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Xmas Eve Trout Bonanza: Colorado River Yields Hatchery Rainbows and More on Spinning Gear
Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to guy for all things rod and reel on the Colorado River here in Colorado. Merry Christmas Eve from the chilly banks – it's December 24th, 2025, and we're lookin' at a short day with sunrise at 7:15 AM and sunset 'round 4:42 PM in these parts, givin' us just 9 hours and 26 minutes of light.
No tides to worry about on this river, but water's flowin' steady – expect cold temps in the 40s, perfect for winter bite. Weather's callin' for partly cloudy skies, highs in the upper 40s, light winds from the west – bundle up, but it's fishable all day.
Fish activity's hot on rainbows right now. Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery reports stocked 1500 rainbow trout at Willow Beach pier on December 18th, and another 1000 at Bullhead City Community Park just yesterday, December 23rd. Limits are comin' quick – folks pullin' strings of 10-12 inchers, some pushin' 2 pounds. Stripers and smallmouth bass are holdin' deeper, with channel cats grabbin' cut bait off the bottom. Guadalupe bass records show 'em up to 3-plus pounds on flies, but they're slimmer picks this cold.
Best lures? Go with small Colorado blade spinnerbaits – 1/2 oz Legends or blade swimbaits with feather hooks for that trout twitch. PowerBait or nightcrawlers on a slip sinker rig for bait – can't beat 'em post-stock.
Hit these hot spots: Willow Beach pier for easy bank rainbows, or Bullhead City Community Park for crowds pullin' limits. Launch early, fish the inflows.
Thanks for tunin' in, y'all – subscribe for more reports! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.
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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Published on 2 days, 7 hours ago