Yampa River Fly fishing report: The Yampa River fly fishing report includes stream, hatch and weather conditions.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Tailwater
Species
Rainbow Trout
Brown Trout
Cutthroat Trout
Brook Trout
Northern Pike
Rocky Mountain Whitefish
Size
Medium
Location
North Central Colorado
Nearest Towns
Steamboat Springs
Season
Year-round
Access:
Good
Non-Resident License
State of Colorado
Seasons:
Fly fishing the Yampa River can be
good anytime.
Winter:
Trout can be taken all winter in the
tailwaters.
Spring:
Spring is good before the runoff
begins.
Summer:
The river clears up by mid July and becomes good. Late Summer can be excellent and maybe the very best time to fish.
Fall:
Early Fall is also excellent and the time large brown trout can be caught during their pre-spawn period.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 & 12 ft., 5 or 6X, Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Superb Five or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
Copyright 2013 James Marsh
Yampa River, Colorado Fishing Report – April 19, 2024 The stream is flowing near a normal level and the water is clear. Good light green midge, Little Black caddis, March Browns and Skwala stonefly hatches are taking place. Check back with us. We update the Yampa River fly fishing report often.
Stream Conditions: Rate: 1120 cfs
Level: 3.47 ft
Afternoon Water Temperature: 49 near dam
Clarity: clear
Real-time Stream Flow Data at Steamboat Springs
7 Day Weather Forecast: (click the link below for more detailed information)
Recommended Flies:
Brown Sculpin and White Belly Sculpin and Articulated streamers, size 6/4
Black Matuka and Olive Matuka Sculpin, size 4/6
Blue-winged Olives: size 16, 18 nymph, emergers, duns and spinners
Aquatic Worms, size 12, pink, red, and others
Midges: Light Green and Red (Blood) midges sizes 20/22, larva, pupa and adult. Our larva and pupa midge flies, pre-rigged in tandem, are very popular here. You can fish them under a strike indicator keeping the larva fly near the bottom. https://perfectflystore.com/product/pre-rigged-tandem-midge-larva-pupa-tippet
Skwala stoneflies, size 10, nymphs and adults
Little Black Caddis, size 18, pupa and adults
March Browns, 12/14, nymphs, emergers, duns and spinners
Fly Fishing On The Yampa River In Colorado: The Yampa River is a very diverse river with several types of water and several species of trout and other fish. There are three basic areas you can fish for trout. The upper headwater area that starts at the town of Yampa; below Stagecoach Reservoir (tailwater) and in Streamboat Springs below Lake Catamount. Much of the river flows through private property. The upper river has a good population of small cutthroat trout and brook trout. Its a small stream that is fun to fish but much of the stream above Stagecoach Reservoir flows through private property.Fly fishing the Yampa River is best in the Stagecoach Reservoir Tailwater. It has some nice size rainbows and brown trout. This is a medium size stream consisting mostly of fast pocket water. The fast pocket water is much easier to fish than the smooth sections of the river. The section below Catamount that flows through the town of Streamboat Springs has plenty of browns, rainbows, Snake River cutthroat and even a few brook trout. The river is wider in this area and slows down some. It is best fished from a drift boat although there is some public access. Fly fishing the Yampa River provides any angler the chance to catch a nice trout in a beautiful setting.Some of the water is smooth flowing and provides the trout a good opportunity to closely examine your fly. For this reason, more realistic imitations of the natural insects and other trout foods work better than the generic and attractor patterns many anglers use. Good presentations are necessary and drag-free drifts a must in the smooth sections of the stream.
Yampa River Fly Fishing Guide: Access to the Yampa River is plentiful. You can access the Yampa River about five miles upstream of Catamount Lake on County Road #18 at the Sarvis Creek State Wildlife Area. The Chuck Lewis State Wildlife Area also provides access. County Road #14 has several pull off areas for anglers to park. In Steamboat Springs. The Rotary Park off Mount Werner Road has access and so does the Fetcher Park off of Pine Grove Road. Dr. Rich Weiss Park and Little Toots Park provides additional access to the river. There is also access at the James Brown Bridge Steamboat Springs.The tailwater below Stagecoach Reservoir provides the best of the Yampa River fishing in our opinion. It is catch and release fly fishing as good as it gets. It’s only problem is that it is often crowded but in reality, that’s for a good reason. A Colorado State Parks pass is required on your vehicle. Day passes can be purchased at the parking lot. The Sarvis Creek State Wildlife Area, located about fifteen miles south of Steamboat Springs has some great public access. A Habitat Stamp is required by the state when using a State Wildlife Area. The Yampa River flows right through downtown Steamboat Springs. Don’t let the easy access fool you. It can provide excellent fly fishing opportunities. There’s over four miles of public access in town. This is all “catch and release”” water. It is possible to catch a grand slam there including rainbow, brown, cutthroat, and brook trout.
Yampa River Hatches and Trout Flies: Our information on aquatic insects is based on our stream samples of larvae and nymphs, not guess work. We base fly suggestions on imitating the most plentiful and most available insects and other foods at the particular time you are fishing. Unlike the generic fly shop trout flies, we have specific imitations of all the insects in the Yampa River and in all stages of life that are applicable to fishing. If you want to fish better, more realistic trout flies, have a much higher degree of success, give us a call. We not only will help you with selections, you will learn why, after trying Perfect Flies, 92% of the thousands of our customers will use nothing else. 1-800-594-4726. The Yampa River has some very decent aquatic insect hatches for a tailwater. Year-round, the main hatch is the mighty midge. They hatch throughout the year and in very plentiful quantities. There are red or blood midges, cream colored midges and light green midges.Keep in mind, the different sections and types of water in the river has different insects and hatches.Blue-winged Olives, consisting of several species most of which are baetis species, hatch twice in the Spring and again in the late summer, early Fall. You will find them starting in March and continuing through May. The bi-brooded insects hatch again in September and October. There are several species of stoneflies in the Yampa River. Winter stoneflies hatch from December through February. In June, you will find a few Salmonflies starting in the fast water sections of water. This is a short hatch lasting only about two weeks at any given point. Just about the time the Salmonflies are finishing up, Golden Stoneflies will begin to hatch. It last longer, usually about a month but is a larger, more dependable hatch. Little Yellow Stoneflies also begin in late June and this hatch last through July. It is much larger and all together, more productive to fish.Several species of Caddisflies are plentiful in the Yampa River. The Little Black Caddis start to hatch in late April and last about a month. Spotted Sedges, of several species, begin in June and continue to hatch through mid October. They are the most plentiful. There are Green Sedges in the fast water sections. These caddisflies hatch in July and August. Little Sister Caddis are present in some sections of the river and they hatch in July and August. There are a few October Caddis that hatch in the fast water sections in late September and October. Sculpin are very plentiful along with several types of baitfish and minnows. Streamers are very popular and work great when the skies are heavy overcast as well as early and late in the day. Terrestrial are also popular during the summer months. Ants, beetles and hopper are plentiful along most of the banks of the Yampa. Thank you for viewing our Yampa River fishing report.