Tailwater · Sandstone · Arizona

Colorado River — Lees Ferry

The Colorado River flowing through red-rock Marble Canyon at Lees Ferry, Arizona, with the Vermilion Cliffs rising behind.
Marginal · Rainbow Trout
Sparkle Dun · 14-18
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River lifting fast on the rain. Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level2.53 mLifting fast
  • Water temp19.8°C
  • ClarityVery colouredColouring up
Today's fly
SD
Sparkle Dun14-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Rising
2.53 m
Lifting fast
Water temp19.8°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather28°C
WindSW 8 km/h
Pressure1013 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead1.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
19.8°Cideal 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 19.8°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
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 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
Rainbow Trout fly box
Local fly shops: Lees Ferry Anglers
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Open all year
  • Arizona licence required; check AZGFD reach-specific rules and the walk-in vs boat-access sections.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here at 19.8°C. Nothing cooler within range.
Gallery · 2
  1. The Colorado River flowing through red-rock Marble Canyon at Lees Ferry, Arizona, with the Vermilion Cliffs rising behind.
    Colorado River at Lees Ferry Marble Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Colorado River, from GLEN CANYON DAM to LEES FERRY' (AZ14070006-001_00), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Metals Other Than Mercury. 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) · AZ14070006-001_00

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 80%
How the 29 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature49 × 28%13.7
Flow55 × 22%12.1
Clarity45 × 18%8.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity43 × 12%5.2
Conditions total= 55
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
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