Many miles of the upper Colorado make its way through some of the most scenic areas in the entire country and can only be accessed by boat or hiking in. Large Browns and Rainbows as well as some native Colorado River Cutthroats inhabit this majestic river.

The Colorado is a great terrestrial river during the warmer Summer months when big fish are looking for a grasshopper falling from the banks. Spring and Fall are Streamer seasons on the “C”, that’s when we like to throw large double streamer rigs on 6 – 7wt rods for the big Pre-spawn Browns in fall and Rainbows in spring.

10/1/2026– October is one of our favorite times to fish the Upper Colorado. Cooler nights and crisp mornings help bring water temperatures down, trout become increasingly active, and we still have some excellent late-summer terrestrial fishing opportunities. A float trip on the Upper Colorado offers spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife viewing. As of this report the flows are fluctuating around 500 to 600 CFS due to the wet weather. Our float guides are having good days on the Colorado.

KREMMLING TO DOTSERO

Fishing: Very Good | Water: Low & Clear | Best Time: Late Morning–Afternoon

October is one of our favorite times to fish the Colorado River from Kremmling through State Bridge, Catamount and down toward Dotsero. Cooler nights have brought water temperatures down, trout are becoming increasingly active, and fall hatches combined with aggressive pre-spawn brown trout are creating some excellent opportunities.

Flows are low for this time of year, so anglers should concentrate on deeper runs, riffle transitions, banks with structure and areas where faster water funnels into deeper holding water. At the Dotsero USGS gauge, the Colorado was running approximately 625 CFS on October 1, compared with a historical October 1 median of about 1,260 CFS.

Hatches & Dry Flies

Blue-Winged Olives are the headline hatch right now. Look for BWO activity from late morning into the afternoon, with cloudy and overcast days offering the best potential for sustained surface feeding.

October caddis are also around, along with midges and lingering smaller caddis. Don’t put the dry-fly rod away for the season—some of the best BWO dry-fly fishing of the year can happen during October.

Recommended Flies

• BWO dries #16–20
• Parachute Adams #16–20
• BWO emergers #18–22
• RS2s #18–22
• Barr’s Emergers #18–20
• Pheasant Tails #16–20
• Zebra Midges #18–22
• October Caddis patterns #8–12

Streamer Fishing — Excellent

Streamer season is here. Large brown trout are becoming increasingly aggressive as we move deeper into fall and toward their spawning period.

Fish streamers tight to banks, around submerged structure, through deeper runs and along drop-offs. Olive, black, brown and natural sculpin patterns are excellent choices. Don’t be afraid to vary your retrieve—some fish will chase an aggressively stripped fly while others respond better to a slower presentation.

This is a great time of year to hunt one of the Colorado River’s larger browns.

Recommended Streamers

• Sculpins
• Sex Dungeons
• Barely Legals
• Sparkle Minnows
• Woolly Buggers
• Sculpzillas
• Olive, black and brown articulated patterns

Fishing Strategy

With lower flows and clearer water, stealth matters. Lengthen your leader, consider lighter tippet when fishing BWOs, and thoroughly work productive water before moving on.

For float anglers, lower water means you’ll want to pay particular attention to boat channels and shallow sections. Conditions can vary substantially between individual reaches.

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Good

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GLENWOOD SPRINGS TO RIFLE

Fishing: Very Good | Water: Low | Best Time: Late Morning–Afternoon

The lower Colorado from Glenwood Springs through New Castle, Silt and Rifle offers a different style of fishing and can be an excellent October option.

Immediately below Glenwood Springs, the Colorado was flowing approximately 1,190 CFS on October 1. That’s well below the historical October 1 median of roughly 2,080 CFS, according to USGS provisional data.

The lower flows make reading the river especially important. Concentrate on deeper runs, riffle edges, drop-offs, banks, structure and current seams where trout have access to both food and security.

Blue-Winged Olives

October brings excellent opportunities for BWO fishing, particularly during cloudy weather. Watch slower edges and seams for rising fish during afternoon mayfly activity.

When trout aren’t visibly rising, fishing BWO nymphs and emergers underneath can be extremely productive.

October Caddis

October caddis give anglers another reason to carry some larger dry flies. These big fall caddis are an important seasonal food source, and seeing a trout eat a large October caddis imitation on the surface is one of the highlights of fall fishing.

Streamer Fishing

This is also prime streamer season.

The Colorado River holds some impressive brown trout, and October is the time to cover water looking for aggressive fish. Work streamers along deeper banks, structure, drop-offs and the edges of faster currents.

Low-light mornings, cloudy days and periods of changing weather can be especially good times to commit to the streamer.

Nymphing

When neither dries nor streamers are producing, a nymph rig remains the most consistent option.

Try combinations of:

• Pat’s Rubber Legs #8–12
• Pheasant Tails #16–20
• BWO nymphs #18–22
• Barr’s Emergers #18–20
• RS2s #18–22
• Zebra Midges #18–22
• Caddis larvae and pupae #14–18

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Good

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IMPORTANT FALL FISHING REMINDER

Brown trout are approaching their spawning season. As October progresses, watch carefully for redds—clean, freshly disturbed gravel where trout are spawning.

Please avoid walking through redds or deliberately fishing to actively spawning trout. Give these fish room and concentrate instead on feeding trout in nearby deeper water.

OCTOBER COLORADO RIVER OUTLOOK

October is shaping up to offer a great combination of Blue-Winged Olive dry-fly fishing, October caddis, productive nymphing and exciting streamer fishing for large pre-spawn brown trout.

Cooler fall weather, beautiful colors and fewer anglers make this one of the best times of year to experience the Colorado River.

The freestone rivers of Colorado’s high country come alive each season with an incredible parade of aquatic insects. From early summer through fall, trout key in on hatches of Blue-Winged Olives, caddisflies, stoneflies, Pale Morning Duns, and Tricos, creating some of the most exciting dry-fly fishing in the Rockies. The Colorado is also famous for it’s Terrestrial fishing.

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Spring is Rainbow/Cutthroat trout spawning season. Please respect the Redds!!!

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Turbidity is the measurement of water clarity. The lower the number the better the water clarity. Rule of thumb for us guides is a number 20 or less is good.

For the best information on the Colorado near pumphouse your best bet is to call Rancho del Rio 970-653-4431.

Get the App, Get the Map.

Avenza Maps® uses your device’s built-in GPS to locate you even when you are out of range of a network or internet connection. BLUE GPS DOT follows you wherever you go so you always know where you are on the map.  Get the free Avenza PDF Map App.

Maps are highly detailed including all Federal, State, County and City public fishing access lands along with boat put-ins, take-outs, river miles, insect hatch charts and more.  Drop pins/placemarks to mark your favorite locations or fishing holes. Add notes to your pins like insect hatches, water clarity, water temperature and more. Snap photos with your camera and geo-tag to one of your pins/placemarks.

Click here to download the free Avenza PDF Map App for Iphones
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Discounted Bundles available.

After downloading and installing the free Avenza Map App, open the app, store tab, in the Location, Keywords, Activity grey search bar type FFO and enter.  You will now see all of the mobile fishing maps available for purchase and download.

GOT MAP APP?  

This GPS digital map will change your life.

• Follow the blue GPS dot to the access points!
• Drop pins on your favorite spots
• Public access are highlighted GREN.Private in RED
• Detailed locations and descriptions of all public access points
• Boat luanch locations,rapid names and float mileages.

GPS means no cell signal needed! Get the Free Map App the river maps are only $1.99 each. Blue River Map coming very soon.