Top 5 Colorado Rivers Fishing This Week | June 2026

The Arkansas River is currently flowing at 341 cfs (normal) with a falling trend. Flows are fishable today. The Verdict: Excellent Conditions This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 65-83°F. Calm winds make indicator nymphing more effective.

Insect Activity: Golden Stoneflies are wrapping up their run near Salida, but Yellow Sallies (#14-16) are picking up the slack and drawing fish to the surface through midday. Evening caddis activity is strengthening as flows drop to 341 cfs, making Elk Hair Caddis (#14-16) and LaFontaine’s Sparkle Pupa deadly from 5 PM onward. Fill in the midday lull with RS2 and Parachute Adams (#18-20) when trout key on spent PMDs in the slower runs.

Where to Fish: With flows sitting at 341 cfs—on the lower end of the optimum range—wading anglers can access productive seams along the Gold Medal section through town. Target the broken riffles upstream of the Holman Ave bridge where fish stack in aerated water during afternoon heat, then move to the deeper runs below the railroad trestle as light fades for caddis feeders. Salida trout track spent insects in foam lines with surgical precision—don’t overlook those slow surface lanes on your way to the fast water.

Gear Tip: Start with a streamer rig in softer edges. Switch to a two-fly nymph rig and a yarn indicator as flows settle. A 9-foot 5X leader with light tippet keeps the rig natural in these flows.

Presentation: Start shallow, then add weight or depth as you move into deeper runs and pockets. Use longer drifts to cover tailouts and seam water.

Regulations: Artificial flies & lures only

The Arkansas River is currently flowing at 406 cfs (normal) with a falling trend. Flows are fishable today. The Verdict: Excellent Conditions This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 75-93°F. Calm winds make indicator nymphing more effective.

Insect Activity: Big Horn Sheep Canyon is seeing strong Yellow Sally (#14-16) activity in the morning hours, with fish porpoising in the slower canyon pools between boulders. LaFontaine’s Sparkle Pupa and Elk Hair Caddis (#14-16) are the evening tickets as caddis emergence fires along the canyon walls after 6 PM. When surface action goes quiet mid-morning, nymph a Squirmy Worm trailed by a Rainbow Warrior (#16-18) to pick off the mid-column fish holding in the heavy current seams.

Where to Fish: At 406 cfs the canyon runs heavy but fishable—wade carefully along inside bends and ledge rock pockets where rainbows and browns hold out of the main push. The slot runs immediately below each major boulder garden concentrate fish and reward a Stimulator drifted drag-free on a short, accurate cast. Access is limited in the canyon so plan your wade-in at a US-50 pullout and work methodically upstream; resist the urge to cover water fast and instead commit to the obvious holding lies.

Gear Tip: Start with a streamer rig in softer edges. Switch to a two-fly nymph rig and a yarn indicator as flows settle. A 9-foot 5X leader with light tippet keeps the rig natural in these flows.

Presentation: Start shallow, then add weight or depth as you move into deeper runs and pockets. Use longer drifts to cover tailouts and seam water.

Regulations: From the confluence with the Lake Fork of the Arkansas near Leadville downstream to Parkdale at the U.S. 50 bridge crossing above the Royal…

The Clear Creek is currently flowing at 134 cfs (normal) with a rising trend. Flows are fishable today. The Verdict: Excellent Conditions This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 72-90°F. Calm winds make indicator nymphing more effective.

Insect Activity: Clear Creek’s caddis are in full swing with a strong Hydropsychidae hatch firing each afternoon and evening—Green Weenie (#14-16) and Caddis Larva fished near the bottom produce consistent takes all day. Surface action picks up as evening shade hits the canyon walls, where a LaFontaine’s Sparkle Pupa or Elk Hair Caddis (#14-16) swung lightly through a riffle draws aggressive strikes. Hare’s Ear Nymphs (#14-18) in olive and tan fill the gaps between hatches when trout aren’t visibly rising.

Where to Fish: With flows at 134 cfs and ticking upward, Clear Creek is fishing well in the canyon between Golden and Idaho Springs—look for defined bucket pools behind large boulders where trout stack during summer heat. Short-line nymphing with minimal weight is the move in tight pockets; the technical wading demands attention but rewards careful anglers with fish that run surprisingly large for a Front Range fishery. Hit the shaded east-facing banks first thing in the morning when trout are most active before afternoon temperatures build into the low 90s.

Gear Tip: Start with a streamer rig in softer edges. Switch to a two-fly nymph rig and a yarn indicator as flows settle. A 9-foot 5X leader with light tippet keeps the rig natural in these flows.

Presentation: Start shallow, then add weight or depth as you move into deeper runs and pockets. Use longer drifts to cover tailouts and seam water.

Regulations: Daily bag limit: 4 trout (in aggregate), 8 in possession. Brook trout 8 inches or less: 10 additional per day (in addition to trout…

The Colorado River is currently flowing at 165 cfs (normal) with a rising trend. Flows are fishable today. Water Temperature: 59°F (prime). The Verdict: Excellent Conditions This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 59-77°F. Calm winds make indicator nymphing more effective.

Insect Activity: Byers Canyon is fishing its best of the year right now as flows settle to 165 cfs—Yellow Sallies (#14-16) are active along the canyon walls through mid-morning, and early PMD emergers are drawing subtle sips in the flat stretches from noon to 2 PM. Sparkle Dun and Klinkhammer Special patterns (#16-18) in pale yellow match the just-starting PMD hatch precisely. When the gusting WSW canyon winds pick up in the afternoon, tie on a Stimulator (#14) or Chernobyl Ant with a Caddis Larva dropper to cover terrestrial-hungry fish pinned against the canyon walls.

Where to Fish: The canyon is tight and most efficiently fished by wading upstream through the gorge, targeting the recirculating eddies on river left where trout sit beneath undercut canyon walls. The flat glassy section entering Hot Sulfur Springs is prime PMD water in early afternoon—approach these fish low and lead them with a long, fine 5X tippet to avoid blowing up the pod. Parking is limited at both canyon ends, so an early start before 7 AM secures the most productive canyon water before other anglers arrive.

Gear Tip: Start with a streamer rig in softer edges. Switch to a two-fly nymph rig and a yarn indicator as flows settle. A 9-foot 5X leader with light tippet keeps the rig natural in these flows.

Presentation: Start shallow, then add weight or depth as you move into deeper runs and pockets. Use longer drifts to cover tailouts and seam water.

Regulations: Artificial flies & lures only; Catch and release required

The Colorado River Parshall is currently flowing at 282 cfs (normal) with a rising trend. Flows are fishable today. The Verdict: Excellent Conditions This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 59-77°F. Calm winds make indicator nymphing more effective.

Insect Activity: The Parshall section is entering peak streamer season as flows drop to 282 cfs and clearing water lets big browns key on baitfish—a Woolly Bugger or Zonker (#4-6) swung across the deeper runs is drawing aggressive takes from trophy fish. Evening caddis activity is excellent, with Elk Hair Caddis (#14-16) producing in the riffle tails as insects skitter across the surface at dusk. Yellow Sally stoneflies (#14-16) and Twenty Incher nymphs round out the daytime dry-dropper game in the broken pocket water above the TMA boundary.

Where to Fish: The Parshall Trophy Management Area is one of Colorado’s best brown trout fisheries and is fishing beautifully at current levels—wade the long gravel bars and target deep cut banks along inside bends where big browns ambush from the shadows. Streamers are most effective in the first and last two hours of daylight; mid-morning, switch to Rainbow Warrior (#16) or Hare’s Ear nymphs under an indicator in the pocket water on the upper end. The section from the SH-125 bridge downstream to the confluence holds the highest fish density and is worth the walk from the highway pullout.

Gear Tip: Start with a streamer rig in softer edges. Switch to a two-fly nymph rig and a yarn indicator as flows settle. A 9-foot 5X leader with light tippet keeps the rig natural in these flows.

Presentation: Start shallow, then add weight or depth as you move into deeper runs and pockets. Use longer drifts to cover tailouts and seam water.

Regulations: Artificial flies & lures only; Catch and release required