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Colorado River Fishing Report: Steady Flows, Changing Hatches, and Hungry Trout
This is Artificial Lure with your Saturday, September 6th, 2025 Colorado River fishing report. Sunrise hit around 6:35 am today, and sunset will close out just after 7:30 pm—giving you that full day of late-summer light to work those drifts and runs from first cast to last light. Weather on the river woke up cool, mid 40’s at dawn, and we’re expecting temps to top out in the upper 70s to low 80s by this afternoon. A little cloud cover may move through, but the monsoon’s mostly moved off, so expect things to warm up from here, with the river running clear after last week’s scattered storms.
Water flows on the middle and upper Colorado are good—steady and clear, a little drop from peak, and perfect for walking quietly and keeping that presentation stealthy. If you’re putting in near Parshall down towards State Bridge, or working Glenwood Springs, visibility is solid and the fish are getting wise, so finesse is the name of the game. Colorado Parks and Wildlife and local fly shops all agree: stealth equals success right now, especially as flows drop with the rolling approach of autumn.
Now, onto fish activity. This week’s bite has been busy. Earlier in the week, anglers reported a strong showing of brown trout—many in the 16-22 inch class—on streamers early and late, while mid-day produced solid numbers of rainbows chasing small dries and nymphs. The streamer action is just starting to ramp up with cooler nights signaling browns to get more aggressive. According to Taylor Creek Fly Shops in Aspen, as we head deeper into September, big meaty streamers that imitate juvenile trout and sculpins are going to be deadly, especially when tossed from a drift boat or raft along those undercut banks and ledges.
Bug-wise, the hatches are changing guard. The big stoneflies and green drakes have faded, but blue wing olives, PMDs, caddis, tricos, and a variety of midges are all coming off daily. Nymphing with small BWO and midge patterns—think size 20 and smaller—has become the go-to during most daylight hours. Hopper-dropper setups are still catching fish, especially along grassy banks near Ruedi, Parshall, and below Kremmling. Around Glenwood, evening caddis hatches and even some twilight hopper action are keeping dry fly lovers happy.
Best lures and baits right now? For trout, you can’t beat small midge and baetis nymphs under an indicator during the day. For those chasing trophies or hoping to turn a brown, pack the big streamers—black, olive, or sculpin patterns—and get ready to strip them hard. If bait’s your game and you’re targeting everything from trout to the occasional big catfish further downstream, nightcrawlers and cut bait are steady producers after dark, especially in the wider, slower bends.
Looking for hot spots? The stretch below Pumphouse to Radium has produced consistently all week, with frequent risers and some big fish lurking near the structure. The public access around Parshall and Byers Canyon is also fishing well, particularly early while the crowds are light. Don’t sleep on the Glenwood Springs confluence, where the Roaring Fork meets the Colorado—numbers of both browns and rainbows are solid, and streamer chasers are getting rewarded at first and last light.
Fish counts have stayed healthy, and a fair number of anglers are reporting half a dozen to a dozen hookups a day, with the occasional big brown making for a heart-pounding net job. If you’re targeting other species, further downstream the river is still giving up the occasional hefty smallmouth and channel cat on big baits.
Thanks for tuning in to the Colorado River fishing report—be safe, respect the resource, and don’t forget to subscribe for the latest conditions and tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
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Published on 3 months, 2 weeks ago