Pikes Peak Fly Fishers – October 2026
October is calling—crisp mornings, golden aspens, and one more cast into a promising run! There is plenty of excitement in our club, too: participation in Landon Mayer’s Clean the Dream and The Peak Fly Shop Grand Re-Opening brought us over 30 new members and families. Welcome to Pikes Peak Fly Fishers! If you see someone you don’t know, introduce yourself, invite them to sit with you, and help them feel at home. A friendly conversation today may become a fishing friendship for years to come.
Dates for Your Calendar
Saturday, October 17, 2026 – Rainbow Falls Fishing Club Member Appreciation Day. See the trip update in the Trips and Activities section for details.
Winter luncheons – Join us at Mollica’s at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, December 9, 2026; Wednesday, January 13, 2027; Wednesday, February 10, 2027; and Wednesday, March 10, 2027. Come share a meal, swap fishing stories, and keep those club friendships growing through the winter.
Monday, February 1, 2027 – Annual Banquet at The Spaghetti Factory, 5:00 PM. More details will follow.
Saturday, March 13, 2027 – We are planning our annual auction earlier in 2027. More details are coming, but please begin looking for donations of fishing equipment and trips. Your contributions help make this an event everyone can look forward to.
October 5th Meeting – Exhibits & Club Yard Sale
Join us for our October 5th meeting, which will feature several hands-on exhibits and displays. Members will have an opportunity to check out rod building, fly tying, and other aspects of fly fishing while visiting with fellow anglers and sharing ideas. We’ll also have a Yard Sale Table featuring fly-fishing gear, apparel, flies, and other outdoor itemslooking for a new home. If you have anything related to fly fishing or the outdoors that you no longer use and would like to contribute, bring it along to the meeting and add it to the table. Come ready to learn something new, find a bargain, and enjoy an evening with fellow Pikes Peak Fly Fishersmembers.
Keeping an Eye on Colorado’s Waters
Fishing conditions as of September 26: Spinney Mountain State Park is scheduled to close for winter on November 15, or sooner if ice arrives. Low water has closed the north ramp to trailered boats; hand-launched craft remain permitted. Check the park’s conditions before making the drive.
Elevenmile Canyon: About 75 cfs below the dam, with clear, low water. Trout are holding in deeper pockets and pool tailouts. Small midges and afternoon blue-winged olives are good bets; approach quietly and use light tippet.
Dream Stream: Recent reports put the release near 100 cfs, but it has been changing, so check the gauge before you go. Low, exposed water calls for long, careful casts to deeper cutbanks and seams. Tricos, midges and small mayfly patterns have been productive; early kokanee have appeared. Please observe CPW’s voluntary noon-to-midnight closure and avoid spawning redds.
Arkansas River near Salida: Roughly 200–260 cfs in recent Salida-area readings (236 cfs at Hecla Junction and 258 cfs at Wellsville on September 25). Fall baetis are providing afternoon dry-fly chances, with dry-dropper fishing between hatches. Recent rain and habitat work above town may temporarily cloud the water.
Arkansas River near Cañon City: A recent Cañon City gauge reading was about 177 cfs; verify the latest flow before traveling. The lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon had fishable clarity on September 25, though runoff could change it quickly. Look for fall baetis, caddis and red quills, or try a hopper-dropper along the banks.
Flows and access can change quickly. Check Angler’s Covey, ArkAnglers, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife for the latest reports before a trip.
Wild Horse Reservoir: Aurora Water has shifted its proposed project to the Wild Horse South site, citing a single dam rather than three and lower construction and operating risks. Environmental review and permitting remain important opportunities to follow the proposal and its effects on South Park. Project update
Montgomery Reservoir: Colorado Springs Utilities proposes increasing the dam height from 91 to 158 feet and adding about 8,100 acre-feet of storage. The project remains in pre-permitting, with applications anticipated late in 2026. Anglers should follow the review of stream flows, habitat, and recreation access. Utilities project Q&A
The Colorado River’s future: Reclamation issued a new decision framework and 2027–2028 operating guidelines for Lake Powell and Lake Mead in August. With long-term basin agreement still unresolved, water conservation and the health of the river system deserve our continued attention. Reclamation’s river update
Two Ballot Measures Worth Your Attention
I encourage support for Amendment 83 because protecting the opportunity to hunt and fish helps preserve an outdoor tradition we can pass to the next generation. The measure would establish a constitutional right to hunt and fish using traditional methods, while preserving state regulation necessary for scientific wildlife conservation, public safety, and future hunting and fishing opportunities. It would not authorize trespassing or remove protections for excluded species. That right should go hand in hand with our responsibility to care for fish, habitat, and one another. Official Amendment 83 information
Proposition 137 would redirect existing sporting-goods sales tax revenue toward conservation, wildfire mitigation, watershed restoration, and outdoor recreation without raising the tax rate. Those investments could benefit the landscapes and waters we enjoy, although redirecting revenue also has implications for the state’s general budget. Jason Blevins explains the proposal and the funding debate in The Colorado Sun’s August 31 article. Read The Colorado Sun article
El Niño and Our Next Fishing Season
The “super El Niño” headlines have a basis: NOAA’s September 10 outlook gives a greater than 90% chance of a very strong event this fall and winter. A stronger southern storm track can improve moisture prospects, but Colorado sits where outcomes vary considerably by location and storm track. Winter snow and spring rain or snow could help replenish our watersheds; neither a banner snowpack nor a wet spring is guaranteed. We will watch actual snowpack and spring moisture closely—those are the deposits that support next summer’s stream flows. NOAA’s current outlookColorado ENSO background
More Than the Fish We Catch
Fly fishing asks us to slow down, pay attention, and make room for hope. A day’s best reward may be a quiet stretch of water or a new friend who shares it. As Izaak Walton wrote, “God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling.” Let’s carry that spirit into the season: welcome someone new, care for the water, and leave each outing with more than a fish count. The Complete Angler
Tight Lines,
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