The Complete Fly Fishing Guide to Colorado: Rivers, Seasons, Hatches & License Info

Colorado is the best generalist fly fishing state in the lower 48. You can fish 9,000-foot freestones in the morning, drop down to a tailwater that runs 45°F all summer in the afternoon, and chase carp on a reservoir at sunset. This guide covers the rivers, seasons, hatches, and licensing you need to plan a trip.

The top rivers, ranked by what they're best at

• **South Platte (Cheesman Canyon, Deckers, Eleven Mile)** — the technical-tailwater classic. Small flies, long leaders, picky fish. Fishes 12 months a year.
• **Frying Pan** — gin-clear tailwater below Ruedi Reservoir. Famous mysis shrimp fishery and trophy browns.
• **Roaring Fork & Colorado (Glenwood to Rifle)** — bigger water, bigger fish, easier wading once flows drop in July.
• **Arkansas (Salida to Cañon City)** — the state's longest Gold Medal stretch and the best caddis hatch in the Rockies (mid-April to mid-May).
• **Gunnison (Black Canyon, Gunnison Gorge)** — wild trip, wild fish. Best from July through October.
• **Blue River (below Dillon)** — alpine tailwater right off I-70. Famous mysis shrimp, technical fishing, easy access.
• **Taylor River (below Taylor Park)** — tiny tailwater holding very large fish. Crowded but legendary.

When to go: the Colorado fly fishing calendar

• **March–April** — pre-runoff. Tailwaters fish well; freestones start waking up. BWO hatches on warm afternoons.
• **Mid-May through late June** — runoff. Most freestones blow out. Stick to tailwaters (Frying Pan, Blue, South Platte, Taylor).
• **July** — flows drop, hatches stack. Caddis, PMDs, Yellow Sallies, Green Drakes. Best all-around month of the year.
• **August** — terrestrials. Hoppers, ants, and beetles on every freestone. Watch for afternoon thunderstorms.
• **September–October** — BWOs and brown trout pre-spawn. Cooler water, fewer crowds, often the best dry fly fishing of the year.
• **November–February** — tailwater season. Midges, eggs, and small mayfly nymphs. Bundle up.

The Colorado hatch calendar in one paragraph

Midges all year. BWOs March–May and again September–October. Caddis mid-April to mid-May (Mother's Day caddis on the Arkansas is the headliner). PMDs and Green Drakes July. Tricos late July through August. Hoppers and terrestrials August–September. Mysis shrimp year-round on the Frying Pan, Blue, and Taylor.

Colorado fishing license: how to get one

You need a current Colorado fishing license to fish anywhere in the state if you're 16 or older.

• **Resident annual** — about $43
• **Non-resident annual** — about $103
• **1-day non-resident** — about $19 (additional days are about $7)
• **Second-rod stamp** — about $13 (lets you fish two rods at once)

Buy online from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (cpw.state.co.us), at any sporting goods store, or at most fly shops. The license is valid April 1 through March 31 of the following year — not a calendar year — so a license bought in February only covers you through March 31.

Gear notes specific to Colorado

• A 9-foot 5-weight covers 90% of situations. Add a 4-weight for tailwaters and a 6-weight if you want to throw streamers on the Colorado or Gunnison.
• Bring a thermometer. Afternoon water temps on freestones below 8,000 feet can hit the 68°F shutoff in July and August — fish the dawn shift instead.
• Felt-soled boots are legal in Colorado (unlike some neighboring states). Studs help on the Arkansas and Gunnison.

How Fish Tech helps

For every Colorado river above, Fish Tech pulls live USGS streamflow, water temperature, and a wading-safety reading, then matches current conditions to the hatch calendar above and recommends specific flies. Open the map, pick a river, and you'll know in five seconds whether to go and what to tie on.