Fly Fishing Report for the Colorado River, Colorado
Type of Stream
Freestone
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.
Species
Brown Trout
Rainbow Trout
Cutthroat Trout
Brook Trout
(Wild Trout)
Size
Small to Large
Location
Central/Western Colorado
Nearest Towns
Kremmling
Glenwood Springs
Season
Year-round
Access:
Fair
Non-Resident License
State of Colorado
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Fly Fishing Gear & Trout Flies
Stream Flow Data:
Real Time USGS Data (Kremmling)
Seasons:
Although trout can be caught year-round, fly fishing the Arkansas River during wintertime provides tough fishing conditions for most of
the river.
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
Colorado River Fly Fishing Report – November 14, 2024
Good conditions exist. The stream is flowing near a normal level and the water is clear. Good hatches continue to come off. Check back with us often as we update the Colorado River fishing report often.
Rate: 532 cfs
Level: 4.25 ft
Afternoon Water Temperature: 58
Clarity: clear
USGS Real-Time Stream Flow Data at Kremmling
7 Day Weather Forecast: (click the link below for more detailed information) Kremmling
Recommended Flies:
Midges: Cream 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
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, nymphs, emergers, duns, spinners
Dark Red Quills: 14, nymphs, emergers, duns and spinners
Spotted Sedge Caddis; size 14/16, larva, pupa and adults
Little Sister Caddis, size 18, pupa and adults
Perfect Flies are designed and tied to to imitate and behave like the natural foods the trout rely on to survive as much as possible. The more your fly looks like and moves through and on the surface of the water like the real things, the higher your odds of success.
Fly Fishing On The Colorado River In Colorado: Fly fishing the Colorado River in Colorado, varies greatly from section to section. The beautiful alpine meadows of the Colorado River headwaters in Rocky Mountains National Park doesn’t resemble the Colorado river in the central part of the state, or the lower Colorado River near the Utah state line. There are many tributary streams contributing to the flow throughout its journey through Colorado. There are other sections of the Colorado River outside of the state of Colorado where the river can be fished for trout. Those are included in separate sections of our site. Inside Colorado, the Colorado River is a great trout fishery. Trout exist in the entire length of the river within the state’s boundaries. It is all a freestone fishery. There are no dams on the Colorado in the state of Colorado. Rainbow trout grow to large sizes. Browns can be huge and exist throughout much of its waters. There are also populations of cutthroat and brook trout. There are various types of water in the River depending on where you are fishing. It is a large river that gets larger in size and flows the further west you fish it. The size of the Colorado River, as stated to the left, is the best description of the river within the state of Colorado we can provide because it grows from a very small stream where it begins in Rocky Mountains National Park, to a large river over a hundred feet wide in the western part of the state. Many small and several large tributary streams increase the size along its way westward. The upper section of the river flows through several reservoirs. Even though much of it flows through private property, from its upper section to Kremmling you will find several places you can access the river.Many areas, especially around Hot Sulphur Springs, provide good wading opportunities. Probably the best section to wade is from the Fraser River confluence near Granby downstream Kremmling. Numerous pulloffs and exits along state Route #40 provide access to this section. There are long riffles and runs in this section of the stream which averages about 50 feet in width. Most of the water is moderate flows and easy to wade. Near Hot Sulphur Springs, Byers Canyon offers much faster flowing pocket water. Westward of Kremmling, the river receives water from one of its largest tributaries, the Blue River. That increase the size of the Colorado to the point that floating the river becomes the primary option and the only option in many places. There are numerous boat launches along the river and access is easy. The river can be swift in areas and caution is needed if you attempt to float this section of the river without an experienced person at the oars. Certain areas cannot be safely floated. There is some wading opportunities at the boat launches but other than that, wading is limited. State Route #1 follows this section of the river along with the Colorado River Road. It generally follows the river from Kremmling to Dolsero but access points along it are few and far between. Route #70 follows the Colorado from Dotsero through the Glenwood Canyon. There are some very good fly fishing opportunities in this section but the water is usually too deep to wade. There are also some boat launch ramps in this section.It is important to check the water flows and levels in the lower section of the Colorado River. It is often high and off color. The USGS link on your left should give you a good idea of the flows.
Fly Fishing Guide to the Colorado River:The methods and techniques used for fly fishing the Colorado River are as diversified and the river itself. It strictly depends on where you are fishing the river. The methods and techniques used to fly fish the Colorado River strictly depends on where you are fishing the river. The size of the stream and the type of water varies considerably from its headwaters to the western state line.The upper river is inside the Rocky Mountains National Park. It is a typical small stream that starts in the Kawuneechee Valley. Shadow Mountain Lake impounds the river about fifteen miles from its start. The stream is accessible inside and just outside the park at several locations. The stream is mostly shallow riffles with some deep undercut banks with plenty of brown, rainbow and brook trout. It is a good place for beginners to fish. The Fraser River joins the Colorado near Grandby and the stream becomes larger. A little impoundment collects water from both the Fraser and the Colorado river which is transported to the east slope through the Big Thompson Project. From Windy Gap to the Troublesome Creek confluence the river is deemed Gold Metal Water by the state. Grandby it flows through ranch land except for the Byers Canyon area located near Hot Sulphur Springs. In this area, called the Middle Park, the river parallels US highway 40 to Kremmling. The Blue River joins in the flow near Kremmling and the river gets larger and faster and flows through Gore Canyon. In this area the popular Elktrout Lodge has five miles of private water on the Colorado and a couple of miles on the Blue River. They offer package deals including lodging.Except during the spring runoff, the water can be floated from the downstream end of the Gore Canyon to Dotsero. Runoff usually ends around the first or second week of July. The river flows though a lot of private land in this area. Below Dotsero the river goes into the Glenwood Canyon. This area is basically just too rough to fish although there are a couple of places the river can be accessed and fished.By the time the river get to Glenwood Springs it is large and quite deep. The Roaring Fork River adds to its flow. Below Glenwood Springs the river flows through a large valley.
Colorado 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 Blue 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. Since the river changes elevations drastically and since it flows across much of the state of Colorado, you can expect the dates of aquatic insects hatches to vary considerably depending on the location. A good selection of streamers is a good start.The first of April until mid May brings on the first Blue-winged Olive hatches. They hatch again from about the middle of August until mid October. If you are fishing the Colorado River during these dates, it will pay you to have imitations of the BWOs. Several fast water areas have huge Salmonfly hatches. Most of them have Golden Stonefly hatches. Sometimes these hatches conflict with the spring runoff and the water is still high but they are fishable for the most part. They start about the first of June and hatch until the end of August depending on where you are fishing the river. There is also several areas Little Yellow Stoneflies and Little Brown Stoneflies hatch. Don’t forget imitations of these stoneflies if you fish during that time period. The slower moving, smoother water sections of the river have Trico hatches that start about the middle of July and last into October. Several areas, more particularly along the lower end of the river, have the Trico hatches. This may be your only opportunity to fish a hatch so be certain to have plenty of imitations of all the stages of this little mayfly. Other than the BWOs, the Pale Morning Dun is the most consistent mayfly hatch. They hatch from the middle of June to the middle of August in most areas of the river, including the Rocky Mountains National Park. Dark Red Quills hatch in many sections of the river. They start around the first of July and last until the end of August depending on the location on the river. Caddisflies are very important insects to imitate on the Colorado. There are several species. One of the first is the Little Black Caddis (Brachcentrus species) called the mothers day hatch. It starts towards the end of April and last until near the end of May depending on the location. Green Sedges, the larva of which is called the Rock Worm, are plentiful in the fast water areas. They hatch from about the middle of May through July depending on the location. The most plentiful caddisflies are the spotted sedges. There are several species that start hatching in May and last through September. Others are the Short-horned Sedges, little black caddisflies that hatch in May and June and Little Sister Caddisflies that hatch in July and August. There are other less important species that hatch in isolated areas of the Colorado River.In some areas of the river you will find populations of scuds. Imitations of these crustaceans may be your best choice in some areas at certain times of the year. As with most any trout stream, the Colorado River has a huge population of midges. Although they hatch throughout the year, midges may be your best opportunity during cold weather. Terrestrial insects become important around the first of June in some areas. You would want to have imitations of Japanese beetles, Carpenter ants, flying ants and grasshoppers along with you if you fish the river anytime from the first of June until the first of October. Be sure to check out our “Perfect Flies”. We have specific imitations of everything the trout eat in the Colorado River. We feel certain it will be to your advantage to use them. They are the most realistic and effective flies you can purchase. Thank you for viewing our Colorado River fishing report.