Colorado Freestone
Colorado River Fishing Report, Flows and Hatches
A big wild freestone running through canyon country from Kremmling down to Dotsero. Its late-May salmonfly hatch is the marquee event, backed by a strong fall Blue-Winged Olive and heavy brown trout that eat tight to the banks.
Freestone
Colorado
6,120 ft
Gauge 09070500
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.
When the day turns and nothing’s working, ask Eddy and change the plan.
Download Rivus
Free on the App Store. Download it today.
The hatch chart
Colorado River hatch chart
The emergences that come off the Colorado by month, straight from the Rivus hatch model.
| Hatch | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Midge Midge, #18-26 | ||||||||||||
Skwala Stonefly, #10-12 | ||||||||||||
Blue Winged Olive Mayfly, #16-20 | ||||||||||||
Salmonfly Stonefly, #4-8 | ||||||||||||
Caddisfly Caddis, #12-16 | ||||||||||||
Little Yellow Sally Stonefly, #12-14 | ||||||||||||
Golden Stonefly Stonefly, #8-10 | ||||||||||||
Pale Morning Dun Mayfly, #16-18 | ||||||||||||
Green Drake Mayfly, #10-12 | ||||||||||||
Grasshopper / Terrestrial Hopper, #8-10 | ||||||||||||
Trico Mayfly, #20-24 |
How it fishes
A Colorado freestone
A freestone river runs free off snowmelt and rain, so it swings hard with the seasons. It blows out and browns up in spring runoff, then drops and warms into summer. The hatches track the water temperature more than the calendar, so you time your trip to the flow and the thermometer.
Flow and gauge
Reading the flows
The Colorado is metered at USGS gauge 09070500. Watch the trend as much as the number: a river that is dropping and clearing fishes very differently from one that is coming up.
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.