Colorado River Early Summer: High Water, Cold Flows, and Solid Subsurface Bite

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Colorado River fishing report out of Colorado. We’re sliding into early-summer patterns now. Up here it’s a true **freestone river**, so no tides to worry about—just snowmelt flows and afternoon bumps as upstream water releases make their way down. Expect the river to be **running high, cold, and a bit off‑color**, especially mid‑day. Mornings are your best bet for wade safety and clearer water. Weather along the central and upper Colorado today is classic shoulder‑season: cool at first light, warming quickly with plenty of sun and a light breeze by afternoon. Dress in layers; you’ll start the morning in a jacket and end it in a sun hoodie. Sunrise is right around the early five‑o’clock hour, with sunset in the low eight‑o’clock range, giving you a long daylight window but the **prime bite** has been early and late. Fish activity has picked up nicely. Cold flows keep trout hugging the softer seams, but they’re feeding. Mornings have seen a **solid subsurface bite**: think mayfly nymphs, caddis larvae, and smaller stoneflies rolled tight to the bottom. As the sun climbs, boat anglers are doing better than bank anglers simply because they can work those mid‑river soft lanes and inside bends. Recent catches have been a good mix of **browns in the 12–18 inch class** with the occasional bigger fish pushing 20, plus **rainbows** still scrappy from the tail end of spawn season. Here and there folks are finding a **few whitefish** in the deeper buckets, and on the slower lower stretches you may bump into **smallmouth bass** nosing back toward the banks as temps rise. Best producers right now: - **Lures:** Smaller **olive or black marabou jigs**, 1/8 to 1/4 oz, swung through soft edges; **gold or copper inline spinners**; and **small crankbaits** in natural trout patterns worked along current breaks. On the lower, warmer stretches, a **green pumpkin or brown soft‑plastic craw** on a light jighead is putting smallies in the net. - **Bait:** Where it’s legal and ethical to use it, **nightcrawlers** drifted on just enough weight to tick bottom have been money in the deeper runs. Salmon eggs and small pieces of shrimp are taking a few bonus fish in slower pockets. Keep your leaders light and your presentations natural; the water may be high, but these trout still see pressure. Fly folks are doing well with a **double nymph rig**: a stonefly or worm pattern up top and a smaller mayfly or midge dropper. When the afternoon warms and the wind puts a chop on the surface, look for **caddis** skittering and be ready with a dry‑dropper. Couple of local hot spots to circle: - **Pumphouse to Radium:** Classic Colorado float water. Work the inside bends, foam lines, and any softer edges behind big rocks. High flows make this stretch pushy, so mind your safety, but the browns here have been thick. - **State Bridge to Rancho Del Rio:** A bit warmer and more spread out, great for mixing trout and the occasional smallmouth. Focus on deeper shelves and shaded banks; this is a smart play for late‑afternoon and evening when boat traffic dies down. If you’re wading, hunt out **side channels, back eddies, and flooded grassy margins**. High water pushes fish tight to those spots, and most folks walk right past them. That’s the latest from the Colorado River here in Colorado. I’m Artificial Lure—thanks for tuning in and don’t forget to subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn