Fishing Season: April through October

Upper Gunnison River - CO

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

61

Willowfly Anglers's Tip of the Week

The Gunnison River is currently reading 414 CFS in Gunnison. With the water crystal clear, eyes and heads are coming to the surface! That means Dry Flies! The "Town Stretch" is have a great Caddis Hatch, and the Green Drakes are wrapping up their run up the "Gunni" with some sporradic hatches in town, and the Almont to Gunnison Stretch is still holding a strong Drake hatch around 11am. With the low water please keep an eye on the afternoon temperatures, especially down low on the Gunnison River towards Blue Mesa. We recommend pulling lines in once water temps get to 67F. Give us a call for the most up-to-date report. Tight lines everyone!

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 6/20/26

Warm sunny Days with the possibility of rain Thurs. Fri.

Techniques & Tips as of 6/20/26

Nymphing, Dries & Streamers

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 14-20
Travis Hi-Vis Green Drake Para Emerger olive 12-14
Elk Wing Caddis Tan 14-18
TH 20 Incher Green 14-18
HDA Varient Natural 14-18
20 Incher Peacock 08-14
Schultzy's S3 Sculpin Natural 4-8
Conehead Bunny Muddler Natural 16-22
Blowtorch Black 14-18
Green Drake Missing Link Dark Olive 12-14

Tunghead Pheasant Tail

Adding tungsten beads to mayfly patterns is relatively new.

2.99

Item #144J

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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 Regional Airport

Hatches:

Green Drake. Caddis, Adult Stone

Best Time to Fish:

7-1

Best Stretch:

Almont Confluence to Shady Island

Best Access:

Van Tuyl