Tailwater · Mixed · Arizona, US

Salt River below Stewart Mountain Dam

Rock Islands, Lower Salt River, January 2013 - panoramio
Today · Not the day for it
Czech Nymph
Forecast · Today
Not the day for it
Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
45% projected
Today's fly
Czech Nymph
Czech Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.85 m
Lifting fast
Water temp13.1°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather21°C
WindN 52 km/h
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent10.4 mm
Rain · ahead9.4 mm

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

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal
13°C est.ideal 10–18°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 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
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Damselflies & dragonflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11 Uhr

12 Uhr(now) — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 29%
Peak emergence window

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

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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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 · Rainbow Trout
Local fly shops: Lees Ferry Anglers
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Open all year; Arizona licence required (AZGFD)
  • Trout are stocked seasonally — verify the current AZGFD stocking schedule and any reach-specific rules
  • Flow is a managed Stewart Mountain Dam / SRP release, not a rainfall response
  • Heavy recreational (tubing) traffic in the warm months.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Gallery · 2
  1. Rock Islands, Lower Salt River, January 2013 - panoramio
  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 'Salt River, from Stewart Mountain Dam to VERDE RIVER' (AZ15060106A-003_00), 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) · AZ15060106A-003_00

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 82 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time65 × 13%8.5
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity59 × 12%7.1
Conditions total= 82
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