Elk River Colorado Fly Fishing Report & Options for Selecting Flies: Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
We have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes that make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Freestone Stream
Species
Brown Trout
Rainbow Trout
Whitefish
(Wild)
Size
Medium – 31 miles long
Location
Northwestern Colorado
Nearest Towns
Steamboat Springs
Season
Year-round
Access:
Poor
Non-Resident License
State of Colorado
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Seasons:
Although the season is open
year-round, most of the better fishing takes place during the warmer months of the year.
Winter:
The lower section of the river provides some opportunity on warm winter days.
Spring:
The river fishes best past the spring
runoff period. Summer:
The best hatches and dry fly fishing
occurs during the summer.
Fall:
Autumn is a great time for fly fishing the Elk River.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Copyright 2013 James Marsh
Fly Fishing Elk River Colorado
The Elk River is a beautiful Colorado trout stream that is a major tributary of the Yampa River. It has one problem – the lack of public access but even so, it is rarely fished because of the nearby Yampa. For that reason, the public access that is available seems to be enough.
The Christina State Wildlife Area in the lower section of the river is one area you can fish. The other areas are all in the uppermost part or the headwaters on the National Forest Land where the North and South Forks of the Elk River merge.
Most of the river flows through private ranch property. I feel certain one could obtain permission to fish from some of the ranchers but it would require asking.
The headwaters consist of small streams with smaller trout ranging from eight to twelve inches. Rainbows, browns and brook trout exist there.
There are several campgrounds in the area and the fishing is usually very good. The lower river has rainbows, browns and Mountain Whitefish that average much larger. Fly fishing the Elk River varies a great deal depending on where you fish.
Most all of the river is visible from state road 129 and FR 400 which parallels the river the entire distance from its headwaters to its termination with the Yampa River. It is a typical freestone stream with plenty of prime pocket water, pools, riffles and runs of all
lengths and sizes.
The Elk River does have a limited amount of public access but it is well worth fishing if your in the area. It may turn out to be a sleeper and better than you think because it isn’t considered a top fly fishing destination.
Elk River Fly Fishing Guide:
The Elk River forms in majestic mountains with giant spruce and fir trees, box canyons, granite gorges and begins to level out in its middle and lower sections. Unless you gain permission from a local property owner along the river you are going to be limited to fishing the headwaters of the South and North Branches in the Routt National Forest or the lower
section inside the Christina Wildlife Refuge Area. These two areas require different fishing methods because of the size of the stream and the trout. This is not a lot of water considering the river is thirty-one miles long. I will mention that there are some guest ranches and retreats along the river that can be rented. It is possible some of these offer fly fishing
opportunities from their property.
The headwaters has plenty of small rainbows, browns and brook trout but a trout over twelve inches is rare. They exist to sizes much larger than that but they are very few of them.
Some of the upper headwaters lies in meadow areas and some in canyon like settings with fast water. There is an area called the box canyon that has a very steep decline with rapids in some areas. The upper river is a popular white water destination.
This is a true freestone stream which means its flows are entirely controlled by mother
nature. The snowpack and rainfall amounts determine the flows. It is always a good idea
to check the USGS stream flow data before traveling any appreciable distance to fish the
Elk River.
The water can get low in the late summer and early fall months if the year is a dry one and
the snow pack is low. The water usually stays cool enough to provide good fishing even
when it is low.
While the water is at a fairly high level in the pictures shown, it is not usually that level during the summer. Most of the water can be waded easily even in the lower section in Christina Wildlife Refuge. Dry fly fishing can be great during a prime hatch but otherwise nymphs are usually required to catch trout.
The lower river usually has some very nice sized brown trout that can be taken on streamers during the fall spawning season. Rainbows up to eighteen inches are not exactly an everyday catch but they are commonly caught in the lower section of the Elk River. They do average a very good size of around fourteen inches or better.
Elk River Hatches and Trout Flies:
Our information on aquatic insects is based on our stream samples of larvae and nymphs, not guess work. We base fly suggestions on imitating the most plentiful and most available insects and other foods at the particular time you are fishing. Unlike the generic fly shop trout flies, we have specific imitations of all the insects in the Elk River and in all stages of life that are applicable to fishing. If you want to fish better, more realistic trout flies, have a much higher
degree of success, give us a call. We not only will help you with selections, you will learn why, after trying Perfect Flies, 92% of the thousands of our customers will use nothing else. 1-800-594-4726.
As you probably expect, the Blue-winged Olive is the most consistent and one of the better hatches on the Elk River. There is two periods of time that these little mayflies hatch that are important. One hatch takes place from near the first of April until the end of May and the other hatch occurs from about the middle of August until mid October. Weather conditions can vary these dates a couple of weeks or more but they will occur and they will provide some excellent dry fly fishing. Catching a big rainbow trout on a small, hook size 18 BWO dry fly is a thrill to
say the least.
Midges hatch throughout the year and are always a good backup when other aquatic insects are not hatching. During the winter, they may be your only choice if you want to catch trout.
Normally the Little Black Caddis or Branchcentrus species hatch around the end of April up until about the first week in May. The water should be around fifty degrees or slightly higher for this hatch to occur. It can provide some excellent dry fly action.
From about the first of June to the middle of August you can expect some stonefly hatches to occur. The Little Yellow Stoneflies are the most consistent. Golden Stoneflies hatch but not in any great quantities.
Red Quill mayflies start hatching about the middle of June and last into the first week or two of July. This is one of the most reliable hatches that occurs. The Pale Morning Duns start hatching about the same time as the Red Quill but last much longer. It can last until the end of August. You should be aware that hatches in the higher elevations in the headwaters can be delayed a full month from these dates. The Pale Morning Duns and the Blue-winged Olives are the two most important mayfly hatches.
There are several caddisfly species that hatch on the Elk River. The most common one is the Spotted Sedge but there are also some Little Short-horned Sedges and Green Sedges which are very plentiful. The larva of the Green Sedges, called Rock Worms, are quite effective on this
stream.
Starting near the end of June and up until the middle of September, terrestrial insects become important. Ants, beetles and grasshoppers are all effective during this time period. Don’t forget the streamers. They produce some large rainbow trout at times and work great anytime the water is slightly off color from heavy rain and snow.
Don’t forget to check out our “Perfect Flies”. We have specific imitations of all the insects mentioned above.