Yes, it’s frigid these days in the Rockies, where many are just grinding out the bleak “-uary” months and counting in precious minutes just how much longer each day is getting. It’s a slog for those who love Colorado fly fishing. Sure, we can get out and fish on an occasional bright and sunny day, but these days, with the words “below zero” accompanying a couple of digits in casual conversation, not many of us are willing to pull on the waders. And who could blame us?
But, as January starts to slip into February and we take oversized appreciation in the fact that the latter month is just a couple of days shorter than the former, it’s not at all inappropriate to start looking forward to some spring fishing that is really just a few short weeks away. And, in Colorado, that means anglers are looking ahead to the fabled Mother’s Day caddis hatch.

A matronly name for an epic Colorado fly fishing hatch
The hatch gets its name, of course, from its propensity to pop right around Mother’s Day in mid-May, and it’s a legendary event in Colorado fly fishing. But, truth be told, the hatch can happen anytime from late April all the way to early June. It’s dependent upon several factors, including the amount and rate of snowmelt, water temperatures and, of course, weather.
But, when anglers hit it just right, it can be absolutely magical, and, in really good years, the hatch can last for a few weeks. Of course, the hopeful angler wants the hatch to pop before the seasonal runoff blows out rivers like the Arkansas or the Colorado, but after the weather begins to warm enough to spur the hatch in the first place. It can be a tight window, as you might imagine.

The first significant dry-fly hatch of the Colorado fly fishing season
Sure, there are other Colorado fly fishing opportunities in the spring. Other hatches start to pop earlier than the annual Mother’s Day caddis hatch. On cloudy blustery days in March and April, the Blue-winged Olive hatch can be really great. And, winter midge fishing on blue-bird Colorado days in February and March can be very productive.
But these bugs are tiny — size 22 or even smaller. For die-hard dry-fly anglers, the Mother’s Day caddis hatch is an event, something Colorado anglers look forward to every single year. And you can’t really blame them. In the annals of Colorado fly fishing, the Mother’s Day caddis hatch is reliably the first significant dry-fly occurrence of the year. And chasing amenable browns and rainbows on size 12 to 14 caddis flies sure beats sizing down to miniscule flies or dredging the depths with a double-nymph rig under an indicator.

Now’s the time to prep for Colorado fly fishing
So, no, don’t be ashamed if you’re already dreaming about this epic Colorado hatch. Instead, busy yourself at the vise, and tie up some of your more dependable caddis imitations. Start, first, with a handful of caddis nymph impressions, and then move into your emergers and dry-fly imitations — the standard Elk-hair Caddis in blonde, brown and olive colors is a good bet, and will move fish that have been resting on the bottom of the river all summer.
It’s time to get ready for one of the greatest events in Colorado fly fishing. Make the rest of your winter count, and be prepared when the bugs finally start to pop right around Mother’s Day. And, if you want to get up close and personal with this epic hatch from the confines of your own Colorado ranch, reach out and let our experienced ranch brokers help you find the right Centennial State property.