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Winter Woes on the Colorado: Tackling Tricky Trout in Kremmling to Glenwood
Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Colorado River fishing report.
Up here on the middle Colorado around Kremmling to Glenwood, early winter has the river in classic low, clear shape. Rise Beyond Fly Fishing’s recent Colorado River reports describe steady winter flows, very high visibility, and trout pushed into the deeper seams, drop‑offs, and tailouts. That means spooky fish, short bite windows, and technical presentations.
Sunrise along this stretch is right around 7:15 a.m., with sunset about 4:45 p.m., based on central Colorado sunrise/sunset tables. The best activity has been late morning into early afternoon once the frost burns off and water temps bump a degree or two. Think that 10:30 to 2:00 window for your prime feeding.
Weather-wise, the National Weather Service out of Pueblo is calling for typical early‑December conditions: cold nights, highs in the 30s to low 40s, light winds, and the chance of light snow in spots. Calm, overcast days are fishing best; bluebird skies make those trout even warier.
No tides to worry about here, just flow. USGS river gauges on the mainstem show stable, moderate winter cfs, enough to keep good depth in the runs but skinny along the banks. That concentrates fish, which is great if you’re accurate and quiet.
Recent catches reported by local guides and shops along the I‑70 corridor include healthy browns in the 12–18 inch range with the occasional 20‑inch class fish, plus solid rainbows mixed in. Numbers aren’t summer‑fast, but good anglers are still moving a half‑dozen to a dozen fish on a focused half day.
Best approach right now is nymphing. Following the Rise Beyond winter playbook, downsize:
- Flies: size 20–24 black, olive, or red midges; small BWO patterns; eggs and tiny worms as attractors.
- Rigs: 5X–6X tippet, light indicators, plenty of micro‑shot to get down quickly in those deeper lanes.
- Technique: short, precise drifts, minimal casting, and long pauses between adjustments.
If you’re throwing hardware, keep it subtle:
- Small 1/8–1/4 oz silver or gold spoons, worked slow and deep.
- Tiny marabou jigs in black or olive.
- Natural‑colored minnow plugs in the slower buckets at first and last light.
For bait where it’s legal, a single salmon egg, small crawler, or piece of nightcrawler drifted tight to the bottom will still pick up trout and the odd whitefish. Go small and sparse; big globs just spook fish in this clear water.
Couple of hot spots to circle:
- The Colorado near Kremmling: that upper river has classic deep winter runs and shelves, with trout stacked in the softer inside seams.
- The middle river around Glenwood Springs: confluence water and tailouts below riffles are holding mixed browns and bows, with just enough color from side creeks to give you a little cushion.
Fish slow, dress warm, and think “winter patience” – one good lane fished right will out‑perform a dozen rushed spots.
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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Published on 2 weeks, 4 days ago