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Not sure what to bring for your trip? Well take the guesswork out of what flies you will need on our local waters with a custom fly assortment for our local rivers. Custom assembled for where and when you will be fishing!
The Quality Water section of the San Juan River below Navajo Reservoir is arguably the best trout river in the world. The San Juan offers big fish…lots of them, and you can catch them 365 days a year! Need a guide?
| CFS | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080 cfs | Steady | Flows have been bumped up and fish will be spreading out to new areas and side channels. Annelids and midges are a good bet, but we did see a good fall of carpinter ants a week ago and fishing an ant or small terrestrial would be a good choice for a dry dropper setup. | Midges 20-26: Black Midge Pupa, Sidewinder Midge Pupa, Tav’s Big Mac, Tav’s Big Mac. Griffith Gnats 16-24 as a dry.
San Juan Worms: Red, Wine, Orange. Red and Orange Annelids, and Chamois leeches. Egg Patterns. Thread Baetis, Splitback BWO, Jujubaetis, Foam Wing RS-2. Flying ant patterns 12-16. |
One of the last free-flowing rivers in the state of Colorado, the Animas is a unique and rare treasure. With the newest and one of the best Gold Medal Water sections in Colorado, the Animas is a river that should be on your list of places to fish. Need a guide?
| CFS | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2670 cfs | Dropping | Flows are finally starting to subside but can bump or dirty with rain events. Expect caddis and small stoneflies to be on the menu, with chances of PMDs in the coming weeks. | Nymph rigs with stoneflies followed by a caddis pupa is a good starter. Pat’s Rubberlegs, Wired Stonefly, 20 Incher for stones. McPhail Caddis, Caddistrophic Pupa.
With Clearing waters, have dries such as Peacock Caddis, Elk Hair Caddis, Skating Caddis, Chubbies, and Stimulators Streamers always a good option during dropping summer flows:Triple Double Rainbow, Animas River Special, Lunch Money. |
Flowing through Pagosa Springs on its way to Navajo Reservoir, the “upper” San Juan is a good freestone river with good caddis and stonefly hatches.
| CFS | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| 678 cfs | Dropping | The Float window on the Upper is here. Look for Stoneflies and Caddis to be hatching! The streamer fishing can also be good with dropping flows. | Pat’s Rubberlegs, 20 Incher, Sparkle Stone, Atomic Stone, Brown Wired Stone in sizes #8-12.
Chubbies always, Stimulators, Plopper Stone, Peacock Caddis, Elk Hair Caddis, Skating Caddis. |
Spilling out of the Weimunuche wilderness, this classic trout stream offer good dry fly opportunities and a surprising diversity of fishing opportunities and a surprising diversity of fish. Duranglers also has some outstanding guided private water on the Piedra!
| CFS | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| 460 CFS | Falling | The Pieda is starting to fish! Watch for stoneflies to be hatching this week as the river clears. Dry/dropper rigs are your best friend. | Pat’s Rubberlegs, Trout Retreiver, Sparkle Stone, Atomic Stone, Brown Wired Stone, Sofa Pillow, Chubbies in sizes #6-12.
BH Copper John, Psycho Prince, Hot Wire Prince, Prince Nymph, #14-18. |
The section below Vallecito Reservoir is bordered by private property on both sides for its entire length below the reservoir, you can only fish it if you are lucky enough to own property on it OR you take a guide trip with Duranglers! The section above the Vallecito requires a 3 mile hike into the Weminuche Wilderness.
| CFS | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| 824 cfs below Vallecito/376 cfs above | Dropping | Flows on the Pine are finally starting to drop. The upper reaches will be fishing good with dry dropper rigs. Below the dam, nymph rigs will be your friend. | Nymphs: Prince Nymphs 12-16, Brown Wired Stone 10, Copper John 12-18, Pats Rubberlegs.
Dries: Stimulators, Hippy Stomper, Parachute Adams, Gold and Peacock Chubbies 8-12.
|
The Dolores River below McPhee Reservoir doesn’t get allocated enough water to blossom into the river it should be, but still remains a good river Keep an eye on the little water it is getting and remember every drop counts!
| CFS | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| 86 cfs | Dropped! | Flows have dropped and fishing will be good! However, water clarity is off, so you may want a larger dry dropper should you find unclear waters. |
Mayfly Nymphs 16-20: Tav’s Fluff Baetis, Tungsten CDC FB Pheasant Tail, Two Bit Hooker. PMDs: Barr’s Vis-A-Dun, Split Back PMD, Pink Hairwing Dun. Hoppers: Chubbies, Morrish Hopper, Panty Dropper Hopper. |
This freestone river spills out of the high country and through a beautiful forested canyon. The limited access on the river should not be a deterent in exploring this great river.
| CFS | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| 751cfs | Dropping | Flows dropping to fishable levels. Nymph rigs and dry/droppers are working well. Look for hatches of Stoneflies and Caddis to be abounding and sporadic PMD hatches. | Prince Nymphs, Hares Ear Nymphs, Pheasant Tails, and any other of your favorite attractor nymphs.
Chubbies, Stimis, and Grillos Hippy Stomper, for dries. |
The Rio Grande is a classic western river. It is a great dry fly river with one of the best Salmonfly hatches in Colorado. The flow is partially controlled by a dam, but the many tributaries add significant flow during spring and wet weather. Need a guide?
| CFS | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1400 cfs (30 Mile)
2110 cfs (Wagon Wheel) |
Falling | Flows might still seem high…but they are much lower than they were so far this summer. Hatches of smallers stoneflies are out along with caddis and drakes in all flavors. | Sofa Pillow Norm Special, Chubbies in sizes #10-14.
Guide Chute Hare’s Ear, Green Drake Parawulff, Laser Pointer, Parachute Adams 12-14. Peacock Caddis, Elk Hair Caddis, Skating Caddis, Chubbies, and Stimulators 12-16. |
The difficult fly fishing on the Florida River will not be attractive to every angler, and beginners should take some time to hone their skills on other rivers before going there. Those who are willing to put in the necessary effort to discover its scenic wonders, as well as its secret trout holes, will be amply rewarded with much more than wild trout.
| CFS | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| 235 cfs (Above Lemon)
198 cfs (Below Lemon) |
Dropping | Fishing in the inlet of Lemon has been good with streamers trailed by a soft hackle. Watch for risers on Lemon.
Above, flows are dropping but still be a bit high in the canyon. Below, while all private, has also been fishing good with nymph rigs and the occasional streamer or dry dropper. |
Nymphs: Partridge and Peacock, Copper Johns, Hare’s Ear, San Juan Worms. Stupid Fast Caddis, tungsten golden stone.
Olive, Black, and Tan Streamers and Buggers: Lead Eye Bugger, Lunch Money, Sex Dungeon, Mini Dungeon, Dirty Hippy. Chubbies, Stimulators, and Para Madam X. |
Fishing Durango Colorado is very numerous and diverse. There is, of course, the famous San Juan River below Navajo Dam along with the larger freestone rivers like the Animas, Piedra, and Dolores. But there are also more small mountain streams than can be fished in a lifetime.
| CFS | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | Clearing up | Creeks are finally, finally starting to come around. They are starting to fish well with your favorite attractor dry (or dropper). With high waters, you won’t be able to fish entire stretches, but some will be accessable. | Dries: Hippy Stomper, Royal Wulff, Stimulator.
Nymphs: Prince Nymphs, Copper Johns, Pheasant tails, Hare’s Ears. |
Flowing out of the “hip” town of Telluride, the San Miguel is a small river/ large stream that offers some great fishing and pretty good access.
| CFS | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1110 cfs | Falling | Flows have finally dropped and we are looking at a repreive. Dry dropper rigs should be your go-to answer for this small southwest river. | Nymphs: Copper Johns, Pheasant Tails, Hare’s Ear, and Prince Nymphs, Two Bit Hooker.
Dries: Parachute Adams, Stimulators, Hippy Stomper, Chubbies 12-16. |
Our local lakes and ponds hold an abundance of trout, pike, bass, and many other species of gamefish. Need a guide?
| CFS | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Open and Warming | Lakes are full and fishing great! Navajo, Vallecito, Totten, Puett, McPhee, and Nighthorse are wide open and will be fishing good. Havaland and Electra are also good options and Andrews and Molas lakes are open. Some of the very high backcountry lakes still have quite a bit of snow and may still have ice. Expect snowfields. | Trout: Buggers, Parachute Adams, Damselflies, Chronomids.
Pike: EP Pike Fly, Engler’s Pike Fly. Barry’s Pike Bunny. Smallmouth: White heavy streamers fished on drop-offs. Poppers. Carp: Large Hare’s Ears, Barry’s Carp Fly, Carp Bitters, Cicadas. |
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison River offers one of the greatest wilderness/fishing experiences in the lower 48. The river has a good population of rainbows and brown and some of the best hatches around. Every angler should put our three-day float on their “places to fish before I die” list! Need a guide?
| CFS | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2080 cfs | Recently increased | It seems that there was more snow in the high country than our local dam operators anticipated. That is the story all over. Flows have been bumped, but still fish stoneflies and caddis. | Pat’s Rubberlegs, Trout Retreiver Nymph, Sparkle Stone, Atomic Stone, Brown Wired Stone, Sofa Pillow, Chubbies in sizes #2-8.
BH Copper John, Psycho Prince, Hot Wire Prince, Prince Nymph, #14-18. |
The newest tailwater fishery in the state. The Unc. (we like to call it) has two faces. The overly manicured part of the river is a little like fishing at Disneyland. The “wild” section is a real river.
| CFS | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| 509 cfs | Being decreased | Fishing has been good with increased flows. Worms, leeches, mayfly nymphs, and the occasional streamer are a good bet. | Midges 18-24: Sidewinder Midge Pupa, Tav’s Big Mac, Jujubee Midge. Midge Dries: Duranglers Adult Midge, CDC Biot Midge, Midge Dry.
San Juan Worms, Red, Wine, Orange. Red and Orange Annelids, and Chamois leeches. Thread Baetis, Jujubaetis. |
