Tailwater · Mixed · Colorado

Blue River (below Dillon)

River Livet venue image
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The Blue below Dillon is the tailwater you can fish in your lunch break off I-70 — it runs straight through Silverthorne past the outlet malls, which is exactly as strange as it sounds.

Species

A side-water session, not the main event

Low and clear — careful approach country. Long leader, small flies, slower casts.

75% confidence in this read
Water temperature for rainbow trout
Cool — slow
5.0°Cideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
Why this score · for rainbow trout
  • Temperature2328% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity8518% weight
  • Feeding Time5013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity4512% weight
Conditions
Level
0.25 m
Water temp
5.0°C
Clarity
Clear
Air temp
17°C
Wind
NW 14 km/h
Gentle breeze
Pressure
1016 hPa
Rain · 48h
0.0 mm
No meaningful rain
Rain · ahead
0.5 mm
No meaningful rain · next 48h

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

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
Fair — water clarity is working for you, but water temperature is the limiting factor today.
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
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Pale Morning DunHatch
2
3
3
2

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

Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Colorado licence
  • Gold Medal / special-regulation town water — verify CPW rules
  • Mind fragmented public/private access downstream of Silverthorne.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
About this water

The Blue below Dillon is the tailwater you can fish in your lunch break off I-70 — it runs straight through Silverthorne past the outlet malls, which is exactly as strange as it sounds. There are big fish in here, fat on mysis shrimp flushed through the dam, but they're low-water-clear-water spooky and they've been cast at by everyone who ever pulled off the highway. Below town it gets better and more complicated, with public water tangled up in private. It's a good place to preach small flies, fine tippet and stealth, and an honest place to separate 'technically fishable' from 'actually pleasant'.

  • Mixed
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Fishing better nearby · 1