Colorado Tailwater
Taylor River Fishing Report, Flows and Hatches
A Gold Medal tailwater high in the Gunnison country. Mysis-fed browns run big and selective, and the altitude pushes every hatch later than you would expect.
Tailwater
Colorado
8,020 ft
Gauge 09110000
Right now
Live conditions
Flow
264 cfs
Water temp
57°F
Air (Tonight)
45°F
Sky / wind
Slight chance showers and thunderstorms then partly cloudy, wind 5 to 10 mph
Last updated July 14 at 8:00 PM MDT
The hatch chart
Taylor River hatches by month
The emergences that come off the Taylor by month, straight from the Rivus hatch model.
| Hatch | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Midge Midge, #18-24 | ||||||||||||
Blue Winged Olive Mayfly, #18-22 | ||||||||||||
Caddisfly Caddis, #14-16 | ||||||||||||
Pale Evening Dun Mayfly, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Green Drake Mayfly, #10-12 | ||||||||||||
Pale Morning Dun Mayfly, #16-18 | ||||||||||||
Grasshopper / Terrestrial Hopper, #8-12 | ||||||||||||
Mahogany Dun Mayfly, #14-16 |
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 Taylor is metered at USGS gauge 09110000. 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.