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Colorado River Fishing Information
Middle Section - near Dotsero, CO
The middle section of the Colorado is often referred to as the pumphouse section though there is much more of this river to fish. The pumphouse section goes from the pumphouse put in up by kremmling down to Dotsero and the Eagle river confluence. There is a decent amount of private land in this area but several designated areas to access it via wading on public land. Floating this section is often the preferred method. Go with someone who has gone before and knows the float as there are a few rapids that can be dangerous if you don’t know the path. Hiring a guide or paying a friend in beers is a great way to get the run down on this section. This section has the most fish per mile of anywhere on the Colorado river. Tons of browns and rainbows can be caught on dries, nymphs and streamers. They get fished to often but receive less overall pressure because the waters are drifted and not waded allowing only a few shots to throw a fly to a trout before moving on.
There are some trophy trout in this section that exceed 20” if you have a good oresman, you can find them. Most of the fish will be 12” – 16” which is never a bad thing! Enjoy the river and what is has to offer on this section and refer to the map for public access wade areas.
Fish: Many Medium-Sized Fish
Popularity: High
Difficulty: Medium
Accessibility: Medium
Best Techniques: Dries & Nymphs
Best Seasons: Spring - Fall
River Type: Large Freestone
Fish Types: Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
Dog Friendly: Yes but Leashed
Located in the Colorado River Basin near Dotsero, CO
Exploration Images
Exploration Images
Exploration Images
Fishable Seasons & Current Weather
The best seasons to fish this river are Spring - Fall. See the current weather reports for the next 5-6 days listed below for the nearest city.
Dotsero
49°
clear sky
humidity: 61%
wind: 5mph ESE
H 52 • L 51
80°
Sat
81°
Sun
82°
Mon
78°
Tue
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
Salmonfly: Mid May to Mid July
Colors: Orange, Red, Brown
Sizes: #6 - #14
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.
