WadeNot advised
Wading is the most sensitive plan today. Use protected edges only, avoid crossings, and downgrade quickly if clarity or current feels wrong.
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Fly fishing report · West
Colorado River Middle Colorado
A middle Colorado River report for Pumphouse, State Bridge, Catamount, float planning, RiverReports/USGS flows, hatches, and access rules.
Check flow & weatherToday's fishing decisionMost live data available
58
Use caution
Colorado River Middle Colorado is a cautious call right now.
Current USGS flow is 905 cfs and has been stable for about 6 hours. Today's flow is below the normal seasonal range, which begins near 1,030 cfs. This is below normal, so edge depth, temperature, and pressure matter.
Best supported approachFloat
Watch nextFlow: Current USGS flow is 905 cfs and has been stable for about 6 hours. Today's flow is below the normal seasonal range, which begins near 1,030 cfs.
Updated Aug 3, 1:24 AM UTCUsually refreshes about every 45 minutes
Best supported approachFloat
Compare wading, bank fishing, and floating before choosing how you will fish.
Bank / edgeNeed data
This report does not describe this as a primary mode. Verify legal access, depth, launches, and retreat options before planning around it.
Float · Best fit62/100
A float can fit better than wading only if launches, shuttle, boat skill, wind, and local rules all check out.
Check before you drive
Current flow and weather.
Look at whether the river is rising or falling, then check wind, rain, and storms. These can change both safety and fishing.
Loading current flow and weather.
Before you rely on this report
How current is this report?
Conditions can change quickly. Check these dates before you decide to fish, and open the official source when safety or rules matter.
- River conditions
- Checked Aug 2, 2026, 9:24 PM
- Fishing guidance
- Reviewed May 31, 2026
- Public access
- No reviewed map pin available
- Rules and closures
- Official rule links checked
High confidence in the current score inputs.
7 sources are listed below for you to open.
3 public access records are listed. Private spots are never shown.
Source checked Jul 30, 2026
Plan your access
Know where you can enter.
These are public parking, launch, trail, or recreation areas—not secret fishing spots. We never show an angler's private pins, notes, or photos here.
- 0
- Shown on map
- 3
- No map pin
Location checkedDescription only
01No map pin
Day use
Pumphouse Recreation Area
A key BLM access and float-planning site for the middle Colorado.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Float logistics are part of the fishing plan.
Public access does not mean both banks are public.
02No map pin
Roadside access
State Bridge Recreation Site
A major middle-river access marker and shuttle-planning point.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Float logistics are part of the fishing plan.
Public access does not mean both banks are public.
03No map pin
Roadside access
Catamount Bridge gauge corridor
Useful for downstream middle-river flow context.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Float logistics are part of the fishing plan.
Public access does not mean both banks are public.
How to fish it
This is the Pumphouse-to-Catamount planning page.
The middle Colorado is a major float and wade corridor. Use the Catamount flow chart, BLM access pages, and CPW rules before building a day around Pumphouse, State Bridge, Radium, or nearby ramps.
- Use the Catamount RiverReports and USGS gauges for this middle-river plan.
- Separate float access from wade access before choosing flies or timing.
- Check seasonal confluence closures and late-summer temperature risk.
- Use the upper or lower Colorado pages for Parshall/Kremmling or Glenwood.
Why the score looks this way
FlowUse caution
USGS shows 905 cfs with a stable over about 6 hours trend. Today's flow is below the normal seasonal range, which begins near 1,030 cfs. This is below normal, so edge depth, temperature, and pressure matter.
Target choiceUse caution
Coldwater targets are a poor choice in this heat window, but warmwater targets may still be reasonable where legal and ethical.
Water temperatureUse caution
USGS water temperature is about 72F. Do not pressure trout or salmonids in warm water.
Best mode nowUse caution
Float: A float can fit better than wading only if launches, shuttle, boat skill, wind, and local rules all check out.
SeasonHelps score
Summer: Caddis, PMDs, stones, and terrestrials matter when temperatures remain safe.
Read the water
What changes the plan.
The middle Colorado is best when flow, clarity, temperature, and access logistics all line up. Float days need ramp planning; wade days need public-boundary awareness and safe water.
Low clear flow
Use longer leaders, careful boat positioning, and lighter nymph rigs.
Medium float flow
A good window for bank streamers, dry-droppers, and nymphing from boat or shore.
High runoff
Use professional judgment for floating and avoid unsafe wading.
Warm late summer
Check water temperature and any CPW voluntary or emergency guidance before targeting trout.
Your trip plan
Know when to go—and when to skip it.
Best flows
Use the Catamount trend more than any single target number. Stable or slowly dropping flows are the clearest fit for both floats and edge wading, while high runoff, abrupt changes, or late-summer warmth should move you toward a backup river or a shorter bank-only plan.
When to skip
Skip the trip when runoff or weather makes a float feel reactive instead of planned, when ramp or shuttle logistics are unresolved, when late-summer water temperatures look hard on trout, or when every public access point is already operating at peak recreation pressure.
Local plan
Choose one anchor section before loading the truck: Pumphouse when you want the classic public launch and upstream feel, State Bridge when you want a downstream shuttle target, or Catamount when you want to key the day off the lower part of this middle-river corridor. Build the flies and shuttle around that decision instead of around a generic Colorado River idea.
Backup water
If the middle Colorado is too warm, too busy, or too pushy, pivot to the upper Colorado for a different public-river day or to the Blue River if you need a colder tailwater backup with a more wade-focused plan.
Hatches & flies
Bring a flexible box.
TimingWhat to watchUseful flies
WinterMidges, small baetisZebra midge, RS2, small pheasant tail
Fly pattern · report suggests “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 ↗
Fly pattern · report suggests “RS2”RS2Start with the beadless architecture: two dark-dun Microfibett tails separated behind a slim, tightly twisted and visibly segmented dubbed abdomen; a fuller thorax; and saddle-hackle web clipped into a short angled wing bud. Rim Chung's original-style form uses natural beaver dubbing and hackle web. CDC- or Antron-wing ties, beads, curved hooks, flash, and tailless Avatar-style flies must remain labeled variations.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 1 more reviewed guide in the Fly Box SpringBWOs, caddis, stonesBWO emerger, caddis pupa, stonefly nymph, soft hackle
Fly family · report suggests “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 ↗
Fly family · report suggests “caddis pupa”Caddis Pupa PatternsCaddis pupa is a life-stage family. Curved bodies, wing pads, legs, beads, and soft-hackle collars differ among exact patterns and must be labeled.See family guide ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box SummerCaddis, PMDs, golden stones, terrestrialsElk hair caddis, PMD, stimulator, chubby, hopper
Fly pattern · report suggests “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 ↗
Fly family · report suggests “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 ↗+ 3 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box FallBWOs, midges, October caddisBWO dry, RS2, October caddis, streamer
Fly family · report suggests “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 ↗Fly pattern · report suggests “RS2”RS2Start with the beadless architecture: two dark-dun Microfibett tails separated behind a slim, tightly twisted and visibly segmented dubbed abdomen; a fuller thorax; and saddle-hackle web clipped into a short angled wing bud. Rim Chung's original-style form uses natural beaver dubbing and hackle web. CDC- or Antron-wing ties, beads, curved hooks, flash, and tailless Avatar-style flies must remain labeled variations.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box 01
Choose float or wade access before choosing a fly plan.
02
Use the Catamount gauge for this middle-river page.
03
Work banks and current breaks from a boat during medium flows.
04
Stay off private banks unless access is clearly public.
05
Check temperature before late-summer catch-and-release trout fishing.
Rules & closures
Check the official rules before you go.
Open the agency page to confirm the exact river section, species, season, tackle rules, limits, and emergency closures.
Official links checkedRules for this river or sectionNo special rule found
We did not find a special rule for this river.
We checked the state source but did not find a clearly supported exception for this river. Check the official rules for the exact section you plan to fish.
Rules checkedJul 30, 2026
Report a correction ↗Always follow the official rule
This summary helps with trip planning. The linked agency rule is the one you must follow.
Updates from anglers
What anglers are seeing.
Recent observations from general areas of Colorado River Middle Colorado. We review every update before it appears and never publish exact fishing spots, private access details, or photo locations.
Angler updates are not loading right now.
You can still use the river plan above. Check back later for recent observations from other anglers.
Where this report comes from
Open the sources we checked.
Fishing guidance checked: May 31, 2026
Site check: Jul 14, 2026. We regularly test report links, live scores, flow and weather data, and page loading. The content date changes only when the fishing guidance or its sources change.
flowRiverReports: Colorado River at Catamount BridgeflowUSGS monitoring location: Colorado River at Catamount BridgeaccessBLM Pumphouse Recreation AreaaccessBLM State Bridge Recreation SitebackgroundColorado Parks and Wildlife Colorado RiverregulationColorado fishing special regulationssafetyNational Weather Service forecast point near Catamount
Common questions
Before you leave.
What does Middle Colorado mean here?+
This page is scoped to the Pumphouse, Radium, State Bridge, and Catamount planning corridor.
Should I float or wade?+
Both can work, but access, flows, and private banks make that decision reach-specific.
Which gauge should I use?+
Use the RiverReports and USGS Catamount Bridge flow for this middle-river page.
What is the main summer risk?+
Warm water and low flows can stress trout, so carry a thermometer and check CPW guidance.