Colorado fishing reports
143 reports for Colorado — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Trico spinners and terrestrials take over CO's tailwaters
Flow at USGS gauge 06701900 held near 249 cfs early this morning, keeping South Platte and Arkansas tailwaters in the clear, wadable stage anglers count on through midsummer. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing (CO) has flagged 2026 as one of Colorado's leanest water years on record, so stretches that run thin later this season are worth watching before wading deep. On the bug front, Gink and Gasoline points to the South Platte's reputation for dense morning trico spinner falls, a summer staple worth timing before the heat builds. Trout Unlimited's latest TROUT Tip leans into that same seasonal shift, noting terrestrials are now crawling the banks and getting eaten as big meals once they blow into the current. AvidMax Blog (CO) has been tying small tailwater midge and Euro-nymph patterns lately, a solid backup when the surface bite goes quiet. We're calling both rainbows and browns Active on light tippet and small profiles.
Warm-water trout shift to low-light bites on the Colorado River
This week's USGS reading (gauge 09095500) put area flow at 1,710 cfs with water pushing 77°F Saturday afternoon — warm enough to put trout on notice. Crystal Fly Shop (CO) describes the Colorado River between Glenwood Springs and Rifle as "on the back end of runoff," with golden stones, PMDs, and caddis already active and green drakes roughly two weeks out below Carbondale, though the shop flags that the good window closes once summer heat fully sets in. That heat is already a season-defining story: Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing (CO) calls 2026 one of Colorado's worst drought years on record, which tracks with the elevated temperature we're seeing now. Anglers Covey Blog (CO) notes rivers statewide are slowing into their "dog days" pace, with fish holding deeper and moving less during peak sun. Expect the best bites early and late, with midge and nymph patterns from AvidMax Blog (CO) staying relevant on tailwater stretches.
South Platte tricos click as Colorado tailwaters run low and clear
Trico spinner falls remain a hallmark of South Platte summer mornings. Gink and Gasoline still points to the river's dense trico activity as some of the best dry-fly action in the country, and it's a pattern worth planning around on early starts. No fresh buoy or gauge numbers came through for the South Platte or Arkansas this cycle, so plan on the typical low, clear, technical tailwater flows summer brings to both rivers. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing (CO) has been flagging 2026 as one of Colorado's more significant drought years, which argues for careful wading and early starts before water warms. On the Dream Stream stretch, Colorado Trout Hunters notes this water still holds big, lake-run brown trout outside its classic fall and spring windows. AvidMax Blog's midge patterns built for clear, cold tailwater water are a sensible starting point on both rivers right now.
Colorado River trout dial in as runoff fades and drakes near
Flows on the Colorado River near Glenwood Springs are running around 2,640 cfs and dropping fast, and Crystal Fly Shop calls current conditions "great water conditions and happy fish" as the river clears out from spring runoff. On the Roaring Fork, the shop reports large attractor patterns working well in higher water below Carbondale, with green drakes expected to hatch in the next two weeks. The Crystal River is still shaking off runoff too, though the shop says "spectacular fishing" is only about a week away once flows keep dropping. Downstream on the low, clear Frying Pan, BWOs are hatching daily with PMDs starting to show, best worked with light 6X tippet during morning nymphing before afternoon dry-fly windows. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing notes 2026 ranks among Colorado's driest years on record, a backdrop worth keeping in mind for flows and fish behavior across the Colorado and Arkansas systems this season.
South Platte tailwaters fish low and clear as trico season peaks
Colorado's tailwaters are heading into peak trico season on low, clear water. Gink and Gasoline recalls the South Platte's trico spinner falls as some of the densest bug activity in the state, with tricos so thick on the surface anglers can scoop dozens in a single pass, a pattern that repeats each summer on this stretch. That fishability comes against a backdrop of what Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing calls one of Colorado's worst droughts on record, with snowpack readings at historic lows heading into 2026. Cutthroat Anglers frames the low water as opportunity rather than crisis: fish are grouped up and still eager, rewarding anglers willing to hike farther and downsize tippet. Expect technical, low-and-clear tactics on South Platte and Arkansas tailwaters: small nymphs, careful wading, and morning windows before pressure builds.
Green Drakes Near as Runoff Clears Colorado's Western Slope Rivers
Runoff is finally loosening its grip on Colorado's Western Slope. Crystal Fly Shop clocks the Roaring Fork at 336 cfs at Aspen and 516 cfs at Basalt, dropping fast, while the Colorado River near Glenwood Springs still runs a strong 2,640 cfs on the back end of snowmelt. Large attractor patterns are drawing strikes in that higher water, nymphing has stayed solid on Rubberleg Stones and green drake imitations, and the shop expects the real green drake emergence below Carbondale in about two weeks. The Frying Pan, by contrast, is already low, clear and cold at 110 cfs, with daily blue-winged olive hatches and PMDs starting to show, best worked with morning nymphing and light 6X tippet. Against what Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing calls one of the worst snowpack years on record, Cutthroat Anglers reports fish are grouped up and still willing for anglers ready to hike farther and fish lighter. Brown and rainbow trout dominate this week's reports; native cutthroat aren't broken out separately, so we're rating that bite by season rather than direct testimony.
Skinny Water Sharpens the Bite on South Platte and Arkansas Tailwaters
USGS gauge 06701900 has South Platte-area flows sitting at just 252 cfs this week, and that skinny water lines up with what Colorado shops have been saying all season: 2026's snowpack left tailwaters running low and clear. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing calls the current drought among the worst on record for the state, while Cutthroat Anglers' Low Water Pro Tips post argues that's not all bad news, since thinned-out flows concentrate fish into predictable seams and reward anglers willing to hike farther and downsize tippet. Midges remain the bread-and-butter here; AvidMax's fly-tying series has been turning out foam-back and tungsten midge patterns built for exactly this kind of low, clear, technical water. Mornings are also prime time for the trico spinner falls Gink and Gasoline made famous writing about the South Platte, and Trout Unlimited notes terrestrials are worth a look now that summer hoppers and ants are working their way into the current.
Colorado trout hold in cooling pockets as post-runoff flows stabilize
Our gauge on the Colorado River system logged 71°F water and 1,660 cfs early this morning, confirming what Roaring Fork and Colorado River reports have been tracking: runoff is on its back end and flows are dropping fast toward prime summer conditions, per Crystal Fly Shop. Nymphing with Rubberleg Stones and green-drake imitations is producing fish below Carbondale, while PMD and BWO patterns are working the Frying Pan's cold tailwater mornings. Cutthroat Anglers' Matt Campanella notes this historic low-water year hasn't hurt catch rates -- grouped-up fish are biting for anglers willing to hike a little further or fish a little lighter. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing frames 2026 as possibly the driest season on record for the state, a theme running through shop reports all spring. With water pushing 71°F, expect afternoon lulls and early starts to matter more than usual; check state regs on any voluntary closures before fishing through the heat of the day.
Drought-thin CO tailwaters favor early risers and light tippet
Colorado's South Platte and Arkansas tailwaters are running skinny and clear this week as the state's ongoing drought — among the worst on record, per Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing — keeps flows well below normal. Cutthroat Anglers' Matt Campanella notes that with more than 60% of the Lower 48 in some level of drought and Western snowpacks at historic lows, the fish that remain are active, grouped up, and willing to eat for anglers ready to hike a little further or fish a little lighter. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so treat local flow numbers as the word on the water rather than what's printed here. Expect trout keyed on midges early, with tricos coming on as the morning warms — AvidMax's Fly Tying Tuesday crew has been turning out foam-back and tube-midge patterns built specifically for tailwater conditions like these. Fish the low-light hours before the summer sun pushes water temps up.
Historic Drought Pushes Colorado Trout Into Prime Skinny-Water Lies
Colorado's rivers are running about as thin as most anglers have seen in years, but low water is concentrating trout rather than shutting them off. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing's Drought Update calls 2026 one of the worst snowpack years on record for the state, echoing Cutthroat Anglers' May Update on a historically bad winter runoff. Still, Cutthroat Anglers' Low Water Pro Tips note fish remain active and grouped up for anglers willing to hike farther and downsize tippet. Per Crystal Fly Shop, the Roaring Fork and mainstem Colorado River near Glenwood Springs are fishing well post-runoff on Rubberleg Stones and green-drake nymphs, with green drakes fully emerging below Carbondale within two weeks. The Frying Pan, already low and clear near Ruedi Reservoir, is holding steady on daily BWO and PMD hatches under light 6X tippet. We're seeing a compressed, early-arriving hatch calendar as a direct result of the thin flows.
South Platte Tailwater Trout Lock Onto Morning Trico Spinner Falls
Flow at USGS gauge 06701900 is holding at 252 cfs as of Tuesday afternoon, a stable read for South Platte tailwater trout right now. Gink and Gasoline's account of the South Platte trico hatch describes dense, cloud-like spinner falls in the surface film during the classic summer window — the kind of event that turns picky tailwater rainbows and browns into steady risers for an hour or two most mornings. Statewide, Cutthroat Anglers is flagging low, clear water as the defining condition of the 2026 season, advising anglers to hike farther from access points and downsize leaders to reach fish grouped up in deeper, cooler runs. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing has also been tracking one of the driest years on record for Colorado, reinforcing that low-water tactics apply broadly across South Platte and Arkansas tailwater stretches this summer. No water-temperature reading came through with this cycle's gauge data, so check conditions on arrival.
Colorado freestones drop into shape as green drakes near
Runoff is fading fast across the Roaring Fork, Crystal, and Colorado River drainages, and Crystal Fly Shop is blunt about it this week: "we are in the fishing window right now, don't wait till July this year." With water dropping out of the upper reaches near Aspen, large attractor patterns are producing well in the higher flows, and green drakes are expected to arrive below Carbondale within about two weeks. The Frying Pan, fed by cold Ruedi Reservoir releases, is already running low, clear, and cold, with daily BWO hatches and PMDs starting to show. Cutthroat Anglers (CO) is framing the historically thin snowpack as an opportunity rather than a setback, noting that remaining fish are grouped up and still willing to bite for anglers who hike a little farther or go lighter on tippet. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing (CO) confirms this is shaping up as one of the driest years on record statewide.