Tailwater · Mixed · Colorado, US

Uncompahgre River (Pa-Co-Chu-Puk / Ridgway)

Uncompahgre River at Ridgway

The Uncompahgre below Ridgway Reservoir — the reach everyone calls Pa-Co-Chu-Puk — is a compact, manicured tailwater inside the state park, the kind of accessible technical water that's perfect for a half-day when the freestones are blown or frozen.

Today · A proper day on the water
Pheasant Tail
Forecast · Today
A proper day on the water
A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
90% projected
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail
Pheasant Tail
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Falling
0.59 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp8.6°C
ClarityClearing
Weather10°C
WindN 8 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead1.7 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°

We have not characterised this dam's release, so this is a general cold-release figure and could be several degrees out in either direction. Treat it as a hint, not a reading, and check locally before you fish.

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 — conditions well-balanced, with water clarity particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 95%
Also:Black Midge87%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Western Blue-Winged Olive (Western Blue-Winged Olive, Peak emergence window)

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

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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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
Western Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Pale Morning DunHatch
2
3
3
2
TricoHatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Colorado licence
  • Pa-Co-Chu-Puk special regulations (flies/lures, C&R) and Ridgway State Park access — verify CPW rules and park fees.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 1
Gunnison River — Black Canyon & Gunnison Gorge
36 km
85
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Uncompahgre River at Ridgway
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Uncompahgre below Ridgway Reservoir — the reach everyone calls Pa-Co-Chu-Puk — is a compact, manicured tailwater inside the state park, the kind of accessible technical water that's perfect for a half-day when the freestones are blown or frozen. Browns and rainbows in clear, cold, release-controlled flows, willing to look at small flies if you fish them honestly. It's tidy and busy and not wild, but it fishes year-round and it's a genuinely useful stop on the way to the bigger San Juan country around Ouray and Ridgway.

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

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Uncompahgre River, all tributaries.' (COGUUN10a_A), 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) · COGUUN10a_A

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 80 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature77 × 28%21.6
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity68 × 12%8.2
Conditions total= 81
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts