Colorado Tailwater
Williams Fork River Fishing Report, Flows and Hatches
An ultra-high-elevation Colorado tailwater near Parshall with extremely cold, consistent water. Technical nymphing over midges, Blue-Winged Olives, and scuds year-round, with PMDs and caddis through summer.
Tailwater
Colorado
7,810 ft
Gauge 09037500
Right now
Live conditions
The hatch chart
Williams Fork River hatch chart
The emergences that come off the Williams Fork by month, straight from the Rivus hatch model.
| Hatch | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Midge Midge, #20-22 | ||||||||||||
Blue Winged Olive Mayfly, #16-20 | ||||||||||||
Pale Morning Dun Mayfly, #16-18 | ||||||||||||
Caddisfly Caddis, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Pale Evening Dun Mayfly, #16-18 | ||||||||||||
Trico Mayfly, #18-22 | ||||||||||||
Grasshopper / Terrestrial Hopper, #10-12 | ||||||||||||
October Caddis Caddis, #6-8 |
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 Williams Fork is metered at USGS gauge 09037500. 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.