Welcome to the Trouts Monthly Frisco/Mountain Forecast!

As much as I love the summer, I love the fall almost as much. The fall brings cooler temperatures, fewer people fishing, and some beautiful scenery here in Colorado. With lower sections of the Colorado River and others getting quite warm this summer, these cooler temperatures are much appreciated. The fishing has picked up with fall hatches sparked by the drop in temperature. The next month and a half can have some excellent fishing and weather. But also look for the first few cold fronts to start moving through the state and if you hit these right, the dry fly fishing can be quite amazing with blue-winged olive hatches.

Here are some sections I will be looking to fish in the weeks to come.

The Arkansas River Salida to Buena Vista::

The fall is a great time to fish in this area. The river is less crowded and the rafting traffic has started to subside. The fish are starting to think about finding winter lies so look for more fish to be stacking up in holding water. If you see a cold front moving through Colorado, this is the time to get here with the potential for blue-winged olive hatches.

The Upper Colorado above Kremmling:

This is a favorite section to fish in the fall! As the water cools and the first cold fronts move through Colorado, this section seems to come alive. Look for the potential of good blue-winged olive hatches as these cold fronts hit this area of Colorado. I’ve had some amazing fall dry fly fishing on these stretches and I hope you do too.

The Colorado below Kremmling:

Fall is also a favorite time of year to float the Colorado. The crowds are dwindling and the fishing starts to get good with the water temps dropping. Right now the Colorado has some silt causing some off-color conditions, but I have still been having some very successful float trips. Also, look for great dry fly fishing on cold and nasty days as cold fronts move through Colorado.

The South Platte above Eleven Mile Reservoir:

This section also known as the Dream Stream can fish great in the fall. I have vivid memories of large rainbows sipping my blue-winged olive off the surface and immediately almost jumping out of the water onto the bank. If you can hit it right, the dry fly fishing on these days can be quite spectacular with the large fish this section offers.

The Roaring Fork from Aspen to Glenwood Springs:

This river fishes so well in the fall and has become a favorite for wade or float fishing this time of year. As with the previously mentioned rivers, the cold fronts will spark the blue-winged olive hatches and the dry fly fishing can be lights out. This river just fishes dam well in the fall, with the cooling temperatures, fewer people, and the ample amount of insects the fish will be looking to fatten up on for the winter.

The Colorado at Hot Sulphur Springs- 167.8 CFS

The Williams Fork below Williams Fork Reservoir- 247 CFS

The Colorado at Kremmling- 1260 CFS

The Arkansas near Leadville- 31.1 CFS

Lake Creek below Twin Lakes- 38.5 CFS

The Arkansas at Granite- 129 CFS

The Arkansas near Nathrop- 311 CFS

The Arkansas at Salida- 304 CFS

The Roaring Fork at Aspen- 36.6 CFS

The Roaring Fork at Emma- 425 CFS

The Roaring Fork at Glenwood Springs- 627 CFS

The South Platte above Spinney Reservoir- 33.3 CFS

The South Platte above Eleven Mile Reservoir- 166 CFS

As we move into fall we are finally starting to see some normal seasonal weather trends. Look for cold fronts to move through Colorado every couple of weeks and the average temperatures as we move out of those to slowly start falling. Get out on cold and rainy days and look for blue-winged olive hatches for some great dry fly fishing. Really any day out in the Colorado fall should be hard to beat.