Fly Fishing Colorado River - Glenwood Canyon

Glenwood Canyon is one of the most iconic wade fishing destinations in Colorado — a short, technical section where the Colorado River thunders through a sheer-walled canyon between Dotsero and Glenwood Springs. The Shoshone power plant discharge keeps this stretch ice-free through winter, making it one of the only places on the upper Colorado that fishes year-round. When every other section of the river is frozen or blown out, Glenwood Canyon is open.

The water here is big and heavy. The Colorado fills the canyon floor with powerful currents, deep runs, and technical boulder-strewn pocket water that demands heavy rods (6-7 weight), stout tippet, and confident wading skills. Brown trout, rainbow trout, cutbows, and mountain whitefish hold in the canyon, with fish averaging 14-18 inches and legitimate trophy potential — the heavy flows and year-round food supply grow big fish. The Gunbarrel and Shoshone reaches are the most famous water, known among Colorado anglers as premier winter destinations.

Wade access is provided by the Glenwood Canyon Recreation Path (bike path), which parallels the river and provides walk-in access throughout the canyon. Grizzly Creek rest area is the primary access point, with parking directly off I-70. The Shoshone power plant area, No Name Creek, and several other pulloffs along the canyon provide additional entry. Two Rivers Park in Glenwood Springs marks the downstream boundary. This is strictly a wade fishery — the canyon is Class III-IV whitewater and not suitable for fishing floats.

Winter fishing (November-March) is the canyon's signature season. Midges dominate, with consistent hatches from 11am to 2pm on warmer days. Small midge clusters, emergers, and larvae in sizes 18-22 are the staple patterns. BWOs appear on overcast days, especially in spring and fall. As water warms through April and May, caddis and stoneflies join the hatch calendar, and the Salmonfly emergence in late May/early June draws anglers from across the state. Summer brings PMDs, terrestrials, and continued caddis activity, while fall offers excellent BWO fishing and aggressive pre-spawn browns on streamers.

The canyon setting is dramatic — sheer granite and limestone walls rise hundreds of feet on both sides, with I-70 threading through tunnels overhead and the river roaring below. Despite the interstate proximity, the fishing experience feels wild and remote, with the canyon acoustics drowning out traffic noise in most reaches.