Freestone · Mixed · Colorado

Animas River (Durango)

Animas River (Durango) terrain map
Terrain map

The Animas is Durango's river, a snowmelt freestone that runs right through the middle of town and somehow stays a genuinely good brown-and-rainbow fishery while it does.

Species

About as good as it gets

River steady at a fishable height. About as fair as it ever gets — go properly.

90% confidence in this read
Water temperature for brown trout
Ideal
11.6°Cideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
Why this score · for brown trout
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time8013% weight
  • Pressure807% weight
  • Insect activity5912% weight
Conditions
Level
0.99 m
Water temp
11.6°C
Clarity
Clear
Air temp
25°C
Wind
S 10 km/h
Light breeze
Pressure
1015 hPa
Rain · 48h
0.0 mm
No meaningful rain
Rain · ahead
3.6 mm
Light rain · next 48h

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

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 temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Through the year
0–3 scale · June 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
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2

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

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Colorado licence
  • Gold Medal (Lightner Creek to Rivera Crossing), flies/lures only — verify CPW rules.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
About this water

The Animas is Durango's river, a snowmelt freestone that runs right through the middle of town and somehow stays a genuinely good brown-and-rainbow fishery while it does. The Gold Medal water between Lightner Creek and Rivera Crossing is flies-and-lures, urban and accessible and surprisingly productive. Runoff owns it in May and June, and the summer monsoon can turn it off-color in an afternoon; the autumn streamer-and-BWO window is the quiet gem. There's an old mining-and-water-quality story upstream that's worth a careful word and not a scare campaign. This is also the gateway to the San Juan high country, if you've got the legs for alpine cutthroat.

  • Mixed
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Other water nearby · 2