Colorado fishing reports
185 reports for Colorado — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
South Platte's Dream Stream braces for the fall brown trout push
Guides on the South Platte's Dream Stream stretch are already looking toward the fall migratory run — Colorado Trout Hunters points back to one of the best stretches of lake-run browns and rainbows they've seen in recent seasons on that water, with fish typically pushing up from the reservoir as nights cool. Statewide, 2026 has been a rough water year: Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing calls it possibly the worst drought on record for Colorado, and Cutthroat Anglers is telling anglers on low, warm rivers to carry a thermometer and stop fishing once water hits 68°F. On South Platte and Arkansas tailwaters that means mornings are the play right now, with small midge patterns like AvidMax's Chocolate Foam Back and Titan Tube Midge, plus tungsten jig nymphs for faster runs, doing the work in low, clear conditions. Expect pressure to stay lighter than normal until temperatures ease and the fall run builds.
Low, Clear Western Slope Rivers Push Trout Anglers to Fish Early
Colorado's Western Slope rivers are running historically thin this week, with the Roaring Fork sitting at 113 cfs near Aspen and just 410 cfs by Glenwood Springs, per Crystal Fly Shop's latest report — flows low enough that Colorado Parks and Wildlife has a voluntary afternoon closure in effect on the Roaring Fork from the Highway 133 bridge in Carbondale down to the Colorado River confluence, plus a full-day closure on a stretch of the Crystal River and on the Colorado River between Glenwood Springs and Rifle. Cutthroat Anglers is telling clients to carry a thermometer and stop fishing once water hits 68°F, calling 2026 a record-low water year, a read Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing echoes in ranking this drought among the worst on record for the state. The upside: fish that remain are grouped up and still eating, with Crystal Fly Shop reporting some of the season's best fishing on the cooler stretches above Carbondale. The Frying Pan below Ruedi Reservoir stays in the 40s and remains a dependable fallback.
Drought-thinned CO tailwaters reward small flies and early starts
Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing calls 2026 the worst Colorado drought on record, worse than the notable low-water years of 1975-78, 2002, 2012, 2018 and 2020 — and that scarcity is shaping how South Platte and Arkansas tailwater trout are behaving right now. Cutthroat Anglers reports fish pushed into deeper, cooler holding water as flows thin, and specifically advises anglers to stop fishing once water hits 68°F to protect stressed trout; the same shop notes fish that remain are grouped up and still willing to eat for anglers ready to hike a little farther. On the tying bench, AvidMax's midge emergers (Chocolate Foam Back, Titan Tube Midge) and jigged tungsten nymphs reflect what's working in low, clear water, while leech imitations like AvidMax's ABC Leech and the worm patterns highlighted by Gink and Gasoline give browns something substantial in deeper runs. Cutthroat anglers should look to high-country options tracked by Trout Unlimited's Colorado HALO Project.
Drought Grinds On, But CO Trout Keep Biting for Early Risers
Colorado's Western Slope rivers are running low and clear this week, and shops are adjusting tactics accordingly. Crystal Fly Shop reports the Roaring Fork sitting near 113 cfs at Aspen, 242 cfs at Basalt, and 410 cfs at Glenwood Springs, with water staying cool especially above Carbondale — CPW has enacted a daily afternoon voluntary closure on that stretch, and anglers are downsizing flies as fish push off the banks. The Crystal River is faring similarly, with the upper 30-plus miles still open and fishing well in low, clear, cold water, per the same shop. On the Frying Pan below Ruedi Reservoir, water stays in the 40s year-round, so PMD, BWO, and Green Drake hatches are firing in the afternoons — light 6X fluoro tippet is standard there. Cutthroat Anglers (CO) is reminding anglers this is a record-low water year and to stop fishing once temps hit 68°F. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing (CO) calls 2026 among the driest on record for the state.
South Platte and Arkansas tailwaters lean on midges as drought lingers
Colorado's 2026 drought is shaping every South Platte and Arkansas tailwater trip right now, and Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing puts this year among the driest on record for the state. Cutthroat Anglers is telling anglers statewide to check a thermometer and stop fishing once water hits 68°F, a rule worth carrying onto these tailwater stretches even though dam releases keep them cooler than the freestone rivers taking the worst of it. On the vise side, AvidMax's recent Fly Tying Tuesday lineup has leaned hard on midge patterns — a foam-back emerger and a tungsten tube midge among them — which tracks with what tailwater trout are keying on through low, clear water. Colorado Trout Hunters is still talking up the Dream Stream's lake-run browns and rainbows as the region's marquee fishery, though that migratory push is a spring and fall event, not an August one. Expect technical, midge-heavy fishing and fish that need careful handling in the heat.
Colorado trout retreat to cool water as historic drought bites
Colorado's trout rivers are running low, clear, and cold this week, with Crystal Fly Shop reporting the Roaring Fork down to 113 cfs at Aspen and flies sized down as fish push off the banks into deeper water. A CPW voluntary afternoon closure is in effect on the Roaring Fork from the Highway 133 bridge in Carbondale to the Colorado River confluence, and a full-day voluntary closure covers the lower Crystal River and the Colorado River between Glenwood Springs and Rifle. Cutthroat Anglers is urging anglers to carry a thermometer and stop fishing once water hits 68°F, calling this a record-low water year. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing frames 2026 as possibly the worst Colorado drought on record. On the Frying Pan below Ruedi Reservoir, water stays in the 40s and PMD, BWO, and Green Drake hatches are firing in the afternoons on light 6X tippet.
Colorado tailwater trout hold tight as drought persists
Colorado's 2026 season remains defined by drought. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing calls this year among the lowest snowpack-driven flows on record for the state, and Cutthroat Anglers echoes the theme, urging anglers to carry a thermometer and stop fishing once water hits 68°F. On the South Platte and Arkansas tailwaters, that means low, clear flows are pushing trout into tighter holding water; Cutthroat Anglers' Low Water Pro Tips note fish are "active, grouped up, and ready to bite" for anglers willing to hike farther or downsize tippet. Anglers Covey Blog, out of Colorado Springs near the Arkansas River corridor, reports the classic dog-days pattern: rivers slowing and fish going lazier through the August heat, favoring early and late sessions. No fresh gauge or buoy telemetry came through for this update, so treat flow numbers as approximate and check state gauges before heading out.
Low, Clear Tailwaters Favor Small Flies as Drought Persists
Flow at USGS gauge 06701900 is running a modest 182 cfs, consistent with what Cutthroat Anglers (CO) and Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing (CO) are both flagging as one of Colorado's leanest water years on record. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing (CO) puts 2026 among the worst droughts on record, while Cutthroat Anglers (CO) is urging anglers to carry a stream thermometer and stop fishing once water hits 68°F, since low flows push temperatures up earlier in the day. The upside, per Cutthroat Anglers (CO)'s Matt Campanella, is that fish are grouped up and still willing to eat for anglers who hike a little farther or downsize tippet. AvidMax Blog (CO)'s latest tying features, the Chocolate Foam Back and Titan Tube Midge, are built specifically for tailwater midge emergers, matching the small-fly game these clear, skinny flows are calling for right now.
Drought-stressed Colorado rivers push trout bite to dawn and tailwaters
The USGS gauge on the Colorado River is reading 73°F, well above the 68°F threshold Cutthroat Anglers flags as the point to stop fishing to protect stressed trout. It's part of a broader squeeze this year: Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing calls 2026 possibly the worst drought on record, and Crystal Fly Shop reports CPW voluntary closures already in effect on the Roaring Fork (noon-to-midnight) and Crystal River (full-day), plus a full-day closure on the Colorado River between Glenwood Springs and Rifle. Low, clear water is pushing fish off the banks and forcing smaller flies, per Crystal Fly Shop. Cutthroat Anglers notes the fish that remain are grouped up and still catchable for anglers willing to hike farther or fish lighter. Best bet right now: early mornings, tailwaters like the Frying Pan, and wrapping up before afternoon heat peaks.
South Platte, Arkansas tailwaters shift to early/late bite amid drought
Colorado's South Platte and Arkansas tailwaters are fishing through what Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing (CO) calls one of the worst droughts on record, and it's compressing the bite window. Cutthroat Anglers (CO) is reinforcing the standard advice to stop fishing once water hits 68°F, a mark arriving earlier in the day than typical for late August. Anglers Covey Blog (CO), guiding out of Colorado Springs near the Arkansas River drainage, describes the classic 'dog days' slowdown right on cue: rivers running slower, fish going lazier, activity concentrating into cool mornings and evenings. There's a brighter thread too — Colorado Trout Hunters reports the Dream Stream stretch of the South Platte produced one of its best migratory brown trout runs in recent memory this past year, which sets up real interest once fall temperatures start pulling the system down. For now, plan around early starts, carry a thermometer, and be ready to walk away from stressed water by midday.
Tailwater midges hold steady as Colorado's drought squeezes freestones
USGS gauge 06701900 is holding a steady 139 cfs as of Wednesday morning, and Colorado's dam-controlled trout water is settling into a classic August pattern: cool, stable releases while everything else in the state bakes. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing calls the 2026 drought among the worst on record for Colorado, and Cutthroat Anglers is reinforcing hoot-owl discipline on freestone rivers, urging anglers to carry a thermometer and quit once water hits 68°F. Tailwaters like the South Platte and Arkansas are the beneficiaries of that stress right now, staying colder and clearer than freestones taking voluntary afternoon closures elsewhere in the state. AvidMax Blog's latest tying features, the Chocolate Foam Back and Titan Tube Midge, point straight at the bread-and-butter approach here: small midge patterns fished deep and slow. Anglers Covey Blog notes the "dog days" pace has settled over Colorado Springs-area water, so expect a technical, workmanlike bite rather than blow-up action. Fish early, fish small, and fish deep.
Drought Drops Colorado Rivers Low as Trout Bite Shifts to Mornings
The Roaring Fork is running low and clear at 113 cfs near Aspen's Jaffe Park and 410 cfs at Glenwood Springs, with flies sizing down as fish push off the banks into faster water, per Crystal Fly Shop. It's part of a statewide pattern: Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing calls the 2026 season possibly Colorado's worst drought on record, with snowpack below even the historic 1975-78 lows, and Cutthroat Anglers is telling anglers to carry a stream thermometer and stop fishing once water hits 68°F. CPW-enacted voluntary closures are now in effect on stretches of the Roaring Fork, Crystal, and Colorado Rivers, per Crystal Fly Shop, while the tailwater Frying Pan stays cold in the 40s below Ruedi Reservoir, keeping PMD, BWO, and Green Drake hatches firing into the afternoon. Trout remain active but grouped up in the remaining deep, cool water — Cutthroat Anglers' low-water tips favor hiking farther for concentrated fish over working closed water.