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The weather in the Arkansas Valley has been very hot and dry up until the last few days. We are starting to have some afternoon showers moving in and helping to cool things down, but the fish are still slow feeding in the afternoons. The best time to fish is early in the morning when the water is still cool.

The Arkansas River is running low and is getting hot the farther south you go. It is cooler and better fishing from Nathrop up to Leadville. Caddis are working well and so are black ants. Lures are really good and night crawlers dangled along the banks are great. The fish are hitting flies on the surface and grasshoppers are really getting hot now.

Antero is warm and the fishing is slow. The best time to fish is in the early morning with damsel flies, brown scuds and prince nymphs.

Twin Lakes has been very good for rainbows from shore using night crawlers, power bait and pistol petes. Fishing along the south shore of both lakes either from a boat or from shore is very good with small lures and pistol petes. Also fishing near the power plant or by th dam has been very goo.The Lake trout are deep because of the hot weather, but can be caught in the evening and morning jigging on the bottom with white tube jigs and sucker meat. The MT. Elbert forebay is open and fishing is better up there. Pistol Petes and night crawlers are working best. The west end is best for bait fishing and is a nice area to walk and have a picnic. Twin Lakes is open to boating 7 days a week from 6am-9pm.

Clear Creek is open and fishing has been very good near the inlet and next to the boat ramp. Kastmaster and needle fish are working well from shore and night crawlers and rainbow powerbait are also working. Clear Creek is open to boating from 6am-9pm Thursday thru Monday.

Cottonwood Lake has been good with power bait, salmon eggs and night crawlers. This is the best time of year to fish the inlet of cottonwood with small flies, Pale morning dunns, blue dunns, grasshoppers and mosquitos.

Hayden Meadows and Crystal lake are both good fishing. Small flies and lures are working best on Crystal and nightcrawlers and salmon eggs are best on Hayden Meadows. Emerald lake has been very good this week using flies, night crawlers and small lues like mepps and panther martins.

Turquoise is open and fishing has been good for some nice rainbows and cutthroats on the west end. Casting Kastmasters and blue fox lures along the North shore towards the inlet has been working well.The lake is open to boating from 6am-9pm seven days a week.

The Division of Wildlife has stocked the following waters: Wrights lake, Chalk Lake, Fooses lake, Riverside Ponds, BV Kids pond and Emerald Lake.