Fly fishing · Colorado
Colorado trout rivers: hatch charts + live conditions
12-month hatch grids, live USGS readings, top-3 fly picks for each river.
CO · Cheesman Canyon / Dream Stream · Gold Medal
South Platte River
rainbow trout · brown trout
Gold Medal water through Cheesman Canyon and the Dream Stream above Eleven Mile Reservoir. Highly technical midge and PMD fishing. Some of Colorado's largest trout. Year-round fishery.
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CO · Basalt / Ruedi · Gold Medal Tailwater
Fryingpan River
rainbow trout · brown trout
Gold Medal tailwater below Ruedi Reservoir near Basalt, with massive midge and PMD hatches. Monster rainbows in gin-clear water. One of Colorado's most technical rivers.
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CO · Salida / Buena Vista · Gold Medal
Arkansas River
rainbow trout · brown trout
Gold Medal freestone river through the Arkansas Valley. Good caddis and PMD hatches. Wade fishing below Salida is accessible. High volume during runoff, so best access is May through October.
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CO · Aspen / Glenwood · Gold Medal
Roaring Fork River
rainbow trout · brown trout
Gold Medal freestone and tailwater water through Aspen and down to Glenwood Springs. Strong PMD, caddis, and terrestrial hatches. Good access through Basalt and Carbondale.
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CO · Silverthorne / Dillon · Gold Medal Tailwater
Blue River
rainbow trout · brown trout
Gold Medal tailwater below Dillon Reservoir in Silverthorne. Heavily fished but holds large fish. Midge and BWO dominant in winter/spring; PMD and caddis in summer. Artificial-only in Gold Medal section.
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CO · Fort Collins / Poudre Canyon · Wild trout
Cache la Poudre River
brown trout · rainbow trout · brook trout
Colorado's only federally designated Wild and Scenic River. Freestone character through Poudre Canyon. Good caddis and BWO hatches. Wild brook trout in upper canyon.
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About these charts
Each river page shows a 12-row × N-column hatch grid (month × active patterns), live water temp and flow from USGS streamgages, the top 3 fly picks for the current month, and FAQ-style answers to the questions we get asked most.
Hatch timing is hand-curated from regional fly shop calendars and angler logs. Always confirm current regulations with your state authority. If something's off, tell us.
Prefer a map? See the Colorado spot map for access points and directions, or try the fly recommender.