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Blue River Fishing Information
Tailwater Section - near Silverthorne, CO
The Blue River tailwater is one of the most popular and well known fisheries in the state. Only 1 hour from Denver and right in town next to the Silverthorne Outlet Mall, you can fish, shop, grab a beer and some chipotle all in the same day. Fishable year round, the river is stocked with Rainbows, Cutbows and Browns. Some of the biggest fish in the state are caught here each year since mysis shrimp come out of Dillion Reservoir and help the fish grow fast, pink and strong.
If catching a lot of fish and big fish close to town is what you want, you’ve got a great option here on this section of the Blue. Since most want this experience, it is often quite crowded and the fish are as smart as any that you’ll catch in Colorado. Finding out when the fish have recently been stocked will always make the fishing easier. The longer they are in the river, the smarter they become.
Nymphing is the most popular way of catching fish, but during the right times of year you can catch them on dry flies with great success. Trout can range from 6 inches to 26 inches and over 10 pounds and sight fishing is possible since the water is often crystal clear.
The best tips we can give on this section of river is to ditch the split shot and strike indicator. Those fish get smart to seeing both split shot and strike indicators and will shut down and avoid you. The good news is that they settle back in quickly since they are used to being spooked and will feed shortly after you spook them, so stay persistent and you’ll find yourself with a fish in your net.
Fish: Many Large-Sized Fish
Popularity: High
Difficulty: Hard
Accessibility: Easy
Best Techniques: Nymphs
Best Seasons: Year Round
River Type: Medium Tailwater
Fish Types: Rainbow Trout, Cutbow Trout, Brown Trout
Dog Friendly: Yes but Leashed
Located in the Colorado River Basin near Silverthorne, CO
Fishable Seasons & Current Weather
The best seasons to fish this river are Year Round. See the current weather reports for the next 5-6 days listed below for the nearest city.
Silverthorne
11°
light snow
humidity: 72%
wind: 18mph W
H 15 • L 13
17°
Sun
36°
Mon
38°
Tue
39°
Wed
Weather from OpenWeatherMap
Hatch Charts
Knowing what flies to use is only have the battle. You have to know when the insects are active on the water and when it's likely the trout are feeding on them. Refer to our hatch charts below to understand when the insect categories and some of the possible hatches on the river.
Midge Hatches
Midges hatch year round, but their importance is from September through winter into April. During the warmer months, the trout often focus on larger insects as they are more active on the water like mayflies, caddis and stoneflies.
Aside from Blue wing olives, mayflies are active most commonly from May to August in Colorado. There are many different mayfly hatches found on most rivers and the most common are listed below.
Blue Wing Olive: September throut winter to April
Colors: Green/Olive
Sizes: #16-24
Pale Morning Dun: June to Mid September
Colors: White, Yellow
Sizes: #14 - #20
Caddis Hatches
Caddis hatch starting early in May and continue to the end of October.
Colors: Olive, Green, Yellow, Tan, Orange, Brown and Black.
Sizes: #10 - #20
Stonefly Hatches
We have some great stonefly hatches in Colorado and while not all rivers carry all species of salmonflies, you can often fish stonefly adult patterns with confidence from May to September. Start off in bigger sizes and get smaller till September hits (size 8 - 16)
Golden Stone: June to August
Colors: Yellow, Tan
Sizes: #8 - #14
Yellow Sally Stonefly: Mid June to August
Colors: Yellow, Tan
Sizes: #12 - #18
Terrestrial Activity
Terrestrials don't hatch since they are out of the water, but they can have importance starting in Mid April and ending in September.
These are the the top flies we sell for this river. Use the hatch chart above to know what flies you will want to have in your fly box during your adventure on the river and then select the flies here 30 days before your trip to get them at a great price. All of our flies are hand tied to each order to ensure quality and to keep our prices low for you.
Click on a fly below to select a size and color for purchase.
If you need an easier solution than selecting each fly and size, try out our top fly assortments for this river that will put all the flies you need in a single order for this river. We've already selected the flies we use in our fly box for this river including the sizes and colors and put them in these assortments so you can fish with the confidence that you have the right flies in your box.
Click on any of the pictures to see what flies, colors and sizes we recommend in each assortment.
Use these epic resources to get ready for your adventure. Whether you're planning your trip, learning your insects, improving your fishing with expert tips or getting detailed resources from the USGS streamflows or DoW, we got you covered to help you find the river and find the success you want.
