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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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1220 cfs | Steady | Flows are steady and fish have moved into numerous channels. Annelids and midges are standard, but watch for baetis below Texas Hole on cloudy days. Dry/dropper rigs with hoppers, ants, crickets, and beetles are a good idea too | 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, Juan’s Sniper Baetis, Splitback BWO, Jujubaetis, Foam Wing RS-2. Terrestrials: Morrish Hopper, Lil’ Hopper Juan, Black CFO Ant, Sweetgrass Hopper. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 360 cfs | Dropping but flucuating with rain | Flows have dropped into a fall rhythm and the wade fishing is good. Standard nymph rigs have been picking up lots of fish, but watch for hatches of caddis and BWOs. Hopper Droppers and streamers are also a good idea. | Nymph rigs with stones, caddis pupa, and mayflies. Pat’s Rubberlegs, Wired Stonefly, 20 Incher for stones. McPhail Caddis, Caddistrophic Pupa for Caddis. Rainbow Warriors, Juan’s Sniper Baetis, Killer Mayflies, Pheasant Tails.
Caddis dries such as Peacock Caddis, Elk Hair Caddis, Skating Caddis, Streamers: Triple Double Rainbow, Mini Dungeon, Cheech Leech, Lunch Money Terrestrials: Morrish Hopper, Lil’ Hopper Juan, Chubbies, Sweetgrass Hopper. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 65.1 cfs | Dropping | Flucuating with rain, but the fishing has been good…if you can avoid the tube crowd in Pagosa. Hoppers and Streamers hvae been good. Watch for hatches of BWOs and Caddis. | Pat’s Rubberlegs, 20 Incher, Sparkle Stone, Atomic Stone, Brown Wired Stone in sizes #8-12.
Stimulators, Peacock Caddis, Elk Hair Caddis, Skating Caddis. Terrestrials: Morrish Hopper, Lil’ Hopper Juan, Dave’s Hopper. Streamers: Buggers, Mini Dungeon, Josh’s Ziwi, Lunch Money. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76.4 CFS | Falling | Rain events are causing the Piedra to blow out, so if you should find chocolate water, go high. Terrestrials, small mayflies, and stonefly nymphs are good options. | Pat’s Rubberlegs, Trout Retreiver, Sparkle Stone, Atomic Stone, Brown Wired Stone, Sofa Pillow, Chubbies in sizes #12-16.
BH Copper John, Psycho Prince, Hot Wire Prince, Prince Nymph, #14-18. Pheasant Tails and BWO dries such as the Hairwing Dun and CDC Comparadun. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 609 cfs below Vallecito/53.9 cfs above | Dropping | Flows on the Pine have dropped and the fishing is good. The upper reaches will be fishing good with nymph rights and hopper/dropper rigs. Below the dam, deep run 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 10-16.
|
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78.8 cfs | Steady | Fall fishing is in full effect and it is good. Watch for mayfly hatches on overcast days where trout will be looking up. Hopper/dropper rigs is a good searching setup, but deeper runs may call for a nymph rig with mayfly nymphs |
Mayfly Nymphs 16-20: Tav’s Fluff Baetis, Tungsten CDC FB Pheasant Tail, Two Bit Hooker, Juan’s Sniper Baetis. BWOs: Barr’s Vis-A-Dun, Split Back BWO, BWO CDC Comparadun. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 153 cfs | Dropping | Right now is a fantastic time to be on the Upper Dolores. If you havea chance, get over there. Dry/dropper rights with terrestrials have been fishing great. | Prince Nymphs, Hares Ear Nymphs, Pheasant Tails, and any other of your favorite attractor nymphs.
Parachute Adams, Chubbies, Little Hopper Juan, Stimis, and Grillos Hippy Stomper, Black CFO Ant 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 136 cfs (30 Mile)
306 cfs (Wagon Wheel) |
Steady for now but will drop soon | Wade flows are here and fishing is good with hoppers, terrestrials, Caddis, and BWO dries.
The streamers bite is also starting to get strong so go huck meat brah. |
Peacock Caddis, Elk Hair Caddis, Skating Caddis, and Stimulators 12-16.
Terrestrials: Morrish Hopper, Lil’ Hopper Juan, Chubbies, Sweetgrass Hopper. BWOs: Barr’s Vis-A-Dun, Parachute Adams, BWO CDC Comparadun. Streamers: Sheila’s Sculpin, Mini Dungeon, Cheech Leech, Flash Fry, Buggers. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15.3 cfs (Above Lemon)
209 cfs (Below Lemon) |
Dropping above, steady below | Above, flows are very low and fishing will require a stealthy approach with smaller dries
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 have come around and the high country is fishing great! Cut off that dropper and fish dry, these fish want to eat on top! | Dries: Hippy Stomper, Royal Wulff, Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulators.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 130 cfs | Falling | Fall fishing on the San Miguel is here and wade fishing is good. High floating dries with a heavy dropper have been picking up the most fish. | 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 | Lakes are full and fishing great! Navajo, Vallecito, Totten, Puett, McPhee, and Nighthorse are wide open and will be fishing decent. Havaland and Electra are also good options and Andrews and Molas lakes are open. Backcountry lakes are open and the fishing is great this fall! | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 615 cfs | Being Dropped | Flows are up, but fishing is still great with mayfly and caddis nymph rigs and dry droppers. Have a few Tricos on hand. Fish will feed on top in the shade, but go deep with high sun. Don’t be afraid of the occasional streamer either. | Para Adams and Extended body BWO in #18-22, Yellow Sallies #12-14, Trico Spinner# 22, Elk Hair Caddis #16, Peacock Caddis #14-16
BH Copper John, Psycho Prince, Prince Nymph, #14-18. Sunken Trico, BWO Split Back in #20-22 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 373 cfs | Being decreased | Fall flows are here, so move slow. BWOs and PMDs have been hatching as well. | 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. Pink PMD Comparadun and Barrs PMD Vis-a-Dun 18-20. RS-2 Foam Wing Emerger #20-24, Killer Mayfly #22-24, Brown Baetis Nymph #20-24 |
