Colorado Fly Fishing Forecasts

Year-round staple on all CO tailwaters. Dream Stream, Cheesman, and the Frying Pan fish midges every month of the year. In winter the midge IS the hatch — fish cluster mats of larvae just subsurface or sip tiny adults in the film.

The most reliable CO hatch — spring and fall. Overcast, drizzly, cold days produce the heaviest hatches. Cheesman Canyon in October with a stormy sky can produce carpet rises. Fish become extremely selective on Baetis — size and tippet matter more than pattern.

CO-specific spring hatch most prolific on the South Platte tailwaters (Deckers, Cheesman, Dream Stream). A medium-size mahogany-colored mayfly that hatches on warm spring afternoons. Often coincides with early BWO activity.

Colorado Salmonfly runs 3–4 weeks ahead of Montana due to lower latitude and warmer runoff timing. The Arkansas (Browns Canyon, above Salida), Gunnison Gorge, and Cache la Poudre see the best hatches. Massive 2–3 inch stoneflies that drive big browns and rainbows to the surface.

Follows and overlaps the Salmonfly on every CO freestone river. Smaller but more widespread — golden stones appear on the Arkansas, Roaring Fork, Colorado River, and Poudre through June. Reliable search pattern all summer on any rocky freestone.

The signature summer hatch on every CO river. PMDs emerge in the morning through early afternoon. The spinner fall returns in the evening. Frying Pan, South Platte, and Arkansas all have prolific PMD hatches. Fish get extremely selective — carry cripples and emerger patterns.

The most anticipated CO hatch — large size-10 mayflies that send fish into a frenzy. The Frying Pan River (mid-June) is the most famous Green Drake water in Colorado. Also excellent on the Roaring Fork, upper Colorado River, and South Platte above Deckers. Timing varies by elevation — lower elevations go first.

Caddis are the reliable evening workhorse of CO summer fishing. The evening flush on the Arkansas, Roaring Fork, and Colorado River drives fish into surface frenzy. Adults skitter across the surface — match that movement for best results.

Dream Stream and Cheesman Canyon see some of the best Trico spinner falls in Colorado — tiny size 20-24 flies creating spinner mats on late-summer mornings. Fish rise deliberately and selectively. One of the most challenging and rewarding dry fly experiences in CO.

The all-day summer searching technique for CO rivers. A large foam hopper with a small nymph dropper (18–24 inches) covers both surface and subsurface feeding. High country meadow rivers (upper Arkansas, Roaring Fork above Basalt) are prime hopper water.