Podcast Episode Details
Back to Podcast Episodes
Late Summer Trout & Bass on Colorado River - Narrative Fishing Report
This is Artificial Lure with your narrative fishing report for Saturday, September 13, 2025, covering the Colorado River and its surrounds. Let’s dive right into it!
Weather this morning started off brisk, with temperatures hovering in the upper 30s before sunrise, thanks to a lingering monsoon flow. Expect clouds and sustained rain chances through today, tapering off as the weekend progresses. Highs reach the upper 70s to low 80s, so it’s a great window for anglers, but watch for fluctuating conditions and plan for cooler early hours. Sunrise hit at 6:41 AM, and sunset will be around 7:16 PM.
No tides to report this far inland, but river flows are looking seasonally steady. The Colorado River near Kremmling reported classic late-summer flows, enough to keep fish moving but not overly high or stained, according to recent updates from Rise Beyond Fly Fishing.
Fishing action has been lively. In episodes posted by regional anglers, the primary catches in recent days have been brown trout and rainbows, with several solid bass accidentally hooked as well, especially in the wider, deeper bends by midmorning. Rainbows have ranged 14 to 19 inches, with a handful touching 20. Trout are eating well in the morning and lying low by afternoon, so best results have come from the crack of dawn through midday.
The hot lures this week have been:
- Hopper/dropper rigs—think big, buggy hoppers paired with beadhead droppers in 14–18.
- Dry fly purists report terrific action on Trico and caddis imitations at first light, while later in the morning, emergers and PMDs continue to keep rods bent.
- Subsurface, scud patterns and cranefly larva have turned some of the bigger trout lurking in the runs.
For spin anglers and those after warmwater species, early fall is prime for smallmouth and occasional largemouth bass. Spinnerbaits featuring Colorado and willow blades—in copper or gold—have delivered accidental-yet-successful strikes. A few locals have reported solid bass action throwing hollow body topwater swimbaits like the GutterToad DeathWish just after sunrise in slower, weedy stretches.
Top two hotspots right now:
- The stretch below Kremmling: A consistent producer for trout, with deep pools and gently swinging riffles perfect for both dry flies and streamers. Early morning into midmorning is prime time.
- Parshall-to-Radium: This section is seeing a bug factory explosion. Whether you’re chucking hoppers, Euro nymphing below a seam, or just enjoying some streamer action with olive or black patterns, you’ll find cooperative browns and rainbows here.
Bait anglers, if allowed in your section, will see best results with worms or salmon eggs drifted quietly through deep pools, especially in the shade just after sunrise.
In summary: Get on the water early, bring a mix of topwater and nymph/streamer gear, and watch water temps—when they near 68, it’s time to give the trout a break. Expect a mix of trout and bonus bass, with active fish and shifting weather to keep things interesting as we march deeper into September.
Thanks for tuning in to this Colorado River fishing update! Don’t forget to subscribe for future reports and stay on top of your angling game. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Published on 3 months, 1 week ago