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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?
| Water Conditions | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recently Dropped a little | The San Juan River Quality Waters below Navajo Dam ARE NOT OPEN!! At least, they are not open to anyone who is not a New Mexico resident.
If you are a resident of New Mexico, you can fish and spend time in the state parks (thanks to your governor) standard Juan fare such as Annelids, midges, BWOs, Leechs, worms, scuds, and eggs are in order. Float fishing is good with a flow at almost 900 cfs. |
Midges 18-24: Black Midge Pupa, Sidewinder Midge Pupa, Tav’s Big Mac.
BWOs: BWO Film Critic 20-22, Juan’s Sniper Baetis 20-24, Smoke Jumper Baetis 20-22, Baetis Comparadun 20-22. San Juan Worms: Red, Wine, Orange. Red and Orange Annelids. Egg Patterns. Streamers: Kreelex, Simi Seal Leech, Cheech Leech, Buggers
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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?
| Water Conditions | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coming up with rain, a little low still. | Per CPW, we are honoring a voluntary fishing end at 2pm in the afternoon. Don’t fish after if you don’t want to kill fish. Terrestrials are around and a hopper dropper is a great rig. Watch those water temps and don’t stress the fish. BWOs will start showing up soon. | Nymphs: Prince nymphs 14-18, Silver Bead Rainbow Warrior 16-18, Killer May 18-20.
Hoppers 8-12: Sweetgrass Hopper, Morrish Hopper, Peach More-or-Less Hopper, Parachute Hopper.
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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.
| Water Conditions | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coming up with rain, a little low still. | The pubic access in town looks much like a beach, so the further you get from the hot springs and downtown, the better. Get off the water by early afternoon as to not kill fish, the water is low and hot!
Watch for BWO hatches coming soon. |
Pat’s Rubberlegs, 20 Incher, Sparkle Stone, Atomic Stone, Brown Wired Stone in sizes #8-12.
Copper johns, Rainbow warrior, Micro stones, pheasant tails. Stimulators 12-14, Duranglers Peacock Caddis 14-16, Elk Hair Caddis 14-18, OCD Caddis Pupa 14-16. |
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!
| Water Conditions | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low but rain is helping | The flows are so low, the fishing will be weird and get bad as soon as the sun hits the water. Fish from sunrise until the sun hits the water in the canyon. Hopper/droppers and stonefly nymph rigs are solid | Nymphs: Pat’s Rubberlegs, ,Sparkle Stone, Trout Retreiver, 20 incher stone, Brown Wired Stone, sizes #8-12. BH Copper John, Psycho Prince, Hot Wire Prince, Prince Nymph, #14-18.
Attractor dries on the upper reaches: Small Chubbies 14-16, Wulffs, H&L Variant, Elk Hair Caddis. Moth Patterns… |
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.
| Water Conditions | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
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Steady below/Low and warmer above | The upper reaches should be fishing better with each day as fish move out of the reservoir. Fishing is good in the mornings and evenings. Dry Droppers will be a solid choice. Below the dam, flows are above 600 cfs and fishing is good close to the banks with nymph rigs and dry droppers. | Nymphs: Prince Nymphs 12-16, Brown Wired Stone 10, Copper John 12-18, Pats Rubberlegs. Pheasant Tails 16-20, Zebra Midge 18-22, SJ Worms. Tungsten CDC FB Pheasant Tail 14-16, Two Bit Hooker 16-20, Juan’s Sniper Baetis 20.
Attractor dries on the upper reaches: Small Chubbies 14-16, Wulffs, H&L Variant, Elk Hair Caddis. Moth Patterns… |
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!
| Water Conditions | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
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Steady |
Mayflies as per usual in the size 14-20 range. Hoppers too. Watch out for rattlesnakes. The Lower D can offer technical fishing, so be ready with long leaders, light tippet, and possibly small dry/dropper rigs…or throw a Sparkle Minnow and hold on… |
Mayfly Nymphs 14-20: Tav’s Fluff Baetis, Tungsten CDC FB Pheasant Tail, Two Bit Hooker, Brown Baetis Nymph. PMD Splitback Nymph. Mayfly Dries: BWO Film Critic 18-22, Smoke Jumper Baetis 18-22, Baetis Comparadun 18-22. Hoppers: Morrish Hopper, Lil Hopper Juan, Sweetgrass 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.
| Water Conditions | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| Falling/rising with rain events | Hopper droppers are the name of the game. Fall fishing is right around the corner, but there will be some good summer days left. Look for the likely holes and watch for BWOs | Nymphs: Prince nymphs 10-16, Copper Johns 12-18, Hare’s Ear, Pat’s Rubberlegs, Pheasant Tails.
Attractor dries such as chubbies, H&L, Amy’s Ant, Stimulators 12-14, Duranglers Peacock Caddis 14-16, Elk Hair Caddis 14-18, and ants and beatles!
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83 cfs(30 Mile)
259 cfs (Wagon Wheel) |
Dropping | Wade angling only right now, get out early to beat the heat. Flows are coming up with rain, but still low. BWOs will be coming soon, but Hopper droppers and streamers are also a solid option. | Nymphs: Prince nymphs 10-16, Copper Johns 12-18, Hare’s Ear, Pat’s Rubberlegs.
Smaller Chubbies #14-16, H&L, Stimulators 14-16, Duranglers Peacock Caddis 14-16, Elk Hair Caddis 14-18. Hoppers: Morrish Hopper, Lil Hopper Juan, Sweetgrass Hopper. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14.3cfs (Above Lemon)
206 cfs (Below Lemon) |
Low | Below, the Florida has been DROPPED to 10 cfs. Be sneaky and fish small dry droppers. Fish the likely pocket water. Above, small terrestrial dries with droppers. | Nymphs: Partridge and Peacock 14-16, Copper Johns 14-20, Hare’s Ear 16-18, San Juan Worms, Jigged Frenchies, Prince Nymphs in all sizes and varieties.
Dries: Chubbies, Amy’s Ant, Hippy Stomper, Morrish Hopper 10-12, Stimulators 10-14. |
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 | Dropping | Creeks are getting low, but there are still some gems to be discovered You could go check out Lime or Cascade or Hermosa…but just remember they are accessed by the road. Any amount of hiking will get you to much more interesting places. | Dries: Parachute Adams, Foam Ants, Humpys, Wulffs.
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.
| Water Conditions | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bugs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dropping | Dry droppers all day homie! Flows are dropping, but the late summer here, so get out early and fish that pocket water | Nymphs: Pickpocket, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Copper Johns, Pheasant Tails, Hare’s Ear, and Prince Nymphs, Two Bit Hooker.
Attractor dries: Small Chubbies 14-16, Wulffs, H&L Variant, Elk Hair Caddis. |
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! | Our local lakes are fishing well. Navajo is fishing well for carp and bass. Vallecito and Lemon have trout fishing, and Vallecito smallies and pike are eating. McPhee, Puett, Totten, and Pastorious are all options among a few hundred around here. High country lakes are open and starting to fish well. Hike hard, catch big cutties. | Trout: Buggers, Small Parachute Adams, Leeches, Chironomids.
Pike: EP Pike Fly, Engler’s Pike Fly. Dougie’s Perch, The Roamer Pike Fly. Bass: Olive, white, black, fire tiger colors of buggers, poppers, and steamers. Lunch Money, Low Fat Minnow, Trailer Trash Gurgler, Drop Dead Minnow. Carp: Barry’s Carp Fly, Carp Bitter, Hare’s Ear Nymph 10 |
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?
| Water Conditions | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steady | Gunnison in the late summer and the living is easy. BWOs and streamers will be on the menu soon, but should you not find rising fish, small nymph rigs and dry droppers. | BH Copper John, Psycho Prince, Prince Nymph, #14-18, Frenchie 12-14.
Mayfly Nymphs 14-20: Tav’s Fluff Baetis, Tungsten CDC FB Pheasant Tail, Killer Mayfly 16-20, Brown Baetis Nymph. BWO Splitback Nymph 18-20. |
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.
| Water Conditions | Rising/Falling | Fishing Conditions | Patterns/Bug |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steady | Flows are up and fish will be less skittish, but small mayflies are still the ticket. Small streamers may land you some stockers too! Presentation is key. | 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. RS-2 Foam Wing Emerger #20-24, Killer Mayfly #22-24, Brown Baetis Nymph #20-24 Buggers, Mini Peanut Envy, Lunch Money. |
