The Eagle is a winter workhorse when it is running clear. It is not flashy this time of year, but it is consistent if you fish the right water and keep your drifts short and clean. Think inside seams, softer buckets, and any walking-speed lane that lets trout feed without spending calories.

Updated: January 29, 2026

Winter has stripped the Eagle down to its essentials. Clear water, exposed structure, and fish that will eat only when conditions line up. This is not a numbers game right now. It is a timing game. When the sun finds the water and the wind stays honest, the river softens just enough to make sense.

Ignore the fast water and forget the shallow riffles. This week is about slow seams, inside bends, and depth you can actually hold a fly in. If you are moving every ten minutes or changing flies every cast, you are doing it wrong. Set up, slow down, and wait for the window to open.

• Flow: 150 CFS (Eagle River Below Gypsum gauge)
• Water Temperature: No Data
• Air Temperature: No Data
• Wind: No Data
• Clarity: Clear
• Crowds: Low
• Primary Hatch: Midges
• Best Window: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Overall Rating: Good for winter technical nymphing
  

Gypsum Colorado Weather

Expect cold overnight lows and limited early sunlight through canyon sections. Calm, sunny afternoons fish best. Wind and cloud cover shorten feeding windows quickly.

Zebra Midge 18 to 22

Black Beauty 18 to 22

RS2 gray 18 to 22

Pheasant Tail 16 to 18

Small Stonefly Nymph 16 to 18

Mini Leech black or olive 10 to 12

The Yampa in winter is a quiet operator. It does not do big hatches or loud signals, but it will absolutely reward anglers who fish clean, fish small, and keep moving. When the river is clear and stable like this, you are hunting seams and soft edges, not trying to force a bite out of dead center current.

Updated: January 29, 2026

If you show up without a plan, the Yampa can feel like ice, wind, and missed opportunity. But if you hit the midday window, dial your depth, and fish small, the Yampa in winter gives up solid trout — even when other rivers feel dead.

Right now, real river data tells the story: shallow winter flows mean fish are bunched, selective, and feeding thinly but consistently near soft edges and deep lanes. The anglers who read the gauge and fish precision rigs are catching fish; everyone else is watching from the bank.

(Latest from USGS Gauge USGS-09239500; note: ice can affect instantaneous data)

Flow (CFS): Ice-affected / currently not reporting stable discharge (gauge showing ice conditions) — typical for winter at this site below Steamboat Springs

Water Temperature: Near 0.1°C (~32°F) as last recorded before ice influence

Air Temperature: Teens to low 30s (based on local winter conditions)

Clarity: Clear (typical for winter Yampa)

Crowds: Light, even on weekends

Best Window: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Fishing Focus: Winter nymphing with tiny midges and subtle baetis patterns

Note: USGS gauge conditions in winter are often “ice affected” — meaning the river is cold enough that the gauge doesn’t always report continuous discharge. You can expect low winter flows typical for this time of year with fish holding in slow seams and deeper runs.

Expect hard overnight freezes and slow morning starts. Calm, sunny afternoons offer the most consistent feeding, especially when wind stays light. Wind near the flat meadow sections can shut the bite early, arget midday calm.

• Zebra Midge 18 to 22
• Black Beauty 18 to 22
• RS2 gray or black 18 to 22
• WD-40 18 to 22
• Small Pheasant Tail 16 to 18
• Mini Leech black 10 to 12

• Indicator: Small yarn or minimal pinch-on
• Lead Fly: Black Beauty or RS2 20 to 22
• Dropper: Zebra Midge or Top Secret Midge 22 to 24
• Weight: One small BB placed 10 to 14 inches above the lead fly
• Target Water: Slow inside seams, deep winter runs, and soft tailouts

The Blue River below Green Mountain Reservoir is a true winter tailwater. Cold, clear releases, steady flows, and trout that expect you to get everything right. This stretch does not give away free eats, but if you slow down and fish with intent, it will absolutely produce.

Updated: January 29, 2026

The Blue River below Green Mountain is holding in a stable winter tailwater pattern. Flows are steady, water clarity is excellent, and trout are holding deep along seams, inside bends, and slower walking-speed lanes. Feeding activity is subtle but dependable during short midday windows.

This week’s Blue River fly fishing report below Green Mountain emphasizes precision. Trout are present and feeding, but sloppy depth control or rushed drifts shut things down quickly.

(Real-time USGS data from site USGS-09057500)

Flow (CFS): ~120 cubic feet per second as of Jan 29, 2026 — a solid winter tailwater flow for this stretch

Water Temperature: Not reported in real-time, but typically upper 30s to low 40s °F this time of year based on local winter patterns and similar gauges

Air Temperature: Generally low 20s to mid-30s in the canyon corridor on clear days (weather patterns)

Clarity: Clear (tailwater below major reservoir, typical winter clarity)

Crowds: Light to moderate near the dam access and canyon trailheads

Best Window: 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. — midday warmth triggers more active feeding

Fishing Focus: Winter nymphing with midges, baetis, and mysis-style subsurface patterns

Expect hard overnight freezes and limited early sunlight. Calm, sunny afternoons fish best. Wind shuts down feeding quickly on this stretch.

Black Beauty #20–24

Top Secret Midge #20–22

Zebra Midge (black or red) #20–22

RS2 gray or black #20–22

Mysis Shrimp imitation #16–20

Mini Leech #12–14 (for deeper water)

Small and precise patterns win here — especially under winter conditions with low light and cold water.

• Indicator: Yarn or tight-line presentation
• Lead Fly: Small Pheasant Tail or WD-40 18 to 20
• Dropper: Zebra Midge or Black Beauty 20 to 22
• Weight: Light and precise, adjusted often
• Target Water: Inside bends, slow tailouts, and deep winter seams
  Pro Rig of the Week: Green Mountain Deep Slot Rig

The Colorado River does not behave like a single fishery in winter. From the open valley near Kremmling, through Glenwood Canyon, and into the wider lower river near Grand Junction, conditions shift steadily downstream. Water temperature, flow character, and feeding behavior all change, sometimes dramatically, within a single day’s drive.

This combined Colorado River report gives you a realistic read on what each section is doing right now, where winter fishing is most consistent, and how to approach the river without guessing.

Updated: January 27, 2026

The Colorado River is locked into a stable winter pattern. Upper sections remain cold and technical, mid-river canyon stretches are the most consistent, and lower sections near Grand Junction offer the longest feeding windows. Midday remains the only dependable window across all stretches, with midges driving nearly all feeding activity.

This is a depth-and-drift fishery right now. Clean pre

The Arkansas River fishes like three very different rivers in winter. Elevation, flow control, and valley shape create distinct conditions as you move downstream, and success depends on matching your approach to the section you’re fishing.

This combined Arkansas River report breaks down overall winter conditions, then drills into upper, middle, and lower river behavior, so you know where the Arkansas is fishing best right now and how to approach it without guessing.

Updated: January 27, 2026

The Arkansas River is holding in a stable winter pattern across all sections. Upper reaches are cold and technical, middle sections offer the most consistent winter fishing, and lower stretches provide softer water with longer feeding windows. Midges dominate throughout, and trout are holding deep and predictable.

This is a finesse fishery right now. Depth control, quiet approaches, and realistic expectations matter more than fly variety.

The Gunnison River in winter is not one river. It is three very different fisheries tied together by cold water, short feeding windows, and trout that punish sloppy decisions. The Upper Gunnison, Black Canyon, and Lower Gunnison all stay open and fishable through winter, but each demands a different approach.

This is not a place to improvise. If you understand where to fish, when to fish, and how slow is slow enough, the Gunnison quietly rewards you. Miss the window and it feels lifeless.

Updated: January 26, 2026

Across the system, flows are low and stable, clarity is excellent, and winter has fully settled in. Overnight freezes push trout into deeper, slower water, and feeding windows compress into a predictable midday band. Pressure is light overall, especially outside the Upper Gunnison corridor.

This is precision fishing season.

Deckers in winter is simple: midges, clear water, and trout that have a graduate degree in spotting mistakes. We break down the conditions, the highest-percentage water, and how to fish small without turning your rig into a crime scene.