Upper Colorado River

The Upper Colorado is an ideal Colorado fly fishing experience as it flows through a broad high-desert valley between Kremmling and State Bridge, then down toward Dotsero where it meets the Eagle River. It’s a big, meandering river system compared to its headwaters upstream, with wide riffles, long pools, and heavily braided sections that shift season to season. This is classic western freestone water, influenced by irrigation flows and reservoir releases upstream, which can make conditions swing from skinny and technical to surprisingly pushy depending on time of year.

This stretch is very much a mix of floating and wading water. From a boat, it fishes best when flows are up or when covering longer distances between productive seams. Wading becomes more realistic in late summer and fall when the river drops and exposes gravel bars and inside bends. Access is decent but often requires some walking or scouting, especially on the more braided sections where channels split and rejoin.

Hatches are typical Colorado freestone fare. Early season brings midges and small BWOs, followed by strong summer caddis activity and predictable terrestrial action once things warm up. Late summer into fall sees PMDs, golden stones, and the occasional hopper window that can turn a slow drift into something more interesting than it has any right to be.

It’s a river that rewards mobility and attention more than any single “secret spot.” Fish tend to sit in obvious seams, tailouts, and soft edges off faster current. The Upper C is not subtle water—it tells you where the fish should be, and usually you just have to slow down enough to listen.

Below you will find a hatch chart for the Colorado River, as provided by IdentaFly

Why choose IdentaFly?  Their mobile app will help providing the hatch chart information on the Upper Colorado, while you are on the water so you can identify what bugs may be hatching while you are fishing!