Freestone · Mixed · Colorado, US

Colorado River — Middle (State Bridge to Dotsero / Glenwood)

The Colorado River flowing through a red-rock canyon between Burns and Dotsero, Colorado, with a rail line following the bank.
Prime · Brown Trout
Parachute Adams · 16-20
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River steady at a fishable height. On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.59 mLast reading 3h ago
  • Water temp9.5°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams16-20
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.59 m
Last reading 3h ago
Water temp9.5°C
ClarityClear
Weather4°C
WindW 4 km/h
Pressure1033 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.1 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Cool — slow
9.5°Cideal 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 clarity is right today, though time of day could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11 Uhr

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 7 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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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
  • CPW Quality Water; verify reach rules and watch for voluntary low-flow/temperature closures.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 4
Eagle River (Vail to Gypsum)
11 km
70
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Roaring Fork River
24 km
73
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Fryingpan River
38 km
78
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Colorado River — Upper (Kremmling / Pumphouse / Gore Canyon)
60 km
72
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The Colorado River flowing through a red-rock canyon between Burns and Dotsero, Colorado, with a rail line following the bank.
    Colorado River
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Mountain whitefish present. Lower, warmer mainstem — thermal stress is a primary summer concern.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Colorado River, all tributaries' (COUCUC07a_D), 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) · COUCUC07a_D

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 81 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature91 × 28%25.5
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity68 × 12%8.2
Conditions total= 81
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
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
Booking & contacts