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Lower Piedra River Fishing Information
Lower Section - near Bayfield, CO
The lower Piedra River spans from the Southern Ute Indian Reservation all the way through the town of Piedra, CO and onto Second Box Canyon. There is a ton of water to fish. It holds a very high number of trout, mostly rainbows and browns ranging anywhere from 10-16 inches. A few trophy class brown trout can also be caught here. While the majority of the lower section is very steep getting from the road down to the water can be inaccessible in most places. There are a few campgrounds that allow for much better access. Once you get down to the water the hiking is easier. Hiking from the road to the river is not advised as it can be dangerous. A beautiful drive up the First Box Canyon will lead you to the confluence of the confluence of the First fork and the lower Piedra rivers. The water remains pristine and gorgeous as it is more of an “effort” to drive all the way back. From there you can hike up or down, use the hiking trail to find more pristine water than you know what to do with.
You can also find access much below this confluence and even spanning as far south as the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. If you plan on fishing that far south you must obtain a Tribal fishing permit to fish on designated Tribal waters. A Colorado State fishing license is not required to fish on Tribal waters but a tribal permit is.
The Piedra River has a bountiful array of insect life making this fishery very healthy and productive. There are many salmonflies found on this river, and if you time it right, you may just be in for the hatch of your dreams. So be prepared with adult and nymph variations of golden stones and salmonflies as you may be lucky enough to encounter one of these hatches.
Fish: Many Medium-Sized Fish
Popularity: Low
Difficulty: Medium
Accessibility: Hard
Best Techniques: Dries & Nymphs
Best Seasons: Spring - Fall
River Type: Medium Freestone
Fish Types: Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
Dog Friendly: Yes
Located in the San Juan/Dolores River Basin near Bayfield, CO
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
Green Drakes: June to August
Colors: Olive/Green
Sizes: #8 - #14
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)
Skwala Stonefly: March - Mid May
Colors: Brown, Red
Sizes: #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.
The Piedra River has a bountiful array of insect life making this fishery very healthy and productive. There are many salmonflies found on this river, and if you time it right, you may just be in for the hatch of your dreams. So be prepared with adult and nymph variations of golden stones and salmonflies as you may be lucky enough to encounter one of these hatches.
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 Lower Piedra 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.
Lower Piedra 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.