On tail waters almost always. The one exception I encountered was Cheesman the year after the fire. Even the water coming out of the damn was mud, or should I say ash.

On the other hand at the end of run off last year the Poudre was clear, even though the flows were still at 1000 cfs. You could not really cross the river, but I caught several fish over several days that were over 18 inches. Which for the Poudre is not bad.

When the rivers are this high take great care, especially if you're fishing alone. On the Poudre the elevation drop contributes to very fast water. The Upper Colorado on the other hand has very slippery rocks. It's almost like walking on big marbles, as the rocks will constantly be shifting and moving under your feet.

The key to fishing the end of run off is to fish the banks. Just like you the fish will be avoiding the current. They'll be up next to the banks, trying to avoid being "flushed" downstream.


Lakes and stillwaters are also a great place to fish at this time. Just after ice off many lakes become red hot. Watch for the damsel and calibaetis hatches. This year I hope to take a trip up to North Park.