Tailwater · Mixed · Colorado, US

Fryingpan River

The Fryingpan River flowing through a red sandstone canyon lined with trees near Basalt, Colorado.
Good · Brown Trout
RS2 · 18–22
Goodlive now
A proper day on the water
Low and clear — careful approach country. Stay small, stay accurate.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.30 mLast reading 2h ago
  • Water temp8.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
RS2
RS218–22
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.30 m
Last reading 2h ago
Water temp8.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather14°C
WindSW 20 km/h
Pressure1012 hPa
Rain · recent4.7 mm
Rain · ahead1.3 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Cool — slow
8°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°

We have not characterised this dam's release, so this is a general cold-release figure and could be several degrees out in either direction. Treat it as a hint, not a reading, and check locally before you fish.

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
Good — water clarity is right today, though time of day could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 6 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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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

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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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
Western Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Pale Morning DunHatch
2
3
3
2
TricoHatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Fly box · Brown Trout
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Colorado licence
  • Gold Medal / special-regulation water — verify CPW rules.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Eagle River (Vail to Gypsum)
33 km
84
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Colorado River — Middle (State Bridge to Dotsero / Glenwood)
38 km
84
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Roaring Fork River
48 km
74
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The Fryingpan River flowing through a red sandstone canyon lined with trees near Basalt, Colorado.
    The Fryingpan River winding below red-rock canyon walls near Basalt, Colorado.
  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 'Fryingpan River, all tributaries' (COUCRF07_C), 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) · COUCRF07_C

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 77 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature70 × 28%19.6
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity76 × 12%9.1
Conditions total= 77
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
Booking & contacts