Fishing Season: April through October

Upper Gunnison River - CO

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

45

Willowfly Anglers's Tip of the Week

The Gunnison River is currently reading 472 CFS in Gunnison. The River hit a pretty dramatic spike with all the rain in the South West over the last few days/week; we should see it starting a strong fall with the cold temperatures, and less precipitation. Smaller nymphs and midges have been great along with egg patterns such as Globugs are solid options! Keep the heavy flies short, and those with lighter weight looong. Terrestrials and some of our Fall hatches like Blue Wing Olives are still going on but not for much longer so find that warm day and get the last of your dry fly fix in! Streamers in the morning have been a consistently productive way to start the day! Double Gonga in Black, Kreelex, Ice Pick, and Sculpzilla in Sunrise have been fun to throw! When the river goes below 200cfs, float fishing becomes challenging and not recommended. However: the wade fishing has been INCREDIBLE this season so don't be afraid to book a wade trip and experience the Gunnison! Well It has ARRIVED! Salmon Season! Reports right now are coming back with slightly better numbers in the upper reaches of the Gunnison. The reports coming from the hatchery give-away have been fair. People are taking home some fish, and able to get back in line to try for a second round. So its time to grab the 6wt's and the 2x and go try to catch some of these powerful fish! 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 11/3/26

Mostly Sunny

Techniques & Tips as of 11/3/26

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
Elk Wing Caddis Tan 14-18
Tunghead Pheasant Tail Jig Green 14-18
Schultzy’s S3 Sculpin Natural 4-8
Conehead Bunny Muddler Natural 16-22
HDA Varient Natural 14-18
20 Incher Peacock 08-14
Blowtorch Black 14-18
Green Drake Missing Link Dark Olive 12-14

Tunghead Pheasant Tail

Adding tungsten beads to mayfly patterns is relatively new.

3.99

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 Regional Airport

Hatches:

Green Drake. Caddis, Adult Stone

Best Time to Fish:

10-4

Best Stretch:

Shady Island to Airport/White Water Park

Best Access:

Van Tuyl