Fly Fishing Gunnison River - Above Blue Mesa

Overview

The Gunnison River below the US 50 bridge flows through open valley country toward Blue Mesa Reservoir. Cottonwood banks, gravel-bottomed riffles, long glides and deeper bends provide varied habitat for brown and rainbow trout. Grassy cutbanks and slower current edges offer smaller feeding lanes within this broader freestone channel.

Valley-River Presentations

A dry-dropper can cover a riffle edge or undercut bank, with the dropper’s depth adjusted to the lie. A nymph can reach a deeper run, while a streamer offers another way to search bankside structure. Watch the current and feeding activity before choosing the cast rather than treating the whole section as uniform water.

Caddis and blue-winged olives provide spring fly choices, followed by summer pale morning duns and yellow sallies. Hoppers and other terrestrials add options along grassy banks. In fall, blue-winged olives and midges offer smaller-fly presentations against the setting of golden cottonwoods.

Snowmelt changes the river’s depth and clarity, and reservoir influence becomes more apparent toward the lower end. The combination of open valley views, cottonwoods and meandering trout water defines this approach to Blue Mesa.

Access

Neversink has public parking off US 50, about five miles west of Gunnison. From the parking area, the Neversink Trail follows the north bank through cottonwoods along the river. The National Park Service fishing guide identifies Neversink within this US 50 bridge-to-Blue Mesa fishing section.