Catch and Release | Pack it in Pack it Out | Leave No Trace
"We are prone to speak of the resources of this country as inexhaustible; this is not so." - Theodore Roosevelt
Please be a good steward of our precious resources.
Gunnison River Fishing Information
Lower Section - near Delta, CO
The Gunnison River is one of Colorado’s most sought after rivers. A good majority of the river flows through the famous black canyon which is difficult but rewarding access boasting over 20 miles of Gold Medal Waters within its canyon walls. The Gunnison can be divided into the upper reaches which is above Blue Mesa Reservoir up to the headwaters of the Gunnison in Almont (Taylor and East rivers create the Gunnison) including the lake fork, and the lower section which includes the black canyon, north fork , smith fork and confluence of the Gunnison forks and the final confluence it has with the Colorado river. There are miles of fishable water, and even more in it’s tributaries and sub-tributaries.
The Gunnison river holds all kinds of trout within it’s forks, but most of the fish caught will be rainbows and browns. The upper reaches of most rivers including the Gunny can begin to hold brook trout and/or cutthroat when the elevation gets high enough to keep cool water temps. The Gunny is a large river and most of it can be floated when the flows are high enough. Ample wade fishing is available as well throughout the year. Fishing varies from easy to moderate and most anglers will be able to find some fish on the sections they choose to explore. Though it is dammed up in several areas, it fishes most like a freestone and contains a ton of stoneflies, mayflies, midges and caddis to keep trout rising and feeding 24/7.
Black Canyon
The black canyon is a brutal hike in and out and requires permits to camp and fees to access. That said, there is some phenomenal fishing for those who decide to make the journey. You can float and wade the gorge, but you need to be experienced to float the river and know the float for your own safety. Rescue is not easy in this canyon due to the difficulty of access. This section is Gold Medal Waters and has some ginormous rainbow and brown trout. You can catch a lot of fish on dries, even more on nymphs and some of the biggest fish you’ll ever see on streamers. Floating will give you the best chance to see the entire canyon, but fishing small areas hiking in is a great option too. Time how long it takes to hike in and double that time or more to get out.
Smith Fork
The smith fork is overlooked often but holds some cutthroats in the upper reaches. You can access it by travelling up into the national forest section above the private land. When you get to the campground you can fish upstream. Fish aren’t large up here but it’s a great place to avoid some crowds and explore some new water.
North Fork & Pleasure Park
The confluence of the north fork and main fork of the Gunnison creates a great opportunity to fish. The main area is pleasure park which provides plenty of access to fish and catch the “tail end” of the canyon. Great dry fly fishing can happen in this section and is a fun place to spend a day.
Gunnison Gorge
Below pleasure park is another gorge seperate from the black canyon that is slightly more accessible but requires 4WD and a bit of hiking. It isn’t as tough as the canyon to access so it may be a good option if you aren’t up for a brutal hike. Fish are large in this section as well and fishing is great.
Fish: Many Medium-Sized Fish
Popularity: Medium
Difficulty: Medium
Accessibility: Medium
Best Techniques: Dries & Nymphs
Best Seasons: Spring - Fall
River Type: Large Freestone
Fish Types: Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Whitefish
Dog Friendly: Yes but Leashed
Located in the Gunnison River Basin near Delta, CO
Exploration Images
DCIM100MEDIADJI_0004.JPG
DCIM100MEDIADJI_0003.JPG
Exploration Images
DCIM100MEDIADJI_0007.JPG
DCIM100MEDIADJI_0015.JPG
DCIM100MEDIADJI_0013.JPG
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.
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.
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 Gunnison 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.
Gunnison 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.
