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Colorado River Fishing Report: Spring Flows, Hatches, and Hungry Trout
Artificial Lure here with today’s Colorado River fishing report for April 30, 2025. Sunrise came at 6:06 am this morning with sunset due at 7:57 pm, giving us a nice long day on the water. While the Colorado River isn’t influenced by ocean tides, recent warm weather has had a big effect on water clarity. After a couple of hot days, the river has taken on that typical spring brown hue, but following cooler nights or mornings, visibility improves noticeably. Be sure to check first thing, as water clarity can make or break your outing right now.
Flow below Glenwood Springs is up, hovering around 2670 CFS and rising. Water temperatures sit in the mid-40s Fahrenheit. While flows are steady, remember that annual spawning closures are in effect at spots like Grizzly, so be mindful and check signage before fishing certain stretches.
The best window for fishing has been late morning through early afternoon. Blue Winged Olives are hatching strong, with early season Caddis starting to show. Anglers are finding success on BWO patterns, especially the Sparkle Dun in sizes 18 to 20, and Pheasant Tail nymphs in 16 to 18. On cloudier days, stripping a Thin Mint or Black Woolly Bugger streamer has brought in some aggressive browns and rainbows[4]. A mix of nymphing and swinging small streamers is producing, especially along deeper seams and in slower back-eddies.
Recently, most anglers have been reporting catches of rainbow and brown trout, with fish ranging from 14 to 20 inches showing up around Glenwood Springs. Reports also mention that a few cutbows have been caught near New Castle. While the numbers aren’t explosive, the quality of fish has been outstanding for this time of year.
For bait, if you’re spin fishing, small gold or silver spinners are getting bites. For fly anglers, nymph rigs with a Pheasant Tail and trailing BWO emerger, or even an RS2, are the ticket. Don’t be afraid to swing a woolly bugger or even lob a small jighead soft plastic if the water is a bit off-color.
Hot spots to check out today are the stretch just below Glenwood Springs, especially near the confluence with the Roaring Fork, and the riffles just above New Castle. These areas have seen steady hatches and consistent action, especially in the late morning hours. With the river up and the visibility improving after cooler nights, today could be the day for a big one.
That’s your local Colorado River report, tight lines and see you on the banks.
Flow below Glenwood Springs is up, hovering around 2670 CFS and rising. Water temperatures sit in the mid-40s Fahrenheit. While flows are steady, remember that annual spawning closures are in effect at spots like Grizzly, so be mindful and check signage before fishing certain stretches.
The best window for fishing has been late morning through early afternoon. Blue Winged Olives are hatching strong, with early season Caddis starting to show. Anglers are finding success on BWO patterns, especially the Sparkle Dun in sizes 18 to 20, and Pheasant Tail nymphs in 16 to 18. On cloudier days, stripping a Thin Mint or Black Woolly Bugger streamer has brought in some aggressive browns and rainbows[4]. A mix of nymphing and swinging small streamers is producing, especially along deeper seams and in slower back-eddies.
Recently, most anglers have been reporting catches of rainbow and brown trout, with fish ranging from 14 to 20 inches showing up around Glenwood Springs. Reports also mention that a few cutbows have been caught near New Castle. While the numbers aren’t explosive, the quality of fish has been outstanding for this time of year.
For bait, if you’re spin fishing, small gold or silver spinners are getting bites. For fly anglers, nymph rigs with a Pheasant Tail and trailing BWO emerger, or even an RS2, are the ticket. Don’t be afraid to swing a woolly bugger or even lob a small jighead soft plastic if the water is a bit off-color.
Hot spots to check out today are the stretch just below Glenwood Springs, especially near the confluence with the Roaring Fork, and the riffles just above New Castle. These areas have seen steady hatches and consistent action, especially in the late morning hours. With the river up and the visibility improving after cooler nights, today could be the day for a big one.
That’s your local Colorado River report, tight lines and see you on the banks.
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By Quiet. PleaseArtificial Lure here with today’s Colorado River fishing report for April 30, 2025. Sunrise came at 6:06 am this morning with sunset due at 7:57 pm, giving us a nice long day on the water. While the Colorado River isn’t influenced by ocean tides, recent warm weather has had a big effect on water clarity. After a couple of hot days, the river has taken on that typical spring brown hue, but following cooler nights or mornings, visibility improves noticeably. Be sure to check first thing, as water clarity can make or break your outing right now.
Flow below Glenwood Springs is up, hovering around 2670 CFS and rising. Water temperatures sit in the mid-40s Fahrenheit. While flows are steady, remember that annual spawning closures are in effect at spots like Grizzly, so be mindful and check signage before fishing certain stretches.
The best window for fishing has been late morning through early afternoon. Blue Winged Olives are hatching strong, with early season Caddis starting to show. Anglers are finding success on BWO patterns, especially the Sparkle Dun in sizes 18 to 20, and Pheasant Tail nymphs in 16 to 18. On cloudier days, stripping a Thin Mint or Black Woolly Bugger streamer has brought in some aggressive browns and rainbows[4]. A mix of nymphing and swinging small streamers is producing, especially along deeper seams and in slower back-eddies.
Recently, most anglers have been reporting catches of rainbow and brown trout, with fish ranging from 14 to 20 inches showing up around Glenwood Springs. Reports also mention that a few cutbows have been caught near New Castle. While the numbers aren’t explosive, the quality of fish has been outstanding for this time of year.
For bait, if you’re spin fishing, small gold or silver spinners are getting bites. For fly anglers, nymph rigs with a Pheasant Tail and trailing BWO emerger, or even an RS2, are the ticket. Don’t be afraid to swing a woolly bugger or even lob a small jighead soft plastic if the water is a bit off-color.
Hot spots to check out today are the stretch just below Glenwood Springs, especially near the confluence with the Roaring Fork, and the riffles just above New Castle. These areas have seen steady hatches and consistent action, especially in the late morning hours. With the river up and the visibility improving after cooler nights, today could be the day for a big one.
That’s your local Colorado River report, tight lines and see you on the banks.
Flow below Glenwood Springs is up, hovering around 2670 CFS and rising. Water temperatures sit in the mid-40s Fahrenheit. While flows are steady, remember that annual spawning closures are in effect at spots like Grizzly, so be mindful and check signage before fishing certain stretches.
The best window for fishing has been late morning through early afternoon. Blue Winged Olives are hatching strong, with early season Caddis starting to show. Anglers are finding success on BWO patterns, especially the Sparkle Dun in sizes 18 to 20, and Pheasant Tail nymphs in 16 to 18. On cloudier days, stripping a Thin Mint or Black Woolly Bugger streamer has brought in some aggressive browns and rainbows[4]. A mix of nymphing and swinging small streamers is producing, especially along deeper seams and in slower back-eddies.
Recently, most anglers have been reporting catches of rainbow and brown trout, with fish ranging from 14 to 20 inches showing up around Glenwood Springs. Reports also mention that a few cutbows have been caught near New Castle. While the numbers aren’t explosive, the quality of fish has been outstanding for this time of year.
For bait, if you’re spin fishing, small gold or silver spinners are getting bites. For fly anglers, nymph rigs with a Pheasant Tail and trailing BWO emerger, or even an RS2, are the ticket. Don’t be afraid to swing a woolly bugger or even lob a small jighead soft plastic if the water is a bit off-color.
Hot spots to check out today are the stretch just below Glenwood Springs, especially near the confluence with the Roaring Fork, and the riffles just above New Castle. These areas have seen steady hatches and consistent action, especially in the late morning hours. With the river up and the visibility improving after cooler nights, today could be the day for a big one.
That’s your local Colorado River report, tight lines and see you on the banks.