Freestone · Mixed · Colorado, US

Colorado River — Upper (Kremmling / Pumphouse / Gore Canyon)

A wide valley view of the Colorado River meandering below golden autumn hillsides near Kremmling, Colorado.

The upper Colorado around Kremmling — Pumphouse, the State Bridge water, the brink of Gore Canyon — is big, floatable trout water and a cornerstone of the state's identity, holding browns, rainbows and whitefish.

Today · About as good as it gets
Sculpin Streamer
Forecast · Today
About as good as it gets
On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% projected
Today's fly
Sculpin Streamer
Sculpin Streamer
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.20 m
Water temp9.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather9°C
WindN 3 km/h
Pressure1033 hPa
Rain · recent0.5 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
Cool — slow
9°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
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 9pm

12pm(now) — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 61%
Also:Black Midge45%
Peak emergence window6 food groups active

Peak activity at 9pm — Brown Dun (Brown Dun, 5 food groups active)

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

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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
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
  • CPW Quality Water; verify reach rules and watch for voluntary low-flow/temperature closures.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Eagle River (Vail to Gypsum)
52 km
83
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Blue River (below Dillon)
55 km
69
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Colorado River — Middle (State Bridge to Dotsero / Glenwood)
60 km
83
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. A wide valley view of the Colorado River meandering below golden autumn hillsides near Kremmling, Colorado.
    The Colorado River - Grand County Colorado
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The upper Colorado around Kremmling — Pumphouse, the State Bridge water, the brink of Gore Canyon — is big, floatable trout water and a cornerstone of the state's identity, holding browns, rainbows and whitefish. It's also the river most visibly squeezed by the way Colorado moves its water: diversions over the divide drop the flow, summer warms it, and recreation crowds the rest. After the June runoff it's wonderful float fishing with hoppers and attractors. In the low warm afternoons of high summer it's a river to leave alone, and a responsible app says so out loud.

  • Mixed
Conservation note

Mountain whitefish present. Sculpin/streamer ecology. Native cutthroat in upper tributaries (conservation-sensitive, prose only).

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

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Colorado River, all tributaries' (COUCUC07a_D), 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) · COUCUC07a_D

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 82 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature98 × 28%27.4
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity62 × 12%7.4
Conditions total= 82
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
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