Wade · Best fit82/100
Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.
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Fly fishing report · West
Blue River
A Silverthorne-focused Blue River report for Dillon Dam releases, technical trout tactics, strict regulations, access, hatches, and flow checks.
Check flow & weatherToday's river scoreHigh source confidence
82
Good
Best option: Wade.
Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.
Updated Jul 13, 11:17 PM UTCUsually refreshes about every 45 minutes
Recommended approachWade
Mode scores adjust the river-wide score for the risks of wading, bank fishing, or floating.
Bank / edge82/100
Bank and edge fishing remains a practical low-commitment option if access is legal and footing is safe.
FloatCheck
This report does not describe this as a primary mode. Verify legal access, depth, launches, and retreat options before planning around it.
Confirm before you leave
Flow and weather right now.
Use the flow trend to confirm the score before you leave. Weather can change the safest and most productive fishing window.
Loading current flow and weather.
River strategy
Expect technical, clear tailwater fishing.
The Blue below Dillon is a pressured cold tailwater where small flies, clean drifts, and exact regulation checks matter. Use the Silverthorne gauge before planning around town access or lower Blue alternatives.
- Use the below-Dillon gauge for Silverthorne flow and release context.
- Start with small midges, baetis, mysis-style patterns, and light tippet.
- Check CPW reach language because Blue River rules change by section.
- Expect crowds near town and private-property complexity outside obvious public access.
Why this score moved
FlowUse caution
USGS shows 54 cfs with a stable over about 6 hours trend. same-date USGS history (1963-2025, 63 readings) puts normal around 350 cfs and the lower quartile near 110 cfs; today's flow is below normal for the date. This is below normal, so edge depth, temperature, and pressure matter.
SeasonHelps score
Summer: Tailwater temperatures can stay cold, but pressure and reach rules matter.
Water temperatureHelps score
USGS water temperature is about 43F, with no heat stop triggered.
Public alertsHelps score
No active NWS alert was returned for this forecast point.
Fishing usefulnessHelps score
Skip the Silverthorne plan when icy banks remove safe footing, when section-specific rules are unclear, when town pressure has every visible seam occupied, or when higher releases turn a simple crossing into risky tailwater current.
Read the water
What changes the plan.
The Blue fishes best when releases are stable and trout are not stressed by ice, crowding, or low warm water. If town water is crowded, consider scouting another public reach instead of forcing the same pool.
Low clear release
Use small flies, long leaders, and sight-fishing patience.
Stable medium release
Nymph riffles, slots, and drop-offs; dry-dropper rigs work in shallower lanes.
High release
Skip risky crossings and fish banks, softer seams, and protected edges.
Winter ice
Expect shelf ice, slow takes, and small midge-focused windows.
Field plan
Fish it with intention.
Best flows
Use the below-Dillon trend more than a single target number. Stable or gently rising releases are the cleanest read for technical nymphing and dry-dropper work; a sudden push should move you to softer banks, shorter wades, or a different reach.
When to skip
Skip the Silverthorne plan when icy banks remove safe footing, when section-specific rules are unclear, when town pressure has every visible seam occupied, or when higher releases turn a simple crossing into risky tailwater current.
Local plan
Choose the section before tying on flies: the Silverthorne town water for a quick technical session, the SWA-mapped access points when you want clearer public-boundary confidence, or the lower Blue only after confirming that separate reach's flow and rules.
Backup water
If the Silverthorne water is too crowded or pushy, pivot to the upper Colorado for a broader public-river day or to another clearly posted Blue reach only after checking that reach's separate rules and release context.
Hatches & flies
Bring a flexible box.
TimingWhat to watchUseful flies
WinterMidges, mysis-style food, small baetisZebra midge, black beauty, mysis shrimp, RS2
Reviewed pattern · report says “Zebra midge”Zebra MidgeLook for a very slim tapered thread body, evenly spaced contrasting wire rib, a small bead, and no tail or wing. The reviewed classic is black with silver wire and a silver bead. Red, olive, brown, glass-bead, jig-hook, resin-coated, or tailed forms must remain labeled variations rather than replacing the classic identity.See photos & how to fish it ↗
Reviewed pattern · report says “black beauty”Black Beauty MidgeA very slim black thread body, fine silver rib, and small dark thorax define the core Black Beauty. Glass-bead Mercury Black Beauty and flash-wing variants must stay labeled separately.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box SpringBWOs, midges, caddisBWO emerger, foam back emerger, caddis pupa, perdigon
Reviewed family · report says “BWO emerger”Blue-Winged Olive PatternsBWO describes a hatch group, not one fly. Nymph, emerger, dry, cripple, and spinner profiles must stay separate because they occupy different parts of the water column.See family guide ↗
Reviewed family · report says “foam back emerger”Mayfly Patterns by StageMayfly nymphs, emergers, upright-wing duns, cripples, soft hackles, and flat-wing spinners occupy different depths and require different profiles.See family guide ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box SummerPMDs, caddis, yellow sallies, terrestrialsPMD, elk hair caddis, yellow sally, ant, small hopper
Reviewed family · report says “PMD”Pale Morning Dun PatternsPMD names an insect group, not one fly. Pale nymphs, trailing-shuck emergers, upright or low-riding duns, cripples, and spent-wing spinners stay visibly separate.See family guide ↗
Reviewed pattern · report says “elk hair caddis”Elk Hair CaddisLook for a tented elk- or deer-hair wing, clipped hair head, dubbed body, rib, and hackle palmered along the body. The body color should be labeled because tiers often match different natural caddis colors.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 3 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box FallBWOs, midges, small baitfishBWO dry, zebra midge, RS2, small streamer
Reviewed family · report says “BWO dry”Blue-Winged Olive PatternsBWO describes a hatch group, not one fly. Nymph, emerger, dry, cripple, and spinner profiles must stay separate because they occupy different parts of the water column.See family guide ↗Reviewed pattern · report says “zebra midge”Zebra MidgeLook for a very slim tapered thread body, evenly spaced contrasting wire rib, a small bead, and no tail or wing. The reviewed classic is black with silver wire and a silver bead. Red, olive, brown, glass-bead, jig-hook, resin-coated, or tailed forms must remain labeled variations rather than replacing the classic identity.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box 01
Fish one lane thoroughly before changing pools.
02
Use smaller indicators or tight-line rigs in clear pressured water.
03
Watch for seasonal closures and spawning fish before stepping into gravel.
04
Do not assume the lower Blue has the same rules as Silverthorne.
05
Move to less-crowded access rather than lining up behind every visible fish.
Access & responsibility
Know the entry. Know the exit.
CPW lists multiple Blue River special-regulation sections, including Silverthorne catch-and-release water and seasonal or reach-specific rules. Verify the exact section before fishing.
Silverthorne town reach
Convenient public access, heavy pressure, and technical catch-and-release planning.
Blue River SWA context
CPW maps should be checked carefully because some areas have no public access.
Lower Blue below Green Mountain
A different reach with separate flow, access, and regulation planning.
Transparent sources
Check the facts behind the plan.
Last material review: 2026-05-31
flowRiverReports: Blue River below DillonflowUSGS monitoring location: Blue River below DillonbackgroundColorado Parks and Wildlife Blue RiverregulationColorado fishing special regulationsaccessSummit County recreational pathways GISaccessColorado Parks and Wildlife Blue River SWA mapsafetyNational Weather Service forecast point near Silverthorne
Common questions
Before you leave.
What section does this Blue River report cover?+
It focuses on the Silverthorne reach below Dillon Reservoir, with lower Blue context where it affects planning.
Why is the Blue River technical?+
The water is clear, cold, heavily fished, and governed by reach-specific rules, so small flies and clean drifts matter.
What gauge should I use?+
Use RiverReports and USGS 09050700 below Dillon for the Silverthorne tailwater.
Can I fish the same way below Green Mountain?+
Not safely without a separate check. The lower Blue has different access, flow, and regulation context.