We have been in business for a long time and have seen both drought conditions and extreme high water years over the decades. While these conditions often force us to rethink our favorite summer trout trips, they also push us to find new water and to grow as anglers. The summer of 2026 will be one of those years, but Colorado has an extreme amount and variety of water to fish and explore, many of those spots are fishing excellent this summer. From low elevation front range warmwater fisheries to high mountain reservoirs and even high alpine lakes and streams there are fish to be fished for, we promise!
One great way to adapt to this year's water conditions is to learn new water. A great way to get a head start on learning new water is to hire a guide. We have found a great guide partner in Colorado Trout Hunters. Danny Frank and his team have taken excellent care of many of our local customers as well as those traveling to Colorado from out of state to fish. He and his team are adapting to this year's conditions and still having amazing days on the water! If you are looking to expand your fishing IQ or looking for a fun trip to new water, look them up. Here is a great story of just how Danny and his team are overcoming tough conditions.
Winners Adjust: Finding Great Fishing in Drought Conditions
By Danny Frank
When Mother Nature forces a closure to the boat ramps at your favorite reservoir, you visit the Anglers All Boathouse because hand launching is a thing. Let me start at the beginning here…
On April 21st, Denver Water announced the planned draining of Antero Reservoir. As talk of long-term drought and record low snowpack filled the news, this was something I feared would happen due to Denver Water’s management plans for the storage system. As a result of being a wide, shallow reservoir, Antero unfortunately loses a high percentage of its water to evaporation so Denver Water uses it as a “drought reservoir,” designed to provide extra water to customers during periods of extreme need. Longtime anglers of Antero are familiar with this as it was previously done in 2002 for the same reason.
Adding some extra salt to the stillwater anglers wound, Spinney Reservoir was at historic low water levels as well, meaning there was little chance that the trophy fishery would be able to open its boat ramps. Unlike Antero, Spinney would remain open to anglers, to shore fish, to hand launch boats and very recently the use of one boat ramp. This is where a trip to my local fly shop that also has a very cool Boathouse came into play and helped save my stillwater season.
My 90 horsepower Lund was unfortunately going to remain dry this year, but I didn’t want to cancel the numerous reservoir trips I had booked on my calendar. When I talk with my guides, I often joke that if we only guided trips when conditions were perfect, we would hardly get our boots wet. A team slogan has been “Winners Adjust.” In fly fishing there are always variables out of our control but part of our job is to still figure out a way to make it happen.
When most people think of rafts they think of floating rivers and chasing whitewater, iconic experiences in our home state of Colorado. But I knew they could also be the key to me still running guided reservoir trips without breaking any rules. After talking with Johnnie Trujillo and Chris Keeley from Anglers All, we came up with the perfect set up for my needs.
Due to garage storage restrictions, I didn’t want to deal with another boat trailer and they had multiple options to pick from that would simply fit in the bed of my truck. Rafts are designed for many different purposes. Because of this it is important to go to the Boathouse in person, talk to the staff about your goals and your intended use and they can help pick the right watercraft for you.
I got the set up I wanted, an Outcast Striker. I could easily load this 2 angler raft into the back of my truck myself and it also has the width I desired for extra stability for clients casting in the windy South Park reservoirs. With Spinney being so low, it is a solid 100 yard walk from the parking lots to the waterline. A quick trip to the hardware store with a friend and we were able to put together a boat dolly for easy transportation from the truck to the water.
In low water years, reservoirs seem to get more attention but these world class fisheries should be explored regardless of the water level of your favorite freestone. Admittedly they do provide a slightly different pace of fishing, I describe it to clients like the game of baseball. It can be a little boring with periods of unmatched excitement. Many of our state's reservoirs are highly productive and boast some of the largest trout in the entire country. When fishing stillwaters, matching the hatch has a greater importance than say a tailwater where certain small midges can be productive year-round.
At ice off fish will cruise the shorelines enjoying the relatively warmer water. This time of year they can be a little more forgiving and will feed on a wide range of attractor patterns like scuds, leeches and eggs. As we got into May, the water warmed up and the first major hatch of the stillwater season, the chironomid, got going. June is my favorite month to fish the reservoirs as you can get chironomids in the morning followed by Callibaetis midday. Callibaetis (cousins to the Blue Wing Olive) will hatch all summer long and be joined by active swimmers like damselflies.
The most common way to fish these reservoirs are with multiple fly rigs below an indicator or slip bobber. While this is very productive, there are other proactive ways that can also produce some large fish. Techniques like dry dropper, the washing line or simply slowly stripping your flies with an intermediate or midge tip fly line all have a time and place.
I sure do miss Antero and the open boat ramps at Spinney but as in all fishing scenarios, there are only so many variables that we can control. Winners adjust out there and to be honest, it is pretty fun trying to figure out creative solutions to being successful. Thanks to a visit to my favorite fly shop and boathouse, I was able to make that happen. I now have another toy in my toolbox to continue to creatively explore the fishing options the state has to offer
—Danny Frank is the owner of Colorado Trout Hunters, a guide service established in the Front Range in 2006. Colorado Trout Hunters is privileged to offer guided trips and on water lessons on some of the states premier public and private waters.
Check out the Colorado Trout Hunters website here ----> https://coloradotrouthunters.com/ or call 303.325.5515 to book!
