are a lot of stocked rainbows holding in the slack water where the river meets Blue Mesa Reservoir.

Below Red Bridge: The water is difficult to fish at the present volume. It is all pocket water fishing, but there are some big stone fly shucks in evidence.

Above Red Bridge to Lake City: The old addage, "when the cotton flies the stone flies are hatching on the river" applies even when the cotton flies early as it did this year. Fishing nearly any color of stimulator (sizes 10 thru 14) and a long dropper (sizes 10 through 14 stonefly nymph) has been a great combination. Mid-day has been tougher due to full sun. In slower hours, fish a size 14 caddis pattern and a chartruse red copper nymph.

Above Lake San Cristobal: FIshing is picking up there on stonefly imitators, but the fish are spooky due to clear water.

Lake San Cristobal
Powerbait fished a foot above the bottom has been producing good catches of stocked rainbows. Lake trout are still being caught from the banks or on boats on sucker meat or lures. Go for them!

Dry fly fishers will catch trout on midge patterns early and late.

Deer Lakes
Stocked fish are abundant and can be caught by nearly any technique. A small parachute pattern and a size 16 pheasant-tail dropper can be productive.

Remember, a fish never grows larger in the frying pan!!