Colorado Tailwater
Arkansas River Fishing Report, Flows and Hatches
A dam tailwater running right through the city of Pueblo, cold and tolerant of winter. Its best months sit at the other end of the calendar from the freestone upstream, with daily blue-winged olive and midge hatches from fall through early spring.
Tailwater
Colorado
4,640 ft
Gauge 07099970
Right now
Live conditions
An expert read, in your pocket
Rivus knows your river right now. Live conditions, what’s hatching, and what to tie on, the moment you open it.
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The hatch chart
Arkansas River hatch chart
The emergences that come off the Arkansas by month, straight from the Rivus hatch model.
| Hatch | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Midge Midge, #20-24 | ||||||||||||
Blue Winged Olive Mayfly, #20-24 | ||||||||||||
Flying Ant / Carpenter Ant Ant, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Caddisfly Caddis, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Pale Morning Dun Mayfly, #16-18 | ||||||||||||
Terrestrial Beetle Beetle, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Grasshopper / Terrestrial Hopper, #8-12 | ||||||||||||
Trico Mayfly, #22-24 |
How it fishes
A Colorado tailwater
A tailwater runs out of the bottom of a dam, so the water comes out cold and steady all year. That stable temperature is why the bugs stay small and the hatches run like clockwork, and it is why the fish grow picky and well fed. The flip side is that the dam sets the flow, not the weather, so a release can change the river overnight. You read the gauge, not the sky.
Flow and gauge
Reading the flows
The Arkansas is metered at USGS gauge 07099970. Because a dam sets the flow, the number can change overnight with a release, so it is worth a look before you load the truck.
Access and regulations
Before you fish
Access and the right to fish are the angler’s responsibility, every time. Public access, private water, and seasonal closures vary along the river, so confirm where you can legally stand and wade before you go. We do not point you to a specific spot.
Read the current rules, license requirements, and any special-regulation water before you go. Regulations change season to season, so check them fresh.
Flow and water temperature from USGS, weather from NWS and NOAA, refreshed hourly. Real-time USGS readings are provisional and subject to revision. The hatch chart and river read are Rivus model output.