Williams Fork
14 Day Forecast: Look for sporadic hatches midges, Tricos, red quills, and blue-winged olives
Effective Patterns: #14 San Juan Worm, #12 Pat's Rubber Legs, #18 Buckskin, #18 Graphic Caddis, #16 Bead Head Breadcrust, #20 Sparkle Wing RS 2, #18 Mercury Flashback Pheasant Tail, #18 Jujubaetis, #18 Top Secret Baetis, #20 Chocolate Foam Wing Emerger, #16-20 Parachute Adams, #16 AK's Red Quill, #14-16 Elk Hair Caddis, #24 Trico Spinner, and #20 Matthew's Sparkle Dun.
Measurements
Fly Fishing Conditions & Tips from Pat Dorsey for the Williams Fork River
The Williams Fork River is a top-notch fishery of its own. This beautiful fishery is nestled between the Williams Peaks and Middle Park and is truly a fly-fishing paradise. The two-mile stretch between the upper boundary of the Kemp Unit and the confluence of the Colorado River is a mixture or riffles, runs, and pocket water with one of the best populations of brown trout in the “west”. A 30-minute hike to the river keeps the crowds to a minimum. Anglers can catch trout with a variety of methods including nymphs, streamers, and dry flies. The hatches include caddis, blue-winged olives, midges, Tricos, and red quills. Being a tributary of the Colorado River-spring and fall-spawn runs bring some “lunkers” into the stream. Ideal flows for the “Fork” are between 100 and 250 cfs. The regulations are flies and lures only and all fish must be returned to the water immediately.
The Williams Fork is one of the prettiest places on the planet. This Williams Fork is proof that trout don't live in ugly places.
Tips & Other Information:
Outflows on the Williams Fork are on the low side right now. Denver Water dropped the outflow yesterday to 74 cfs. Anglers should prepare themselves for hatches of red quills, blue-winged olives, Tricos, and some sporadic caddis. Fishing is good for small to medium sized brown trout, with the occasional large rainbow. Now is when you can expect to find some migratory trout moving in from the Colorado River. Egg/midge and egg/Baetis nymph combos are a good choice right now. Also the streamer fishing can be good too. Crowds have been extremely heavy as of late. Revised 9/27/24
Note: Denver Water has notified me that they will drop the flow to 30 cfs during the last week of October and first week of November. Just a heads up….