Valley Wide Fishing Report 4/28-5/11
ROARING FORK VALLEY COMPLETE FLY FISHING REPORT April 28 – May 11, 2026 GoneFishingColorado.com 2026 WATERSHED OVERVIEW: A HISTORIC FISHING WINDOW The Roaring Fork Valley has settled into low, clear, and astoundingly fishable conditions that would normally not arrive until mid-summer. That means you’re getting the best of both worlds: spring hatches firing on schedule while the rivers remain perfectly wadeable, clear as gin, and uncrowded. The Roaring Fork at Glenwood Springs ran at approximately 358 CFS on April 23 according to USGS gauge 09085000. Well below the typical late April average, which translates to wide open wading, visible fish, and technical presentations that reward preparation. The Fryingpan saw Bureau of Reclamation bump flows to 205 CFS as of April 25, clearing nicely after that bump and fishing at a strong 7 out of 10. The key strategic context for the next two weeks: do not expect a traditional spring blowout. The Colorado Basin River Forecast Center projected the Roaring Fork’s peak runoff near 2,000 CFS, a fraction of the 6,000/7,000 CFS seen in a normal year. What runoff there is may have already largely passed. Rivers could tick up modestly with warm temperatures, but blowing out is unlikely. Fish through May with confidence. CURRENT CONDITIONS AT A GLANCE. RIVER / SECTION FLOW (CFS) CLARITY WATER TEMP OVERALL RATING Roaring Fork – Glenwood Springs ~358 CFS Clear 46°F ★★★★ 8/10 Roaring Fork – Basalt (Middle) ~175 CFS Clear 44–46°F ★★★★ 7/10 Fryingpan – Upper ~205 CFS Clearing 44°F ★★★★ 7/10 Fryingpan – Middle & Lower ~205 CFS Clear 44–46°F ★★★★ 7/10 Lower Colorado (Glenwood–Rifle) ~1,130 CFS Clear 44–46°F ★★★★ 7/10 Crystal River – Redstone area ~80–120 CFS Clear–Clearing 42–44°F ★★★ 6/10 USGS Gauges: Roaring Fork at Glenwood – 09085000 • Fryingpan below Ruedi – 09080400 • Crystal near Redstone – 09081600 • Colorado below Glenwood – 09085150 ROARING FORK RIVER The Roaring Fork is one of Colorado’s finest and most diverse freestone fisheries, running 70 miles from Independence Pass above Aspen all the way to its confluence with the Colorado River in Glenwood Springs. It is home to wild browns, rainbows, and cutthroat trout, and is Gold Medal designated from the Fryingpan confluence at Basalt downstream to Glenwood. Right now, all three sections are fishing at or above expectations for late April. UPPER ROARING FORK — Aspen to Basalt USGS FLOW~18 CFS (near Aspen) CLARITYCrystal Clear WATER TEMP38–42°F RATING5/10 — Technical The upper Fork above Basalt is running at a thin trickle with flows around 18 CFS near Aspen (USGS gauge 09073400). Do not let that number discourage you. The deeper holding pools and pocket water along this stretch are stacked with fish that have concentrated into every available piece of soft, slow water, and there is almost nobody out here fishing them. Approach is everything in these conditions. Stay low, wade gingerly, keep your shadow off the water, and present flies with the shortest amount of leader and line possible. Midges are the dominant food source, with occasional Blue Winged Olives on warmer, overcast afternoons. Strikes will be subtle — watch your indicator or leader butt like a hawk. RECOMMENDED FLY PATTERNS Nymphs Stott’s Raisinette #20, Tungsten Rainbow Warrior #20–22, BTS Baetis #20–22, Sparklewing RS2 #20–22, Pulsating Midge Emerger #20, Jigged Hot Orange Bead CDC PT #18–20, Flashtail Mini Egg Orange #18, Beadwing Midge Emerger Grey #20–22 Dries Dorsey’s Midge Emerger #22, Antonio’s Hi-Vis Quill Midge #20, Solitude Hatching Midge Black #22, Bill Fitzsimmons Trailing Shuck Midge #22–26 Streamers Craven’s Swim Coach, Barr’s Slumpbuster (small, natural), Carlton Banks, Craven’s Baby Gonga, Tim Heng’s Autumn Splendor Tippet 5X–6X fluorocarbon — err toward finer in this clarity MIDDLE ROARING FORK — Basalt to Carbondale USGS FLOW~175 CFS (at Basalt) CLARITY:Clear WATER TEMP: 44–46°F RATING: 7/10 Excellent The middle river is fishing superbly right now. The Fryingpan confluence at Basalt injects cold, nutrient-rich tailwater that keeps the middle Fork in prime condition well into summer — and with the low-snowpack year keeping flows down, clarity is exceptional and wading is wide open. Access the river along Highway 82 and via the Rio Grande Trail for miles of walk-wade opportunity. Blue Winged Olives are firing on overcast afternoons with increasing regularity. Water temperatures reaching 44–46°F are the ignition point for BWO emergences, and fish are actively rising in the slower seams and tailouts when the hatch comes off. Mornings call for a deep nymph rig with stonefly and midge patterns; after 11 AM be ready to switch to a dry or dry-dropper if you see any cloud cover. The streamer bite on big browns is also highly productive in low light. Watch the Crystal River confluence at Carbondale for any color dumped into the lower middle river after warm days or rain. RECOMMENDED FLY PATTERNS Nymphs Jigged Tungsten Red-Tie PT #18–20, Tungsten 2-Bead Nymph Olive #18, Jigged Iron Lotus #18, Jigged Hare’s Ear #16–18, Stott’s Juggernaut #20, Stott’s Raisinette #20, Barr’s Emerger #18–22, Neon Nightmare #22–24, Bling Midge Charcoal/Tan #20–24, Flash Egg #18 Dries TC Sparkledun BWO #18–22, Harrop’s CDC Biot Dun BWO #20–22, Parachute Adams #18–20, Sprout Midge #20–22, Antonio’s Hi-Vis Midge #22–24, McCannel’s Massacre Midge #22–24, Dorsey’s Midge Emerger #22–24 Streamers Tungsten Double Mint, Tungsten Thin Mint, Craven’s Baby Gonga, Carlton Banks, Circus Peanut, Tim Heng’s Autumn Splendor Dry-Dropper Coachman Trude #14–16 or Chubby Chernobyl #14 with Jigged Hare’s Ear or RS2 #18–20 trailing 14″ back Tippet 5X fluorocarbon for nymphing; 5X–6X copolymer for dry fly work LOWER ROARING FORK — Carbondale to Glenwood Springs USGS FLOW~358 CFS (Glenwood) CLARITY: Clear WATER TEMP: 46°F RATING: 8/10 — Prime The lower Fork from Carbondale to Glenwood Springs is the star of the valley right now. Flows sitting around 358 CFS at the Glenwood USGS gauge make this stretch extremely accessible to wade anglers — normally this section requires a drift boat except at low summer flows. The Rio Grande Trail provides walk-in access to miles of prime water, and Two Rivers Park in Glenwood gives good public wading at the Colorado