Freestone · Mixed · Colorado, US

Cache la Poudre River

The Cache la Poudre River flowing through a rocky canyon lined with pines below the Colorado Front Range, with two rafters on the water.

The Poudre is Fort Collins' river and Colorado's only Wild and Scenic-designated stretch, a wild brown-and-rainbow freestone tumbling down the canyon along Highway 14 right to the edge of town.

Today · Slow going — pick your moments
Zebra Midge
Forecast · Today
Slow going — pick your moments
Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
45% projected
Today's fly
Zebra Midge
Zebra Midge
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.24 m
Lifting fast
Water temp15.3°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather20°C
WindN 14 km/h
Pressure1013 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 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
15°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
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 time of day could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
terrestrials
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Reed Smut

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 46%
Peak emergence window3 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Reed Smut (Reed Smut, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · September 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
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
SD
Sex Dungeon
2-6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Colorado licence
  • Wild Trout, catch-and-release flies/lures sections in the canyon — verify CPW rules
  • Heavy rafting corridor in summer.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 2
Big Thompson River (canyon, below Lake Estes)
28 km
83
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
St. Vrain Creek (Lyons)
49 km
0
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The Cache la Poudre River flowing through a rocky canyon lined with pines below the Colorado Front Range, with two rafters on the water.
    Rafting the Cache la Poudre River - Colorado Front Range
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Poudre is Fort Collins' river and Colorado's only Wild and Scenic-designated stretch, a wild brown-and-rainbow freestone tumbling down the canyon along Highway 14 right to the edge of town. The canyon holds genuinely wild trout in classic pocket water, with catch-and-release flies-only sections that have kept it honest. The catch is summer: this is also one of the Front Range's busiest rafting canyons, so a good fishing flow in June can mean sharing the water with a flotilla. Fish the mornings, the shoulders of the season, and the upper canyon for room.

  • Mixed
Conservation note

Greenback / Colorado River cutthroat restoration in the upper headwaters and tributaries (conservation, prose only). The canyon mainstem is a wild brown/rainbow fishery.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Cache La Poudre River, mainstem and tributaries' (COSPCP02b_B), 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) · COSPCP02b_B

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 83 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity63 × 12%7.6
Conditions total= 83
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