Freestone · Mixed · Colorado, US

Conejos River (Antonito / Platoro)

A sunlit stretch of the Conejos River lined with willows and cottonwoods in southern Colorado.

The Conejos is southern Colorado's quiet classic, a freestone tumbling out of the South San Juans down through canyon and meadow toward Antonito, and it has exactly the small-water dry-fly character the famous rivers have mostly lost.

Tomorrow · Slow going — pick your moments
Pheasant Tail
Forecast · Tomorrow
Slow going — pick your moments
Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
45% projected
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail
Pheasant Tail
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Estimate
Level
Light rain recently
No gauge reading
Water temp12.1°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather16°C
WindN 12 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent2.1 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
12°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
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 12pm

12pm(now) — Mahogany Dun

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 69%
Also:Reed Smut21%
Peak emergence windowDegree-days at peak5 food groups active

Peak activity at 12pm — Mahogany Dun (Mahogany Dun, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

See what else is on the menu with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

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 special-regulation sections (flies/lures, C&R) — verify CPW rules.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 2
Rio de los Pinos (NM/CO border)
12 km
Brown trout · Cutthroat trout · Rainbow trout
Rio Brazos (Tierra Amarilla)
43 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. A sunlit stretch of the Conejos River lined with willows and cottonwoods in southern Colorado.
    Conejos River
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Conejos is southern Colorado's quiet classic, a freestone tumbling out of the South San Juans down through canyon and meadow toward Antonito, and it has exactly the small-water dry-fly character the famous rivers have mostly lost. Browns and rainbows that still eat an attractor with enthusiasm, and a fraction of the crowd. It's a post-runoff summer river — caddis, stoneflies, and hoppers once it drops and clears — with native Rio Grande cutthroat and brookies waiting up in the high tributaries for anyone willing to climb. One of the best 'Colorado without the scrum' picks in the state.

  • Mixed
Conservation note

Rio Grande cutthroat and brook trout in the high headwater tributaries above the main fishery (conservation/high-country, prose only). The Mogote reach is a brown/rainbow fishery.

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

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Conejos River, mainstem and all tributaries' (CORGAL14a_C), 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) · CORGAL14a_C

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 activity62 × 12%7.4
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