By: Marshall McDougal
Late summer and well into the fall months, western states are known for their hopper fishing. Typically with the warmer weather, there are not as many significant hatches happening and grasshoppers come out in full force making them a floating steak dinner. Walk through any meandering field on your way to your favorite stream and you can see just how plentiful these bugs are. My favorite way to target fish in the later summer months is to throw big fat juicy foam flies and we did just that on the Rio Grande this year. Add a dropper if you want, or not, the choice is up to you!
River Accessibility
The Rio Grande or Rio Bravo is America’s 4th longest river spanning 1,896 miles from Colorado all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. We explored the 100 or so miles of headwater that offers great river access in the 38th state of Colorado. Although there wasn’t enough time to fish the entire stretch of river, we got to see a lot of what the Rio has to offer between where it begins in the San Juan mountains to South Fork, CO.
River access is plentiful from where the headwater begins upstream of the Rio Grande Reservoir all the way down through South Fork. The Colorado Division of Wildlife has many public access points and campgrounds along this stretch. We based out of Marshall Park where we set up camp for the trip, just upstream of Creede. The fishing was fantastic from every public access spot as well as some of the more secluded tributaries. Be prepared to pack in and hike as a lot of the good fishing can be way off the beaten path. Over the course of 10 days, there were over 60 miles put on the boots and even more on the truck. Don’t be afraid to go explore. Apps like OnX and onWater offer a great guide to public land and where access points, boat ramps and even fly shops are in the area.
Fly Box
The Rio Grande in the summertime fishes like every other western river. It is seeing the tail end of the golden stone hatch, maybe seeing some drakes here and there with a few mahoganies mixed in and hoppers are beginning to pop off the banks. With all the top water commotion, the fish are going to be looking up so throwing a hopper/dropper rig, solo dry or even double dry flies will get you in on the action. Keep an eye out for our Hopper Dropper box that we will be dropping for next fishing season. It will feature many of the flies listed below and more!
Dry Flies
- Chubby Chernobyl – Black/Purple – Size 6-10
- Chubby Chernobyl – Royal Peacock – Size 6-10
- Amy’s Ant – Olive – Size 8-12
- Amy’s Ant – Tan – Size 8-12
- Hennry’s Fork Foam Stone – Gold – Size 8-12
- Gunnison Green Drake – Size 10-12
- Hi Viz Parachute Adams – Size 12-14
- Purple Haze – Size 12-14
Nymphs
- Pat’s Rubber Legs – Brown or Black – Size 8-10
- Rainbow Warrior – Size 16-18
- Egan’s Frenchie – Size 14-18
- BH Pheasant Tail – Size 14-18
- Perdigon – Black or Olive – Size 14-18
- RS2 Emerger – Black – Size 18-20
- Zebra Midge – Black or Olive – Size 16-18
Notable Fly Shops in the Area!
Rio Grande Anglers
The Rio Grande Anglers has been noted as the best fly shop on the Rio! It offers exceptional fly selection, knowledgeable staff and a great group of guides. This was my hoe base for the trip and there was rarely a day that I didn’t start with a coffee from Coffee on the Fly right next door and a few minutes chatting it up with the friendly shop staff on what bug selection to roll with that day. Give them a shout to help plan your next trip up to the Rio and swing by the shop!
Ramble House
The Ramble House is another great option with a huge fly and gear selection. Located on the main strip in Creede, these guys will set you up with what you need. They offer everything from guided float trips to river rafting trips. They are a great outdoors store and it is hard not to spend money when you are in here.
Guide Recommendations
Ben – (303) 808-1609 – @m.bennewman – I was fortunate enough to meet Ben at the Sunny Side Bar in Creede while I was up there. It only took a few minutes of chatting over a cold hazy IPA to hit it off. One day, Ben had a cancellation in his schedule at the last minute so I decided to float the river with him and another one of my buddies from the Texas area. When I say we had a fun day on the water, I mean it. Ben knows the river like the back of his hand and we spent the day picking apart vastly different sections of the Rio and losing count of the fish brought to the net. Reach out to him directly or request him through Rio Grande Anglers, this dude is a fun guy to fish with!
Gear Recommendations
Being able to sling larger foam flies, hopper dropper rigs and double dries requires a little extra backbone in your rod selection. My recommended setup is a 5wt or 6wt paired with weight forward floating line. I preferred the 6wt and only switched to a 5wt when throwing single dry flies. A 9-foot rod will work just fine but a 9’ 6” or 10’ rod can help with mending your line on further casts across the river when you have multiple currents. The longer rod will also help when fishing from a boat should you be taking a guided trip or bringing your own. For some of the smaller tributaries, I brought a 3wt 7’ 6” rod and had a blast trying to land big fish on a light rod backcountry. A 3x – 9ft leader is perfect for throwing bigger bugs. Drop down to a 4x tippet if you are running a trailer fly. On the 3wt, I used 4x tippet and stayed with 4x on my trailer flies.
Rod: Sage R8 Core 690-4 or TFO LK Legacy 06 90 4
Rod: Sage Sonic 376-4 or Redington Classic Trout 376-4
Reel: Sage Spectrum 5/6 or TFO BVK II
Reel: Ross Colorado 2/3 or Redington Zero 2/3
Line: Rio Elite Gold WF6F or Rio Premier Bank Robber WF6F
Line: Rio Perception WF3F
Leader: Rio Powerflex Trout Leader 3X
Leader: Rio Powerflex Trout Leader 4X
Tippet – Dry Flies: Rio Powerflex 4/5X
Tippet – Dropper Flies: Rio Flouroflex 4.5X
Conclusion
The Rio Grande is an awesome fishery and one of the less crowded rivers in Colorado. It offers the chance to catch rainbows, browns, books and if you’re lucky a Rio Grande Cutty or tiger trout. The public access opportunities are endless if you aren’t afraid to hike in a little and the number of tributaries that feed this river give you some incredible small creek fishing opportunities. Take a weekend trip, take a week long trip, heck, take a month to go explore this river. We will be back sooner than later!