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Colorado River Fishing Report: Early Winter Tactics for Wary Trout
Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Colorado River fishing report from a local’s angle.
We’re in that classic early-winter pattern on the upper Colorado: cold nights, clear days, and steadily dropping flows. The National Weather Service Grand Junction office is calling for a dry, stable stretch with sunshine and seasonably cool temps, light winds, and no major storms on the near horizon. Warm afternoons and cold, clear nights are the deal, so expect crunchy banks at first light and ice building in the slow eddies.
Sunrise around this stretch of the Western Slope is right about 7:20 a.m., with sunset just after 4:50 p.m., giving you a short but productive window. The best bite has lined up with that late-morning warmup into mid‑afternoon as the water creeps up a degree or two.
No real tides to worry about up here, but flows are winter‑low and clear, which means spooky fish and smaller rigs. According to recent Western Colorado fly reports like Fly Guys N Lies, the Colorado has been fishing “good but technical,” with anglers sticking nice browns and a few chunky rainbows on nymphs and smaller streamers when the clouds roll through.
Recent catches in the middle and upper river have leaned heavily toward brown trout in the 12–18 inch range, with the occasional larger fish pushing 20+. Rainbows are around but more selective. Action isn’t fast and furious, but if you work methodically you’re looking at a half‑dozen to a dozen quality fish in a solid session, with the better numbers coming from the deeper winter holes and soft shelf water.
Best bets right now:
- **Flies / lures**
- Small mayfly nymphs (size 18–20) in baetis patterns, tungsten if you’re probing the buckets.
- Midge larva and pupa in red, black, and olive.
- Stonefly nymphs (size 10–14) as your point fly in deeper seams.
- Streamers: thin-profile olive or black buggers, sculpin patterns, and small articulated pieces stripped slow and low.
- **Bait (where legal)**
- Small nightcrawlers drifted just off bottom.
- Salmon eggs and single-egg imitations when the water has a slight stain.
- Always double‑check Colorado Parks and Wildlife regs for artificial‑only stretches.
Fish activity is classic winter mode: slow at dawn, picking up as the sun gets on the water and peaking early afternoon. You’ll do better downsizing tippet (5X–6X fluorocarbon), lengthening leaders, and sticking with a dead‑drift nymph rig or gentle swing. Save the big, gaudy stuff for a cloudy afternoon or just before dark.
Couple of local hot spots to put on your list:
- **Pumphouse to Radium**: That whole canyon stretch holds serious wintering browns. Work the deep ledge lines and inside bends; nymphing under an indicator with a stonefly/baetis combo has been the ticket.
- **Glenwood Canyon / below Glenwood Springs**: Where the Colorado picks up some warmth, you’ll find more active fish. Focus on the long, slow winter runs and soft banks near town, especially on those warmer bluebird afternoons.
Dress warm, rig light, and move slow; you’re hunting fewer, smarter fish, but the ones you hook will be worth the effort.
Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more river intel and lure talk.
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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Published on 2 weeks, 2 days ago