Tailwater · Mixed · Colorado, US

Blue River (below Dillon)

A partly frozen stretch of the Blue River tailwater near Silverthorne, Colorado, with forested mountains behind.
Today · A proper day on the water
Black Midge
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
Black Midge
Black Midge
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.28 m
Water temp7.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather7°C
WindN 4 km/h
Pressure1033 hPa
Rain · recent0.1 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
8°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°

A dam sets this river's temperature, not the weather, so it can shift several degrees within hours when the release changes. It also warms as it runs away from the dam.

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
Good — water clarity is working for you, but water temperature is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 10h

12h(now) — Black Midge

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 95%
Also:Western Blue-Winged Olive92%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

Peak activity at 10h — Black Midge (Black Midge, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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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 · 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
Fly box · Brown Trout
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Colorado licence
  • Gold Medal / special-regulation town water — verify CPW rules
  • Mind fragmented public/private access downstream of Silverthorne.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 1
Colorado River — Upper (Kremmling / Pumphouse / Gore Canyon)
55 km
82
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. A partly frozen stretch of the Blue River tailwater near Silverthorne, Colorado, with forested mountains behind.
    Blue River
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 69 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature42 × 28%11.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity53 × 12%6.4
Conditions total= 69
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Warmer water — toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the temperature score.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts