Tailwater · Mixed · Colorado, US

Gunnison River — Black Canyon & Gunnison Gorge

Gunnison River flowing through Black Canyon, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
Prime · Brown Trout
RS2 · 18-22
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.44 mLast reading 2h ago
  • Water temp11.1°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
RS2
RS218-22
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.44 m
Last reading 2h ago
Water temp11.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather15°C
WindNW 5 km/h
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead2.3 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
Ideal
11°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°

A dam sets this river's temperature, not the weather, so it can shift several degrees within hours when the release changes. It also warms as it runs away from the dam.

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 — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Damselflies & dragonflies
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 8 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
  • NPS Black Canyon: flies/lures only, all rainbows C&R, brown limit 4, 200-yard closure below Crystal Dam
  • BLM Gunnison Gorge has its own rules
  • VERIFY NPS + BLM + CPW regs before fishing.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 1
Uncompahgre River (Pa-Co-Chu-Puk / Ridgway)
36 km
78
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Gunnison River flowing through Black Canyon, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
    The Gunnison River winds through the sheer walls of Black Canyon and Gunnison Gorge, gold-medal trout water.
  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 'Gunnison River, all tributaries' (COGULG04a_J), 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) · COGULG04a_J

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 87 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity71 × 12%8.5
Conditions total= 87
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts