Lees Ferry Fishing Report

Colorado River - Lees Ferry


by Arizona Game & Fish Department
6-11-2023
Website

Report courtesy of Lees Ferry Anglers (https://leesferry.com/river-report/). Water temperature 53.8 to 56.3 F. Discharge rate 17,600 to 19,000 cfs as of 5/31/2023. The HFE (High Flow Event) has ended, and I have seen the fish are suffering from a diagnosis I call "MWR" or Massive Worm Regurgitation. Yes, I just jokingly made that up. Anyway, the fish, as expected, ate quite well. It is not uncommon to see the worms spilling out of their gill plates. This obviously makes the San Juan worm quite effective in its natural color. Size #16 or larger recommended. Midge hatches have been quite heavy. I suspect the dry dropper to become quite feasible, particularly on the weekends. Typically flows are lower at this time. Current conditions are expected to average from 15,000 to 20,000 cfs for the foreseeable future. We have seen this before. These particular conditions bring in another tool, the Big Nasty #4, or smaller segmented leech patterns are working. White or olive seemingly are the preferred choice.