Freestone · Mixed · Colorado, US

Eagle River (Vail to Gypsum)

Eagle River (Vail to Gypsum) terrain map

The Eagle is the Vail Valley's home freestone, running the length of the I-70 corridor from Minturn down through Edwards and Wolcott to meet the Colorado at Dotsero.

Tomorrow · About as good as it gets
Orange Stimulator
Forecast · Tomorrow
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.
75% projected
Today's fly
Orange Stimulator
Orange Stimulator
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.24 m
Water temp12.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather18°C
WindN 5 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent0.9 mm
Rain · ahead0.1 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
13°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: 95%
Also:Reed Smut63%
Peak emergence window5 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 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

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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
  • Mixed public/private through the Vail corridor — verify access
  • Watch summer thermal stress on the lower river.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 4
Colorado River — Middle (State Bridge to Dotsero / Glenwood)
11 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Fryingpan River
33 km
81
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Roaring Fork River
34 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Colorado River — Upper (Kremmling / Pumphouse / Gore Canyon)
52 km
26
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
About this water

The Eagle is the Vail Valley's home freestone, running the length of the I-70 corridor from Minturn down through Edwards and Wolcott to meet the Colorado at Dotsero. It's an honest, accessible brown-and-rainbow river — caddis and stoneflies in early summer, terrestrials through the warm months — threaded with private water you have to watch for. The upper river holds up better in heat; the lower reaches near Gypsum warm and thin out by late summer. Easy to pair with the Roaring Fork and the Colorado as the cool-water alternatives when one of the three is off.

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

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Eagle River, mainstem' (COUCEA09c_C), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Temperature, Metals Other Than Mercury. 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) · COUCEA09c_C

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 81 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time45 × 13%5.9
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity58 × 12%7.0
Conditions total= 81
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