Today
58°F
Partly Sunny
S 5 mph · 0% precip
Loading…
Loading…
Today’s verdict
Current River Conditions
As of (10 days ago)
This intel is a couple of weeks old — conditions may have shifted.
As of ~1 week 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 for late fall. Water is running low and clear, which means stealth matters — long, light leaders and small indicators are essential to avoid putting fish down. Brown trout are actively spawning, so give any visible redds a wide berth.
Nymphing is the most productive approach throughout the river right now. In the C&R, small midge and emerger patterns in sizes 18–24 are the go-to — think Black Beauties, Bling Midges, and Slim Flashback Pheasant Tails. Down in the canyon toward Almont, a dry-dropper or straight nymph rig with jig-style flies like Frenchies, Perdigons, and Two Bit Hookers is working well, and streamers are worth a swing through the deeper pools for bigger, more aggressive fish.
The big seasonal hatches — drakes, caddis, stoneflies, and PMDs — are done for the year. Adult midges have taken their place in the C&R, and sporadic BWO and Trico activity is still showing up in the canyon stretch. If you want to throw dries, midge adults and emerger-style patterns like Mole Flies and Parachute Adams are your best shot, but expect technical, picky fish.
117 CFS is on the low side for October — this stretch typically runs 121–208 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 44°F, the water is in the prime range for trout — cold enough to fish and to handle fish safely.
Weather
61°FClear
Wind N 0 mph
Sunrise 7:31 AM · Sunset 6:09 PM
Observed (1 hour ago)
NWS / weather.gov · fetched 15:01
Today
58°F
Partly Sunny
S 5 mph · 0% precip
Tonight
38°F
Mostly Cloudy then Chance Rain Showers
E 5 to 10 mph · 50% precip
Tomorrow
54°F
Rain Showers Likely then Partly Sunny
SW 0 to 10 mph · 58% precip
Affiliate disclosure — RiverUpdate earns a commission when you buy through these links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Disclosures.
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.
Hatches
Tactics
117 CFSFlow
44°F+1°Water temp
58° / 38°WeatherSize #18-24
Size #6/4
Size #4