Fishing Season: year round

Animas River - CO

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

70

Heads Up Flyfishing's Tip of the Week

The river is fishing well in the mornings. PMD and beats as well as some caddis are still around. Make sure to carry a thermometer and wrap up fishing by 68 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer play it safe and stop fishing by 11am.

Directions open in app

Map of Animas River

Water Flow Data

Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby

Heads Up Flyfishing

5-Day Outlook as of 7/13/26

Clear weather and the river is looking good. Pray for rain!

Techniques & Tips as of 7/13/26

Nymphing for numbers, strip a streamer if you’re hunting the big one! Dry dropper rigs have been very productive lately

Local Species Available year round

  • Fish Icon

    Trout

Heads Up Flyfishing's Recommended Fly Patterns

"Must-have" fly fishing patterns in descending order of importance:

Name: Colors: Size(s):
Tunghead Prince brown 16
Flashback Baetis Nymph brown 18
Tunghead Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail tan 18
Bead Head Rubber-Legged Pheasant Tail brown 16
Stimulator Orange 12
grey foam wing emerger grey 18
Griffin's Euro Candy Caddis olive 16
Nutcracker tan 4
Tequilly streamer N/A
Hopper Tan 4

Tunghead Prince

Peacock herl adds vivid coloration to this Tunghead Prince nymph fly.

2.99

Item #121J

Buy Now

Heads Up Flyfishing's Recommended Gear

Description: About Animas River

The Animas River begins its 126 mile journey high in the San Juan Mountains near Silverton, Colorado. It's full name, Rio de las Animas Perdidas, The River of Lost Souls, gives an air of mystery to this incredible fishery. The Animas begins as a small creek full of feisty brook, cutthroat, and rainbow trout. It drops down through the mountain canyons picking up tributaries and snow melt along its way until it hits the beautiful Animas Valley just north of Durango. This stretch of river is slow moving and meanders through oxbows on the valley floor. This can be a great dry fly fishery in the summer when flows are high enough to float. As it travels through town, the Animas gets a steeper gradient and becomes faster moving. From town on south the river is full of bubbly runs and fast riffles, big boulders, and deep pools typical of a freestone river. The hatches here are varied, we have everything from tiny midges to monster salmon flies. Our most consistent hatches are midges, blue winged olives, and caddis. There are some truly incredible fish in this river, with browns and rainbows well over the two foot mark caught each year. Don't forget the meat box, the Animas is a streamer junkies delight!

Nearest Airport:

Durango La Plata County

Hatches:

Mayflies, caddis, midges, stoneflies,

Best Time to Fish:

6am-11am

Best Stretch:

High Bridge to BMX

Best Access:

High bridge