Freestone · Mixed · Colorado

Arkansas River — Bighorn Sheep & Royal Gorge (Cotopaxi to Parkdale)

Rocky canyon stretch of the Arkansas River in Royal Gorge, Colorado, with whitewater rapids breaking over boulders.
Poor · Rainbow Trout
Parachute Adams · 12-18
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
Low and clear — careful approach country. A morning for the obvious fish only.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.71 mLast reading 13h ago
  • Water temp22.2°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams12-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Falling
0.71 m
Last reading 13h ago
Water temp22.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather25°C
WindE 14 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
22°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow 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
Water at 22.2°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills brown trout. Do not fish for them today.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July 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
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2
American March BrownHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Colorado licence
  • Gold Medal reach (down to the US-50 bridge at Parkdale)
  • Verify CPW rules.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 22°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. Rocky canyon stretch of the Arkansas River in Royal Gorge, Colorado, with whitewater rapids breaking over boulders.
    Arkansas River (Royal Gorge, west of Canon City, Colorado, USA) 4
  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, all tributaries. Newlin Creek, Mineral Creek, Adobe Creek, and Oak Creek, mainstems and all tributares' (COARUA14e_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) · COARUA14e_A

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 15 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature9 × 28%2.5
Flow95 × 22%20.9
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time85 × 13%11.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity60 × 12%7.2
Limiting factor: Water temperature (22.2°C) is outside Rainbow Trout's preferred range (10–18°C)= 62
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–18 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts