The Colorado River in Northern Arizona is deep and the water has a greenish tinge, when rainfall levels are low. Rainbow trout were stocked in the waters below Glen Canyon after a dam was put in place there, releasing cool waters that trout prefer. Although the National Park Service is presently removing some of these fish from the lower parts of the Grand Canyon, because they are thought to be feeding on the native humpback chubs, rainbow trout are still abundant in the upstream waters of the Grand Canyon.
Where to Fly Fish in the Grand Canyon
The upper waters of the Grand Canyon are the best places to fly fish for trout. Float trips that begin at Lee's Ferry will have good fishing for the first few days, after which it slows. The first sixty miles downstream of Lee's Ferry is the best stretch to fish, as the water becomes warmer after that. Rainbow trout in the Grand Canyon hold mainly in eddies and along the shore. Even sandy shores of the Colorado River may be good places to throw a couple of flies, as these trout cruise up and down the beaches. At popular campsites, trout sometimes school up and patrol the beaches, as they are used to scraps from campers. These fish are almost too easy to catch. The best places to fly fish in the Colorado River, however, are the rocky shores that cause pools and faster water. Trout hold around rocks, waiting for edibles to drift by.
What Trout Eat in the Grand Canyon
Rainbow trout in the Grand Canyon have peculiar diets. They do not eat as many mayflies, stoneflies, and caddis flies as do trout in most other western waters, because hatches are minor in the Colorado River. Instead, freshwater shrimp, such as scuds, or sideswimmers make up a notable portion of their diets. Worms are also washed into the Colorado River during periods of rainfall, and they may actually be seen frequently drifting along, and any trout is sure to snatch up a worm. Stonefly and mayfly nymphs are among the foods that trout expect to drift by in the current, although the adults are rarely seen over the water or on the surface. Tiny midges have small hatches, and represent a large portion of the trout's surface diet.
Flies to Use when Fly Fishing the Grand Canyon
San Juan worm flies and scuds (which mimic small shrimp) are some of the best flies to use when trout are being particular. Although small midges may be the only dry flies that work at times, it may be worth casting a hopper or stimulator every once in a while, as some of these fish are aggressively hungry. Small nymphs work very well at times, like the prince nymph and hare's ear nymph, when fished in faster water, but another wet fly is undoubtedly the best all around fly to use in the Grand Canyon. Dark woolly buggers are seldom refused, and often attacked voraciously by trout in the Colorado River in Arizona. They may be left alone to drift, or stripped, but however they are fished, these flies, particularly the ones that have bead heads, are the best flies to use in the canyon.
Fly fishing in the Grand Canyon really is different from angling in other places. Certain flies must be fished, and anglers must try the rocky areas around the shore to be successful.
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