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Conejos River Fishing Information
Tailwater Section - near Platoro, CO
The Conejos River Valley is an exceptional fishery with tons of water to be explored and lots of diversity in size and species of trout as well as diversity in the types of water you fish. There are places to hike in and not see a soul for weeks as well as places to fish right off the road. Though mostly a freestone river, there is a tailwater section below Platoro reservoir that fishes similar to a place like the dream stream both in river type as well as difficulty. Though the tailwater from my experience is less challenging and less crowded than the dream, it is still a place that will put your skills to the test.
This section is uniquely different than the rest of the Conejos because it is first, a tailwater and second, a meandering meadow stream. This makes for a different experience and resembles rivers like the dream stream of the south platte than a rocky freestone river. This section is a ton of fun and easier to fish as there are no trees or places to get hung up easily. That said, the fish feed more like a tailwater and require a good presentation and smaller tippet. Bring your “A” game to this river and you will find some excellent fishing and trout in these waters.
I would recommend tightline nymphing here, also referred to as euro nymphing or modern nymphing. There are many pools here that have fast water coming over the top, but near the bottom the river is slow and calm and the fish really pod up in here. Fishing without a strike indicator is a great way to get the right drift at the right depth and speed and put some solid fish to net in this section. Work the holes methodically but if there is plenty of water and no crowds around, then move around often. If a fish or two is caught in one hole and then nothing after 5 or 10 minutes, keep moving. Anglers never move around as much as they should and it’s a great way to catch more fish in a day and see more water.
Wading and walking in the river is a lot easier than compared to other sections of the Conejos and the fish are a little bigger here than the other sections on average. That said the average fish are 14-18 in this river with some smaller fish being caught and a few brutes around the private water and tailwater sections. It’s a very healthy river overall and produces some fiesty trout across all it’s sections. You can’t go wrong spending a weekend or more in the Conejos River valley and hitting the tailwater section is a must do on your adventure.
<p>Flies are smaller on tailwaters so focus your efforts primarily on nymphs unless you see fish rising or a lot of insects on the surface. The larger fish eat the nymphs more often anyway. Flies should be 16 – 22 range for midges, mayflies and caddis. For stoneflies, there are large golden stones and salmonflies in this river, so size 6 – 14 is matching the insect sizes in yellow and brown and black. If you nymph, make sure you get your flies to the bottom. The river has a swift upper current, but slow bottom current. If you’re going to fish an indicator, then give yourself extra distance. My best fly here has always been the mercury baetis in a size 20 with a large stonefly up above it to get it down deep. San juan worms, baetis, midges and leeches are all great options for go to patterns unless you see something else happening on the water.</p>
Fish: Many Medium-Sized Fish
Popularity: Low
Difficulty: Medium
Accessibility: Easy
Best Techniques: Dries & Nymphs
Best Seasons: Spring - Fall
River Type: Medium Tailwater
Fish Types:
Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
Dog Friendly: Yes
Located in the Rio Grande River Basin near Platoro, CO
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
Green Drakes: June to August
Colors: Olive/Green
Sizes: #8 - #14
Trico Mayflies: Mid July to Mid September
Colors: Black, White, Grey
Sizes: #18 - #26
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.
Flies are smaller on tailwaters so focus your efforts primarily on nymphs unless you see fish rising or a lot of insects on the surface. The larger fish eat the nymphs more often anyway. Flies should be 16 – 22 range for midges, mayflies and caddis. For stoneflies, there are large golden stones and salmonflies in this river, so size 6 – 14 is matching the insect sizes in yellow and brown and black. If you nymph, make sure you get your flies to the bottom. The river has a swift upper current, but slow bottom current. If you’re going to fish an indicator, then give yourself extra distance. My best fly here has always been the mercury baetis in a size 20 with a large stonefly up above it to get it down deep. San juan worms, baetis, midges and leeches are all great options for go to patterns unless you see something else happening on the water.
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.
Our fly assortments make fly selection easy. We take our entomology knowledge and years of fly fishing experience on these rivers to bring you the right fly patterns, including the correct colors, sizes and quantities to set you up for success. A good selection of flies will prepare you properly for anything the trout may be eating on the river and our fly assortments are specifically curated to maximize your success. Take a look at the assortments we provide below and add one to your box today. Use coupon code AST50 for $50 off and free shipping on these as well, just to help make fly fishing a little more affordable!
Click on any of the pictures to see what flies, colors and sizes we recommend in each assortment.
View our access map for the Conejos River and learn public and private access points as well as other notable features around fly fishing this river. We include headwater and confluence data and in an effort to not "hotspot" river access points that are better than others, we list every access point available. This serves two purposes. First, it keeps us from hotspotting, which is just showing the best spots and bringing unwanted and harmful attention to the specific access point. The second reason is while we want to help you catch fish and find great places to explore, we don't want to spell it all out for you. If you get it all spelled out, we're doing the exploring, not you. Missing out on the journey of exploring places to fly fish is one of the more enjoyable aspects of fly fishing. While not everyone has time to go explore everything in person, we provide some of the top level data to help you know if something is worth your time, then pass it off to you to explore and find your own adventure. Now enjoy the info, if you're on this page then this river is worth exploring! Go out and find some memories.
Conejos River Tips & Resources
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.
