Fishing Season: April through October

Upper Gunnison River - CO

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

60

Willowfly Anglers's Tip of the Week

The Gunnison River is holding around 480 CFS throughout the entire stretch. Although the flows are a bit lower than we typically see in July, the water temperatures are holding strong and fishing has been very productive. The main bugs we are seeing are Trico’s, BWO’s, and Caddis. The theme throughout the drainage is Hopper-Dropper fishing, and that is the case on the Gunnison as well! Spanish Bullet’s, French Nymph’s, Pearl & Orange Perdigons, along with Black Sparkle Wing RS2’s, Zebra Midges, and Bling Midges in 16 – 22 have been our mainstays. Morningwood Hopper, Chubby Chernobyl, and Amy’s Ants have been our go to hopper patterns. For the dry fly anglers – Missing Link Caddis, Chubby Trico Spinners, CDC Comparadun’s, and Mole Flies are great options to fish behind a hopper. Streamer fishing has been very productive! Larger articulated patterns have been moving the most fish, with Double Gonga’s, Thrasher’s, and Agent Scully’s being some of our favorites. As always; have fun and enjoy this phenomenal fishery!

Directions open in app

Map of Upper Gunnison River

Water Flow Data

Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby

Willowfly Anglers
RIGS Fly Shop & Guide Service

5-Day Outlook as of 7/18/25

Caddis, Trico's, PMD's; Hopper Dropper

Techniques & Tips as of 7/18/25

Hopper Dropper, Single Dry

Local Species Available April through October

  • Fish Icon

    Trout

Willowfly Anglers's Recommended Fly Patterns

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

Name: Colors: Size(s):
Tunghead Pheasant Tail Natural 12-18
Czech Mate Hare's Ear Peacock 8-16
Bead Head Brassie™ Green 10-12
Hairwing Western Green Drake Green 10-12
HDA Varient Natural 12-16
20 Incher Peacock 8-12
Cone Head Marabou Muddler Natural 10
Elk Wing Caddis Natural 16-22
Blowtoarch Black 10-14
Two Bit Hooker Red 16-18

Tunghead Pheasant Tail

Adding tungsten beads to mayfly patterns is relatively new.

2.99

Item #144J

Buy Now

Willowfly Anglers's Recommended Gear

Description: About Upper Gunnison River

The Gunnison River begins at Almont, Colorado, where the Taylor River and East River merge to form its headwaters. The river grows in size as it flows down through the Gunnison Valley and into Blue Mesa Reservoir. This is the first of several dams as the Gunnison continues its flow through the Black Canyon and eventually into the Colorado River. Our section of the Gunnison River, the upper Gunnison, is from the headwaters in Almont to Blue Mesa Reservoir. The East River is a freestone river which drains out of Emerald Lake, which is located at 10,500 feet in the Rockies near Crested Butte. So the upper Gunnison is impacted by both snow-melt and the controlled releases from Taylor Reservoir. The Gunnison is best fished from a boat in the early season during high water. There are also plenty of public access points for wading the river during summer and fall. The Gunnison River contains a very high density of trout, including browns, rainbows, and cutthroat. There are long riffles and runs, and deep pools which hold large trout. There are good hatches of stoneflies, caddis, and mayflies during the season. The peak season is from mid June to late September, and fall fishing can be spectacular on the Gunnison. The fall kokanee salmon run brings hard-fighting kokanee salmon up the Gunnison River from Blue Mesa as they run to the Roaring Judy fish hatchery on the East River. There is a catch-and-release season for kokanee from August 1 to October 31. Big trout will follow the salmon up to feed on their eggs. A 9-foot 5-weight fly rod is a good all purpose choice for the Gunnison River. A 6-weight rod can also be used for heavier nymph rigs and/or for streamers.

Nearest Airport:

Gunnison-Crested Butte Airport

Hatches:

Caddis, PMD, Trico, Golden Stonefly

Best Time to Fish:

11am - 4pm

Best Stretch:

Almont to Shady Island River Park

Best Access:

Curecanti National Recreation Area