Fishing Season: year round

Animas River - CO

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

64

Heads Up Flyfishing's Tip of the Week

Water is still low but rains have improved the temperatures greatly. Try small baetis nymphs and midges. It’s streamer time too if you’re looking for one of the big fish as they get up for fall

Directions open in app

Map of Animas River

Water Flow Data

Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby

Heads Up Flyfishing

5-Day Outlook as of 9/9/25

More rain in the forecast for the end of the week, hopefully the river will continue to rise as temps cool down.

Techniques & Tips as of 9/9/25

Nymphing for numbers, strip a streamer if you’re hunting the big one!

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

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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:

11am-3pm

Best Stretch:

Above 9th street bridge

Best Access:

High bridge