Freestone · Mixed · Colorado, US

Colorado River — Upper (Kremmling / Pumphouse / Gore Canyon)

A wide valley view of the Colorado River meandering below golden autumn hillsides near Kremmling, Colorado.

The upper Colorado around Kremmling — Pumphouse, the State Bridge water, the brink of Gore Canyon — is big, floatable trout water and a cornerstone of the state's identity, holding browns, rainbows and whitefish.

Prime · Brown Trout
Parachute Adams · 16–20
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River steady at a fishable height. On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.18 mLast reading 27 min ago
  • Water temp12.6°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams16–20
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.18 m
Last reading 27 min ago
Water temp12.6°C
ClarityClear
Weather16°C
WindSW 21 km/h
Pressure1010 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.1 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
12.6°Cideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 9pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 7 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
SD
Sex Dungeon
2–6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Colorado licence
  • CPW Quality Water; verify reach rules and watch for voluntary low-flow/temperature closures.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Gallery · 2
  1. A wide valley view of the Colorado River meandering below golden autumn hillsides near Kremmling, Colorado.
    The Colorado River - Grand County Colorado
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The upper Colorado around Kremmling — Pumphouse, the State Bridge water, the brink of Gore Canyon — is big, floatable trout water and a cornerstone of the state's identity, holding browns, rainbows and whitefish. It's also the river most visibly squeezed by the way Colorado moves its water: diversions over the divide drop the flow, summer warms it, and recreation crowds the rest. After the June runoff it's wonderful float fishing with hoppers and attractors. In the low warm afternoons of high summer it's a river to leave alone, and a responsible app says so out loud.

  • Mixed
Conservation note

Mountain whitefish present. Sculpin/streamer ecology. Native cutthroat in upper tributaries (conservation-sensitive, prose only).

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Colorado River, all tributaries' (COUCUC07a_D), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · COUCUC07a_D

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 85 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time65 × 13%8.5
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity68 × 12%8.2
Conditions total= 85
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Booking & contacts