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Colorado River Fishing Report: Trophy Trout, Stripers, and Bass Bite in Winter Wonderland
Published 2 months, 1 week ago
Description
Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to guy for fishin' the Colorado River here in Colorado. It's Sunday, January 18th, 2026, and winter's holdin' steady on the upper stretches and tailwaters, but the bite's alive if you know where to cast.
No tides on this river, but water temps are hoverin' in the mid-30s to low 40s, perfect for podded-up trout seekin' slower, deeper runs. Sunrise kicked off around 7:20 AM, sunset 'bout 5:10 PM—prime window 10 AM to 3 PM when things warm a touch. Weather's mild today per NWS SLC forecasts, light winds, partial sun, highs in the low 40s, no major storms messin' things up.
Fish activity's solid: stripers, bass, and trout are bitin' now, per that fresh Spreaker report from Jan 17. Recent catches include fair-to-good rainbows, browns, splake, smallmouth and largemouth bass, even walleye and yellow perch around spots like Jordanelle nearby. Anglers pullin' limits—6 bass any size, 4 trout, 50 perch—with trout dough baits scented garlic or corn off the bottom. Trollers haulin' in rainbows on Jakes Spin-A-Lure, Thomas Speedy Shiner, Eppinger Daredevil, or Rapala Originals at 15-25 feet.
Best lures? Nymph midges size 18-22 for picky trout, streamers for trophies on the Dream Stream and Blue Mesa tailwaters. For walleye, minnows, feather jigs, woolly buggers, tub jigs in pearl/chartreuse/glow. Bass love soft plastics, tube jigs, Ned rigs, wacky Senkos. Live bait? Corn, cheese powerbait, or minnows rule shorelines.
Hot spots: Hit the Blue River tailwaters below Dillon for nymphin' trophy browns, or Glenwood Canyon accesses for stripers and bass in deeper pools. Wade low flows careful, 4x-5x tippet, watch for ice pockets.
Stay safe, wear PFDs, check DWR app for regs—no kokanee possession till December.
Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for more reports! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
No tides on this river, but water temps are hoverin' in the mid-30s to low 40s, perfect for podded-up trout seekin' slower, deeper runs. Sunrise kicked off around 7:20 AM, sunset 'bout 5:10 PM—prime window 10 AM to 3 PM when things warm a touch. Weather's mild today per NWS SLC forecasts, light winds, partial sun, highs in the low 40s, no major storms messin' things up.
Fish activity's solid: stripers, bass, and trout are bitin' now, per that fresh Spreaker report from Jan 17. Recent catches include fair-to-good rainbows, browns, splake, smallmouth and largemouth bass, even walleye and yellow perch around spots like Jordanelle nearby. Anglers pullin' limits—6 bass any size, 4 trout, 50 perch—with trout dough baits scented garlic or corn off the bottom. Trollers haulin' in rainbows on Jakes Spin-A-Lure, Thomas Speedy Shiner, Eppinger Daredevil, or Rapala Originals at 15-25 feet.
Best lures? Nymph midges size 18-22 for picky trout, streamers for trophies on the Dream Stream and Blue Mesa tailwaters. For walleye, minnows, feather jigs, woolly buggers, tub jigs in pearl/chartreuse/glow. Bass love soft plastics, tube jigs, Ned rigs, wacky Senkos. Live bait? Corn, cheese powerbait, or minnows rule shorelines.
Hot spots: Hit the Blue River tailwaters below Dillon for nymphin' trophy browns, or Glenwood Canyon accesses for stripers and bass in deeper pools. Wade low flows careful, 4x-5x tippet, watch for ice pockets.
Stay safe, wear PFDs, check DWR app for regs—no kokanee possession till December.
Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for more reports! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI