Wade · Best fit63/100
Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.
Menu
All Utah reports
Fly fishing report · West
Strawberry River Near Duchesne
A reach-honest Strawberry River report: USGS 09288180 describes the lower river near Duchesne, while the upstream WMA and its special rules are shown as a separate plan—not blended into one misleading score.
Check flow & weatherToday's river scoreLive calculation
63
Caution
Best option: Wade.
Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.
Returned dataHigh reliabilityReliability of the flow, weather, and alert data that returned.
Today's decisionMedium confidenceWater temperature not verified; do not use this score to clear warm-water risk.
Score calculated Aug 10, 12:59 AM 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 / edge63/100
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
First choose lower river or upstream WMA—then read the matching sources.
USGS 09288180 is useful for the lower Strawberry near Duchesne, but it sits downstream of Red Creek and does not measure every mile of the upstream WMA. Use the lower graph only for the lower plan; for the WMA, verify current roads, access, rules, and local temperature separately.
- USGS 09288180 provides live lower-river discharge but no live water temperature.
- The artificial-flies-and-lures and no-overnight-camping provisions apply from Red Creek near the Pinnacles upstream to Soldier Creek Dam—not to the lower gauge reach.
- The 2021 WMA plan documents the corridor but also records fire- and flood-damaged access assets; it is not proof that a parking area is open today.
- During hot or drought conditions, carry a thermometer and do not let flow alone produce a trout-safe decision.
Why this score moved
FlowUse caution
USGS shows 56 cfs with a stable over about 6 hours trend. same-date USGS history (1969-2025, 57 readings) puts normal around 87 cfs and the low-water marker near 58 cfs; today's flow is unusually low for the date. Low water can make fish spooky, warm, pressured, or concentrated; check temperature and handling risk.
Short-term weatherUse caution
The forecast has storm or heavy-precipitation risk, so timing and access matter more than the score alone.
Local scoring depthUse caution
This page is using baseline river-specific guidance while deeper local scoring is still being reviewed. Use the live sources and local checks before relying on the rating.
Best mode nowUse caution
Wade: Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.
SeasonHelps score
Early summer: Mayflies and caddis can matter as flows settle and before heat becomes limiting.
Read the water
What changes the plan.
A stable lower-river trend, cool measured water, lawful access, and a current rule check support the Duchesne plan. The upstream WMA requires its own road and access confirmation; stale source-only parking information should never become a turn-by-turn access recommendation.
Lower river stable and cool
Use the Duchesne gauge plus a local thermometer before fishing riffles, runs, and pocket edges.
Upstream WMA
Treat USGS 09288180 as downstream context only; verify WMA road, flow, temperature, and rules separately.
Rising or debris-stained
Avoid crossings and unstable banks after storms in the fire-affected basin.
Hot or drought-stressed
Fish early only if measured water is trout-safe, or choose a non-trout plan.
Field plan
Fish it with intention.
Best flows
For the lower river, favor a stable USGS trend plus a trout-safe measured temperature. For the upstream WMA, verify conditions locally rather than projecting the lower gauge upstream.
When to skip
Skip for warm water, drought stress, rising debris-stained flow, uncertain road or parking status, unlawful access, fire restriction, or emergency change.
Local plan
Choose lower or upstream before departure, use only that subreach's rule and access sources, and carry a thermometer and offline map.
Backup water
Use the Duchesne or Provo report when Strawberry temperature, access, or restoration status cannot be confirmed.
Hatches & flies
Bring a flexible box.
TimingWhat to watchUseful flies
Cold seasonsMidges and occasional small Baetis activityZebra midge, RS2, BWO emerger, small pheasant tail
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 “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 SpringBaetis, small stoneflies, and early caddis as conditions allowBWO, stonefly nymph, caddis pupa, soft hackle
Reviewed family · report says “BWO”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 “stonefly nymph”Stonefly Nymph PatternsStonefly nymph patterns generally emphasize two tails, a broad thorax, segmented abdomen, and bottom contact; rubber legs, biots, beads, and jig hooks define different exact forms.See family guide ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box Early to midsummerCaddis and mixed mayflies; timing varies by subreachElk hair caddis, PMD-style emerger, hare's ear, parachute Adams
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 ↗
Reviewed pattern · report says “hare's ear”Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear NymphStart with the material architecture, not brown color alone: a short fibrous tail, tapered rough-dubbed abdomen, open metallic rib, fuller buggy thorax, and dark wing case. A bead, flashback panel, hot spot, soft-hackle collar, jig hook, or dry-fly treatment changes the form and must stay named. The two photographed artificials are bead-head variations; the reviewed Fly Fishers International tying guide below is an unweighted Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 1 more reviewed guide in the Fly Box Late summer to fallTerrestrials, small olives, and midgesAnt, beetle, hopper-dropper, BWO, zebra midge
Reviewed family · report says “Ant”Ant PatternsAnt patterns can be foam, fur-bodied, winged, or sunken. The narrow waist and paired body lobes matter more than one material recipe.See family guide ↗
Reviewed family · report says “beetle”Beetle PatternsBeetle flies range from simple foam shells to hair-bodied and sunken forms. A rounded back and compact profile distinguish the family from ants and hoppers.See family guide ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box 01
Name the subreach before using the score: lower Duchesne gauge water or upstream WMA.
02
Measure water temperature during summer because the live USGS station does not report it.
03
Use compact nymph or dry-dropper rigs through small runs and pocket water.
04
Approach quietly where low flows and open banks expose fish.
05
Do not navigate to an old WMA parking coordinate unless Utah DWR has separately confirmed its current status.
Access & responsibility
Know the entry. Know the exit.
Utah's special rule from Red Creek near the Pinnacles upstream to Soldier Creek Dam requires artificial flies or lures and prohibits overnight camping on Division land. Those provisions do not automatically apply at the lower USGS 09288180 reach. The current guidebook, emergency changes, posted signs, and lawful-access rules are the legal authority.
Lower Strawberry near Duchesne
The USGS gauge defines the condition scope, not an access right. Use Utah stream-access guidance and confirm every entry.
Strawberry River WMA from Red Creek upstream
The 2021 plan is source-only context for the corridor. Parking coordinates and current-open status remain unverified until a newer DWR review.
Soldier Creek Dam-to-Pinnacles corridor
A special-rule and day-use planning area with remote roads; verify posted conditions rather than relying on the old asset list.
Recent reach reports
What anglers are seeing.
Moderated, river-level updates for Strawberry River Near Duchesne. Exact spots, private access notes, and private media never appear here.
No verified reach reports yet.
Be the first to share a generalized river update through the moderated BSF app flow.
Transparent sources
Check the facts behind the plan.
Editorial guidance reviewed . This date applies to access, hatches, tactics, and source notes—not today's conditions.
Active maintenance check: . BlueStreamFly checks report sources, links, live fishability inputs, and page rendering on a recurring maintenance schedule. This check does not change the material review date unless public guidance or sources changed.
flowRiverReports: Strawberry River near DuchesneflowUSGS 09288180 Strawberry River near Duchesneregulation2026 Utah Fishing GuidebookregulationUtah live guidebook revisions and emergency changesaccessUtah DWR current wildlife-management-area access guidance and mapaccessUtah DWR interactive WMA boundaries and current access mapaccessUtah stream-access guidancebackgroundUtah 2026 fish stocking recordssafetyUtah DWR 2026 drought fishing safetysafetyNational Weather Service point forecast
Common questions
Before you leave.
What water does this Strawberry River report cover?+
The lower river near USGS 09288180 at Duchesne, with the upstream Red Creek-to-Soldier Creek Dam WMA presented as a separate source and rule scope.
What should I check first before fishing Strawberry River?+
Check the lower gauge, current Utah guidebook and emergency changes, local water temperature, lawful access, WMA road status, and NWS alerts.
Is access straightforward on Strawberry River?+
Access exists, but old WMA parking and road descriptions are source-only until Utah DWR confirms current conditions; private streambed rights cannot be assumed.
Does the fishability score replace local judgment?+
No. Use it as a starting decision, then confirm the source timestamp, official rules, alerts, water temperature, visibility, and conditions at the access you actually plan to use.