The year’s best dry fly fishing is just around the corner. As spring runoff is slowly beginning to subside, our local waters will begin to clear rapidly.

As the water warms up, we will begin to see an intensity of hatches. These hatches are what many anglers wait all season for, as there are few things more exciting than watching a trout appear under your fly and engulf it.

Within the next few weeks, anglers can expect to see a variety of different bugs on the water from Glenwood Springs to Aspen and everywhere in between.

Most notably will be the first green drake hatches around Glenwood, coupled with pale morning duns and a variety of different caddis.

This explosion of insect activity after a prolonged period of enduring high, cold and discolored water drives the local trout into a feeding frenzy.

Many of these hatches along the Roaring Fork occur throughout the day and into the evening, providing very consistent fishing throughout much of the day.

Regardless of your daily schedule, anglers should be able to take advantage of some great fishing.

As our area rivers drop and clear, check in with local fly shops as to when and where you can encounter these hatches and where the best fishing will be.

This week the Fryingpan has been fishing very well with clear and steady water flows.

Blue-wing olives are the main hatch with lesser numbers of PMDs, caddis and stoneflies along the lower river.

Anglers have been very successful this week near the dam using Tim’s mysis shrimp, Roy’s mysis and pheasant tails. Poxyback baetis and biot emergers have also been choice flies throughout the river.

Though the Roaring Fork River is certainly high, the river remains fishable on the soft inside seams and near the banks as the fish congregate along these softer edges and protected pockets.

As long as the river has a foot or two of visibility, the fish will feed happily.

Large flies and heavier tippets are needed to pull the fish out the fast current so anglers can land them quickly.

Our summer fishing season is quickly arriving with a vengeance!

— This column is provided every week by Taylor Creeks Fly Shops in Aspen and Basalt. Taylor Creek can be reached at 970-927-4374 or taylorcreek.com.