Freestone · Mixed · Colorado, US

Arkansas River — Browns Canyon (Buena Vista to Salida)

The Arkansas River flowing through a rocky streambed at sunset in Browns Canyon National Monument, Colorado, with pink and orange clouds reflected on the water.
Tomorrow · A proper day on the water
Sculpin Streamer
Forecast · Tomorrow
A proper day on the water
A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
75% projected
Today's fly
Sculpin Streamer
Sculpin Streamer
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp8.8°C
ClarityClearing
Weather8°C
WindN 3 km/h
Pressure1023 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Cool — slow
9°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though time of day could be better.
Likely species
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11 Uhr

12 Uhr(now) — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 40%
Also:Black Midge35%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

Peak activity at 11 Uhr — Western Blue-Winged Olive (Western Blue-Winged Olive, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Brown Trout
SD
Sex Dungeon
2-6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Colorado licence
  • Gold Medal reach
  • Verify CPW rules.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Arkansas River — Upper (Granite to Buena Vista)
44 km
80
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
South Platte — Dream Stream (Spinney to Eleven Mile)
49 km
80
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Taylor River (below Taylor Park Reservoir)
51 km
67
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Arkansas River — Bighorn Sheep & Royal Gorge (Cotopaxi to Parkdale)
52 km
81
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
South Platte — Eleven Mile Canyon
57 km
81
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The Arkansas River flowing through a rocky streambed at sunset in Browns Canyon National Monument, Colorado, with pink and orange clouds reflected on the water.
    Browns Canyon National Monument
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Arkansas River, mainstem' (COARUA03_A), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · COARUA03_A

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 84 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity75 × 12%9.0
Conditions total= 85
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts