Today
64°F
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
SW 10 mph · 37% precip
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Today’s verdict
Current River Conditions
As of (21 days ago)
This intel is a couple of weeks old — conditions may have shifted.
As of ~3 weeks ago, the river was fishing well.
The Taylor River is fishing well right now, with the C&R section below the dam in solid shape. Flows have been steady and are expected to hold through the end of August. The big hatches of summer — drakes, golden stones, and caddis — are mostly wrapped up, but sporadic activity continues throughout the day, keeping things interesting.
Nymphing is your most reliable approach here; the fish are picky and technical, so long, light leaders and precise presentation matter a lot.
Down in the canyon toward Almont, the river is fishing pretty well too, especially from mid-morning onward. Low water has made access easy throughout most of the stretch. The first few miles have slowed on dry flies, so a dry-dropper or nymph rig is the move there.
Further up the canyon, around miles 12 through 16, there's more consistent dry fly action, with caddis hatches concentrated in the upper miles and some remnant PMDs and spinners still showing up.
127 CFS is on the low side for September — this stretch typically runs 227–488 CFS.
With flows lower than usual, wading is generally easier and more forgiving — but beds still shift and cold water saps strength fast, so read the water, stay within your limits, and check conditions on-site. You remain responsible for your own safety.
At 56°F, the water is in the prime range for trout — cold enough to fish and to handle fish safely.
Weather
64°FClear
Wind SE 5 mph
Sunrise 6:48 AM · Sunset 7:15 PM
Observed (1 hour ago)
NWS / weather.gov · fetched 13:01
Today
64°F
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
SW 10 mph · 37% precip
Tonight
53°F
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
SE 5 to 10 mph · 37% precip
Tomorrow
61°F
Showers And Thunderstorms Likely
SSE 0 to 5 mph · 74% precip
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Size #18
Conditions are estimates from USGS data. Always assess on-site conditions and use your own judgment.
The Almont gauge sits at the bottom of the Taylor, where it meets the East River to form the Gunnison. The river's most famous water is the technical catch-and-release tailwater right below Taylor Park Dam upstream; this gauge — carrying both flow and water temperature — reads the flows that water releases into, so it reflects whether the canyon below is fishable.
Location
© OpenStreetMap contributors · © Geoapify
Helpful Links
Colorado fishing resources
Other Colorado rivers with live conditions
Colorado tailwater below Taylor Reservoir with a famous trophy section and productive freestone water downstream. Target species include Rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout. Roadside access is good, though the trophy section is small, crowded and specially regulated. Productive timing is Year-round below the dam; summer and fall are broadest downstream. Major hatches and foods include Midges, BWOs, PMDs, caddis, green drakes and mysis shrimp near the dam. Common approaches are Tiny nymphs and sight-fished dries in the tailwater; dry-droppers and streamers downstream. Regulations, access rules and water conditions vary by reach, so anglers should review current agency information and the linked local reports before fishing.
On the C&R, small midge and emerger patterns in the size 18–24 range are the ticket for both nymphing and dry fly fishing. Black Beauties, Zebra Midges, Slim Flashback Pheasant Tails, and Jujubee Midges have been top nymph producers. If you want to throw dries, Mole Flies, CDC RS2s, and Parachute Adams are worth having.
In the canyon, jig-style nymphs like Perdigons, Frenchies, and Jigged Hares Ears work well, with a small midge or RS2 as a trailer. Mixed hatches of Trico, caddis, and duns have been showing up, and subsurface emergers during the hatch have been especially effective.
Hatches
Tactics
127 CFS+17Flow
56°FWater temp
64° / 53°WeatherSize #18-24
Size #6/4
Size #4/6