October Fly Fishing Report: Upper Colorado River Near Kremmling

Welcome to the Upper Colorado Near Kremmling, where the trout are hungry, and the water’s as wild as your casting arm! 

Updated: October 30, 2025

Cold, clear, and honest. The upper Colorado near Kremmling is rewarding tight drifts and punishing lazy ones. Post-spawn browns are sliding back into walking-speed seams, BWOs pop on cloud cover, and streamers move fish when shadows stretch.

Midday sun is warming the soft edges just enough to open a BWO window. Clear water and light flows are why nymphs score higher than dries right now; streamers play late with slow, short strips.

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Conditions at a Glance

Flow: 115 CFS ↓
Water Temp: 38°F →
Air Temp (5-day): 22–54°F →
Clarity: Clear
Pressure: Low to Moderate
Best Times: 10:30 AM–3:00 PM
Dry Fly Score: ⭐⭐⭐
Nymph Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Streamer Score: ⭐⭐⭐

Top Flies

Dry Flies

• BWO Sparkle Dun #20–22; dry-dropper on 6X; dead-drift in slow tailouts during cloud cover.
• Parachute Adams #20; single on long leader; pick off sippers along inside seams.
• Griffith’s Gnat #22; single on 6X; tiny midge clusters mid-afternoon in eddies.

Nymphs

• Barr’s Emerger Olive #20; dropper 10–12 in behind PT; mid-column during the BWO pulse.
• Beadhead Pheasant Tail #18; lead fly with micro shot; walk-speed seams below riffles.
• RS2 Gray #22; trailer on 6X; lift at the end for soft takes.

Streamers

• Mini Dungeon Olive #8–10; single on 3X; slow swing tight to undercut banks near shade.
• Slumpbuster Natural #10; short strips across boulder seams; pause twice as long as you want to.
• Goldie #6; low-light flash along rock walls and confluences.

October Hatch List

• Blue-Winged Olive (#20–22) | Size ★★★☆☆ | When: 11 AM–2 PM (best on clouds) | How: film emergers, soft-hackle swing through the drift line
• Midges (#22–24) | Size ★☆☆☆☆ | When: all day in back eddies | How: double-midge nymph rig, tiny lifts to trigger
• October Caddis (#14) | Size ★★★★★ | When: 4–6 PM in sun-warmed pockets | How: skate or twitch along foam lines and banks

Tips for this stretch

Short casts beat long drifts; keep leaders 12–14 ft and stay low on approach. Start with two nymphs late morning, switch to a single emerger when noses show, then work a small streamer as shadows hit the bank.

Access Points

Pumphouse Recreation Area; classic riffle-run seams with mid-river slots, easy wading and lots of structure
Radium; boulder fields and cutbanks perfect for streamers, lighter traffic off the main pull-ins
Trough Road pull-offs; quick-hit wades to soft inside seams and shallow pocket water upstream

Local regulations and notes

Artificial flies and lures only in most reaches; check segment regs. Browns are mostly post-spawn—avoid clean gravel redds. Morning frost makes banks slick; wade conservatively at low flows.

FAQ on this spot

Q: Best time window right now?
A: Late morning through early afternoon when seams warm and BWOs move.
Q: Indicator or euro?
A: Yarn or euro both work; keep it subtle and tight.
Q: Are streamers worth it?
A: Yes, smaller patterns in low light with slow swings.
Q: What tippet?
A: 6X for BWOs and emergers, 5X for nymph rigs, 3X for streamers.
Q: Float or wade?
A: Both—flows are low; rafts do better than drift boats.
Q: Wind plan?
A: Shorten leader to 10–11 ft, go nymphs with slightly bigger indicator.
Q: Sight-fishing possible?
A: Yes—clarity is excellent; target inside seams and tailouts.
Q: Any closures?
A: None reported between Pumphouse and Radium as of today.

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