Top 5 Colorado Rivers Fishing This Week | September 2026

The East River – Crested Butte is currently flowing at 136 cfs (normal) with a falling trend. Water Temperature: 50°F (prime). Why This Week: Flow 136 cfs (normal). Water temperature 50F. This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 42-60°F. Calm winds make indicator nymphing more effective.

Insect Activity: Flows have eased back about 5% to 136 cfs and water temp sits at a cold, prime 50°F, keeping the East River’s caddis and BWO activity dependable through the day. Look for size 16-18 Elk Hair Caddis and Sparkle Dun to draw risers in the softer current seams, while a size 18 Barr’s Emerger fished just under the surface film covers fish keying on emergers rather than fully hatched duns.

Where to Fish: Focus on the braided runs and undercut banks below Crested Butte, where the East’s freestone character creates a lot of edge water for trout to hold without fighting current. Grasshoppers are winding down but a size 10 Thunder Thighs Hopper or Hippie Stomper along the grassy cutbanks still earns eats on sunny afternoons — cast tight to the bank and let it sit. Tip: with flows down and clarity good, this is prime sight-fishing water if you slow down and spot fish before casting.

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 Gunnison River is currently flowing at 219 cfs (normal) with a falling trend. Water Temperature: 52°F (prime). Why This Week: Flow 219 cfs (normal). Water temperature 52F. This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 52-70°F. Calm winds make indicator nymphing more effective.

Insect Activity: Running gin-clear at 219 cfs with water temp a comfortable 52°F, this stretch of the Gunnison is fishing textbook fall conditions — grasshoppers and ants are still drawing eats on sunny afternoons, so a size 12 Chubby Chernobyl or Charlie Boy Hopper is a strong lead fly. Underneath, a size 16 Caddis Larva or Elk Hair Caddis covers the steady caddis activity, and a size 18 Pheasant Tail Nymph handles the rest.

Where to Fish: Work the classic riffle-run-pool structure through town and just downstream, where the current gin-clear water lets you sight-fish the tailouts and current seams. With worms and egg patterns still producing after the runoff season, don’t be afraid to drop a size 12 San Juan Worm below a hopper as a dry-dropper rig. Tip: clear water means stealthy approaches matter here — keep your profile low and your first cast count.

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 Roaring Fork River is currently flowing at 167 cfs (normal) with a rising trend. Water Temperature: 47°F (prime). Why This Week: Flow 167 cfs (normal). Water temperature 47F. This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 53-71°F. Calm winds make indicator nymphing more effective.

Insect Activity: Water has cooled further to a crisp 47°F and flows are up slightly (167 cfs, +7%), which is pushing fish to feed more aggressively through the warmer midday hours. Blue-Winged Olives remain the go-to hatch — a size 18-20 Klinkhammer Special or Sparkle Dun in the foam lines draws looks between late morning and early afternoon — and a size 10 Elk Hair Caddis still works the riffles when caddis are moving.

Where to Fish: Work the riffle-to-run transitions through the Wild Trout stretch, where the cold water keeps fish active and willing to move for a well-presented dry. A size 10 Chubby Chernobyl still draws grasshopper eats along grassy banks on warm afternoons, but don’t ignore the deeper runs — a Rainbow Warrior or size 6 Woolly Bugger swung through the slower buckets picks up the bigger browns starting to stage for fall. Tip: with water this cold, expect the bite to concentrate in the warmest hours of the day rather than first light.

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 Blue River is currently flowing at 252 cfs (normal) with a stable trend. Why This Week: Flow 252 cfs (normal). No water temperature reading. This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 49-67°F. Calm winds make indicator nymphing more effective.

Insect Activity: This tailwater’s food base is built on crustaceans and worms rather than hatches — scuds, sowbugs, and crayfish stay active year-round below Green Mountain Reservoir, so a size 16-18 Scud or Sow Bug fished deep is the foundation of the day. Add a size 22 Rojo Midge or Black Beauty as a trailer, since midges are the most consistent surface-adjacent activity on this stretch through fall.

Where to Fish: Fish the deeper runs and current seams below the dam where the steady 252 cfs release concentrates fish in predictable lies — this is nymphing water first and foremost. When the nymph bite slows, a size 6 Clouser Minnow or Bunny Leech stripped through the deeper pools can trigger a reaction strike from the tailwater’s bigger residents. Tip: temperatures fall through the afternoon here (high near 64°F, dropping toward 59°F), so layer up if you’re staying on the water past midday.

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 Fryingpan River is currently flowing at 165 cfs (normal) with a stable trend. Why This Week: Flow 165 cfs (normal). No water temperature reading. This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 52-70°F. Calm winds make indicator nymphing more effective.

Insect Activity: This tailwater’s food base never really changes with the season — mysis shrimp are still spilling out of Ruedi Reservoir daily, so a size 18 Mysis Shrimp or Will’s Epoxy Mysis pattern fished deep and slow stays the go-to. Add a size 22 Zebra Midge or Black Beauty as a dropper for the technical risers keying on the constant midge activity that defines this stretch year-round.

Where to Fish: Fish the deeper, slower runs and tailouts below the dam where mysis get pushed through the current — that’s where the biggest fish key up. Flows are holding tight in the 150-250 cfs band the Fryingpan is managed within, so wading is manageable, but long, light leaders and drag-free drifts matter more here than fly selection. Tip: this is technical water — slow down your approach and expect refusals before you get the drift right.

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