Podcast Episode Details

Colorado River Winter Fishing Report - Flows, Temps, and Midday Bite Windows

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Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Colorado River fishing report from a local’s perspective.

The Colorado isn’t tidal up here, so no need to play the moon—this is all about flows, water temps, and that midday winter window. Snoflo’s gauges show the river running winter-low but very fishable: around 1,400 cfs near Cameo and ticking up closer to 2,700 cfs at the Colorado–Utah line, with clear to lightly stained water. Mornings are cold, afternoons bump into the 30s and low 40s, and we’ve had a drier, milder early winter than normal, as CU Boulder researchers have been pointing out, which has kept ice shelves limited on the main stem.

Sunrise is right around 7:20 a.m., sunset a touch before 4:50 p.m., but the real bite window is late morning through mid‑afternoon. The December fly report from Rise Beyond Fly Fishing says 11 to 3 is prime on the whole corridor, and that matches what folks are seeing: slow first thing, then a nice midge-and-baetis push once the sun gets on the water.

From Kremmling down through Glenwood Springs and on to Grand Junction, it’s classic winter freestone mode. Guides are reporting solid numbers of browns and rainbows, mostly 12–18 inches, with a few bigger browns in the mix, plus the odd whitefish when you’re down deep. Nymphing has been king, with streamer eaters still showing up on the warmer afternoons; Kirks Flyshop notes the Colorado is “still fishing well even with the cold weather,” with consistent nymphing and surprisingly good streamer action.

Best bugs and rigs right now:
- Tiny **midge larva** and pupa, sizes 18–22, red, cream, black.
- **Baetis nymphs** and emergers like Juju Baetis, RS2, and Blue Poison Tung in 18–20.
- **Scuds** and small **leeches** (10–14) start to shine as you get down toward Grand Junction.
- Workhorse patterns like Hares Ears, Pheasant Tails, Copper Ribbed RS2, Thin Mints, Woolly Buggers, Pats Rubber Legs, and Dungeons are all producing according to the latest fly shop reports.

Think long leaders, 5X to the lead fly, 6X to the midge dropper, just enough weight to tick bottom in the softer inside bends and winter troughs. Indicator rigs and light Euro setups both get it done if you keep your drifts dead clean. Streamers in olive, black, or brown swung slow along the soft edges will move fish when the sun’s high and the wind lays down.

Couple of local hot spots to circle:
- **Pumphouse to Radium** near Kremmling: deep inside bends and long winter seams, classic cold‑weather structure with light crowds.
- **Grizzly Creek and Two Rivers Park** around Glenwood Springs: reliable mid‑river shelves and canyon slots that have been pumping out steady trout on midges and baetis.
- Down low, around **Connected Lakes and the Colorado near the state line**, the river’s broader and a touch warmer, with longer feeding windows and more action on scuds, leeches, and small streamers.

Midday is your friend. Sleep in, let the frost burn off, and be in position when that 11 a.m. switch flips. Move slow, fish methodically, and you’ll put plenty of Colorado River trout in the net.

Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report.

This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

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Published on 1 week ago