Best Fly Fishing in Colorado Today: Flows, Hatches, Flies & Where to Go

Flows are dropping, bugs are hatching, and it's officially time to skip the meeting and hit the river.

There are good days, and then there are June days in Colorado. The kind where you tell yourself it’s “just a half-day,” and suddenly you’re eating gas station jerky at 9 p.m. with raccoon eyes and a GoPro full of missed hooksets. Runoff is fading, hatches are popping, and five rivers are fishing hot right now.

Here's your boots-on-the-ground breakdown of where to go, what to throw, and why the trout are calling.

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Top 5 Rivers to Fish This Week

1. South Platte River – Deckers

Flow: ~340 CFS
Clarity: a little stain = perfect cover)
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Conditions:
Deckers is doing Deckers things again. PMDs emerge late in the morning, and dry-dropper setups convert fast. Expect rising fish from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with Tricos beginning to tease early risers. Wade carefully—flows are pushy but doable.

Go-To Rig:

• Dry: Parachute PMD #18
• Dropper: Juju Baetis or RS2 #20
• Bonus: Cheesman Emerger if they're mid-column feeding

2. Clear Creek – Upstream of Tunnel 1

Flow: ~75 CFS
Clarity: 4.5/5
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Conditions:
This is the Clear Creek we dream about. Cold, clear, and loaded with hungry browns sipping dries along pocket seams. A 3-weight playground. Sneak in a size 16 stimmy with a midge dropper and you’re in business.

Go-To Rig:

• Dry: Yellow Stimi #14–16
• Dropper: Zebra Midge #20
• Bonus: Add a few split shots and swing a mini leech behind rocks

3. Arkansas River – Granite to Browns Canyon

Flow: 750–850 CFS
Clarity: 4/5
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Conditions:
Big bug buffet. Stoneflies are skittering, yellow sallies are up, and fish are keyed in on anything with rubber legs. Wading is stable below 850 CFS, and fish are stacked along the edges and drop-offs.

Go-To Rig:

• Nymph Rig: Pat’s Rubber Legs #10 + Pheasant Tail #16
• Dry-Dropper: Chubby Chernobyl + Frenchie
• Bonus: Toss a streamer mid-day along the shady bank and hold on

4. Fraser River – Winter Park Stretch

Flow: ~90 CFS
Clarity: 5/5
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Conditions:
Caddis, Green Drakes, and absolutely no people (for now). Mornings are cold but productive, with fish rising to adult drakes and hugging soft seams. This is the spot to slow down, sneak upstream, and cast like it’s a spring creek.

Go-To Rig:

• Dry: Green Drake Sparkle Dun #12
• Nymph: Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail #16
• Bonus: Ants and beetles along the brush—don’t skip terrestrials

5. Cache la Poudre – Near Fort Collins

Flow: ~300 CFS
Clarity: 3.5/5 and improving
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½

Conditions:
Water is settling and visibility is up. The Poudre is in that sweet spot where you can fish bigger bugs without scaring off every brown in the canyon. Afternoon caddis and pocket water grabs are worth the drive.

Go-To Rig:

• Dry-Dropper: Elk Hair Caddis #16 + Frenchie or Lightning Bug
• Nymph: Two-fly rig with split shot near the rocks
• Bonus: Late evening soft hackle swing sessions are 🔥

Skip These Today

• Blue River Below Dillon – Still pumping and murky.
• Big Thompson – Flows too high for consistent wading.
• Bear Creek – Finally dropping, but still borderline blown.

Dry Dropper Rigs for Colorado

Final Cast

If you’ve been waiting for the right day to fish Colorado in summer, today is the day. Bugs are coming off, trout are eating like they’ve got a dinner bell, and your inbox will still be there tomorrow.

Check the full River Whisper report for more rivers, real-time flows, and hatch charts.