Artificial Lure here with your Wednesday, October 29, 2025, Colorado River fishing report. The skies are mostly clear and we’re looking at a daytime high around the mid-60s today. Overnight temps dipped into the low 30s, so expect a crisp start. There’s a slight southern breeze picking up, but overall, it’s prime autumn weather for working the water. If you’re heading out early, bring a thermos—it’s chilly at dawn, but warms up nicely by late morning.
Sunrise hit at 7:23 AM and sunset will roll in at 6:05 PM—giving you a good nearly 11-hour window for casts and tight lines. Tides aren’t a factor here on the upper Colorado yourself, but if you’re fishing the lower Colorado River reservoirs, like Lake Havasu, you’ll notice fluctuating flows based on scheduled water release—expect mid-morning and mid-afternoon lifts which usually get fish active, especially around cover and deeper structure.
Fish activity has been picking up with these colder nights and consistent flows. Reports from Lake Havasu, a Colorado River hotspot, say the bass bite is on. Largemouth and smallmouth are feeding steady, with most fish in the 2-4 lb range for largemouth and 1-3 lb for smallmouth. Trophy size is always possible in these waters—keep an eye on brush, cattail coves, and those submerged structures. Havasu’s Copper Canyon and Steamboat Cove have both lit up in the last week, often seeing good numbers on jerkbaits and swimbaits according to Desert Vegas Fishing. Folks hitting the Bill Williams River arm and Tire Reef also reported strong mornings, mostly on reaction baits.
On the main Colorado River stretches through Colorado proper, trout action rules the roost. Brown trout are finishing up their spawn, so rainbows are hot on their tails, picking up loose eggs and getting aggressive in deeper runs and seams. Recent catches: abundant rainbows up to 18", a few browns pushing the 20" mark, and even some cutthroat reported further upriver. October means Blue-Winged Olive hatches mid-day—parachute BWOs, RS2s, and zebra midges (#20–22), with the bite strongest from 11 AM until 3 PM when those bugs are popping off according to Rise Beyond Fly Fishing. Early mornings are slow; wait for sun on the water. Griffith’s Gnats and Parachute Adams cover your surface action, while WD-40 nymphs under indicators are taking fish consistently.
Best lures and baits right now:
- **For bass**: jerkbaits, swimbaits in shad pattern, crankbaits, green pumpkin weightless senkos, and Ned rigs. Frogs along reeds early, plastics throughout the day. Top picks include Yamamoto Senko, Keitech swimbait in sexy shad, money crankbaits, and the Berkley Chapo and Strike King Rage Bug, especially near structure and points.
- **For trout**: small natural nymphs like RS2s and zebra midges, Parachute BWOs and dry-dropper setups with Slumpbuster streamers in olive or natural. If flows are low and water’s clear, lighten up on tippet and use smaller flies.
A couple of current hot spots:
- On Lake Havasu: Copper Canyon, Steamboat Cove, and the Tire Reef are pulling in both numbers and quality bass. Around the Bill Williams arm, especially during flow changes, the chunkier largemouth have been cruising for reaction baits.
- On the upper Colorado in Colorado proper: Just upstream of Glenwood Springs near the confluence with the Roaring Fork has produced the best recent trout action, especially post-11 AM. Down in the mid-canyon stretches, target deep seams and pocket water with nymphs and be ready for BWOs once the clouds roll in.
Quick tips: On clear days, go with more subtle presentations and lighter leaders. Move a lot, target structure for bass, and follow temperature shifts for trout. The numbers game still rules—more casts mean more fish.
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