Hatchwise
Where to fish right now
27 rivers near Brighton, CO · ranked by Fishability Score · evening flies
Data as of Aug 10, 7:50 PM MT · refreshes automatically
HOT RIGHT NOW
🏆 #1 PICK — BIG T TAILWATER, FISHING VERY GOODBig Thompson (below Lake Estes)· 50 mi · ~1h 15m · Tailwater · Fishing WellScud #16 + downsized baetis #20 trailer•🎉 #2 — DECKERS/CHEESMAN REBOUND — BACK TO ~295 CFSSouth Platte — Deckers / Cheesman· 70–78 mi · ~1h 35m+ · Tailwater · Fishing WellTrico #22 AM · girdle bug + PMD nymph trailer•🆙 #3 — POUDRE — RUNOFF OVER, BUGS EVERYWHERECache la Poudre· 55 mi · ~1h 25m · Freestone · Fishing WellChubby Chernobyl #8 + green drake/caddis #14 dropper•💪 #4 — N. FORK S. PLATTE — 'FISHING EXCELLENT'North Fork South Platte (Bailey)· 60 mi · ~1h 25m · Freestone · Fishing WellSan Juan Worm #14 + flashy PT #18 dropper•🔥 #5 — BOULDER CREEK — FISHING EXCELLENT, CLOSEBoulder Creek· 30 mi · ~45m · Freestone · Fishing WellHi Viz No See Um BWO + Zebra Midge dropper•💧 #6 — WATERTON, CLOSEST CLEAN COLD TAILWATERSouth Platte — Waterton Canyon· 38 mi · ~50m · Tailwater · Fishing WellParachute BWO #20 + RS2 #22 dropper•🚀 #7 — CLEAR CREEK — CLOSEST FREESTONE, FISH IT EARLYClear Creek· 25 mi · ~35m · Freestone · Fishing WellAmy's Ant #14 + RS2 #18 dropper•🐟 #8 — S. BOULDER BIG BROWNS — COLD RELEASESouth Boulder Creek (below Gross)· 35 mi · ~1h · Tailwater · Fishing WellSteve's Sipper Dun BWO + Tag Perdigon dropper•🌱 #9 — HEAT-PROOF SPRING CREEKSouth Fork S. Platte (Hartsel)· 95 mi · ~2h 10m · Spring Creek · Fishing WellZebra Midge #20 + Scud #16 dropper•🏔️ #10 — HIGH COUNTRY ALL OPEN — RMNP SMALL-STREAM SEASONFall River / Glacier Cr / M. St. Vrain· 45–70 mi · RMNP & Indian Peaks · Fishing Well / FairStimulator #14 + Hare's Ear #16 dropper•🏆 #1 PICK — BIG T TAILWATER, FISHING VERY GOODBig Thompson (below Lake Estes)· 50 mi · ~1h 15m · Tailwater · Fishing WellScud #16 + downsized baetis #20 trailer•🎉 #2 — DECKERS/CHEESMAN REBOUND — BACK TO ~295 CFSSouth Platte — Deckers / Cheesman· 70–78 mi · ~1h 35m+ · Tailwater · Fishing WellTrico #22 AM · girdle bug + PMD nymph trailer•🆙 #3 — POUDRE — RUNOFF OVER, BUGS EVERYWHERECache la Poudre· 55 mi · ~1h 25m · Freestone · Fishing WellChubby Chernobyl #8 + green drake/caddis #14 dropper•💪 #4 — N. FORK S. PLATTE — 'FISHING EXCELLENT'North Fork South Platte (Bailey)· 60 mi · ~1h 25m · Freestone · Fishing WellSan Juan Worm #14 + flashy PT #18 dropper•🔥 #5 — BOULDER CREEK — FISHING EXCELLENT, CLOSEBoulder Creek· 30 mi · ~45m · Freestone · Fishing WellHi Viz No See Um BWO + Zebra Midge dropper•💧 #6 — WATERTON, CLOSEST CLEAN COLD TAILWATERSouth Platte — Waterton Canyon· 38 mi · ~50m · Tailwater · Fishing WellParachute BWO #20 + RS2 #22 dropper•🚀 #7 — CLEAR CREEK — CLOSEST FREESTONE, FISH IT EARLYClear Creek· 25 mi · ~35m · Freestone · Fishing WellAmy's Ant #14 + RS2 #18 dropper•🐟 #8 — S. BOULDER BIG BROWNS — COLD RELEASESouth Boulder Creek (below Gross)· 35 mi · ~1h · Tailwater · Fishing WellSteve's Sipper Dun BWO + Tag Perdigon dropper•🌱 #9 — HEAT-PROOF SPRING CREEKSouth Fork S. Platte (Hartsel)· 95 mi · ~2h 10m · Spring Creek · Fishing WellZebra Midge #20 + Scud #16 dropper•🏔️ #10 — HIGH COUNTRY ALL OPEN — RMNP SMALL-STREAM SEASONFall River / Glacier Cr / M. St. Vrain· 45–70 mi · RMNP & Indian Peaks · Fishing Well / FairStimulator #14 + Hare's Ear #16 dropper•
Ask Your Guide — Cody
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Hey — I'm Cody. Ask me where to fish today, what to throw, or the right rig, and I'll answer from the live river data on this dashboard.
Rivers Tracked
27
within reach of Brighton, CO
Fishing Well Now
18
Fishability Score 80+
Fair / Picky
8
score 60–79 — technical
Tough / Blown
1
score under 60
Closest Quality Water
38 mi
South Platte — Waterton Canyon · 50m
Live USGS Gauges
12
reporting live right now
Shops Reporting
26
cited fly-shop sources
Best Bet
92
South Platte — Cheesman Canyon
Current streamflow snapshot
cfs · bar color = scoreSouth Platte — Cheesman Canyon
295
South Platte — Deckers
177
North Fork South Platte
140
Big Thompson River
125
Cache la Poudre
315
Clear Creek
63
Tarryall Creek
45
Glacier Creek (RMNP)
16
West Creek (Glenhaven)
8
South Fork South Platte (Hartsel)
35
Blue River (Silverthorne tailwater)
54
Fall River (RMNP)
28
St. Vrain Creek (Lyons / Main Stem)
14
South Platte — Dream Stream
125
Williams Fork (Parshall)
80
North St. Vrain Creek
64
Middle St. Vrain Creek
22
South Boulder Creek (below Gross Reservoir)
191
Eldorado Canyon (S. Boulder Cr. in park)
191
Eagle River — Avon
153
South Platte — Waterton Canyon
22
Colorado River — Pumphouse
682
Homestake Creek — Red Cliff
10
South Platte — Eleven Mile Canyon
2
Boulder Creek
0
Bear Creek
172
Gore Creek — Vail
15
Shaded band = each river's ideal flow range. Bars are live USGS flow where available, otherwise the sample value.
5-Day Forecast
○ Snapshot☀️
91° / 60°
10% rain
Today (Sun Jul 5) · sunny, hot, gusty PM
☀️
94° / 61°
10% rain
Mon (Jul 6) · sunny & hot
⛈️
93° / 62°
40% rain
Tue (Jul 7) · sct PM storms
⛈️
92° / 62°
40% rain
Wed (Jul 8) · sct PM storms
☀️
95° / 63°
10% rain
Thu (Jul 9) · drying, heat builds
Front Range plains (NWS/KDVR, 7/5): today (Sun Jul 5, ~91°F) sunny and hot — slightly above normal, with southerly gusts to ~25 mph in the afternoon. Monday stays sunny, dry and hot (low-to-mid 90s). Rain chances pick up Tue–Wed with scattered showers and storms (highs still low 90s), then drying Thursday — and signs of a serious western-US heatwave building for Friday into next weekend, possibly the hottest stretch of the season. Fish early; mind afternoon warm-water stress on the plains freestones.
Snapshot as of Jul 5, 6:00 AM MTNWS forecast · Brighton, CO (4,985 ft)
All rivers
click a river to see its detail · click a column to sort| Trout | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92 | South Platte — Cheesman Canyon Tailwater · Wigwam Club to Deckers | 78 | 1h 50m | 295 | 47° | Fishing Well | Rainbow, Brown, occasional Cutbow | South Platte Fly Shop · live | |
| 92 | South Platte — Deckers Tailwater · Wigwam Club downstream to Trumbull | 70 | 1h 35m | 177 | 51° | Fishing Well | Rainbow, Brown | South Platte Fly Shop · live | |
| 92 | North Fork South Platte Freestone · Bailey to confluence | 60 | 1h 25m | 140 | 44° | Fishing Well | Brown, Rainbow | Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing · live | |
| 92 | Big Thompson River Tailwater · below Lake Estes / Olympus Dam to Waltonia (C&R) | 50 | 1h 15m | 125 | 45° | Fishing Well | Brown (dominant), Rainbow, Cutbow | Kirk's Fly Shop · live | |
| 92 | Cache la Poudre Freestone · canyon mouth to Stove Prairie | 55 | 1h 25m | 315 | 47° | Fishing Well | Brown, Rainbow, occasional Cutthroat | St. Peter's Fly Shop · live | |
| 92 | Clear Creek Freestone · Idaho Springs to Golden | 25 | 35m | 63 | 48° | Fishing Well | Brown (dominant), Rainbow | Rise Beyond Fly Fishing · live | |
| 92 | Tarryall Creek Freestone · below Tarryall Reservoir | 90 | 2h 5m | 45 | 47° | Fair / Picky | Brown, Rainbow, Brook | Rise Beyond Fly Fishing · live | |
| 92 | Glacier Creek (RMNP) Freestone · Bear Lake Rd · Glacier Gorge to Glacier Basin CG | 70 | 1h 50m | 16 | 44° | Fair / Picky | Brook, Cutthroat, Brown, Rainbow (rare grand-slam water) | Kirk's Fly Shop · live | |
| 92 | West Creek (Glenhaven) Freestone · Cow Creek Trailhead → 1.3 mi hike-in · RMNP boundary | 60 | 1h 30m | 8 | 44° | Fair / Picky | Brown (wild), Brook (wild) | Steve Schweitzer — A Fly Fishing Guide to Rocky Mountain National Park · live | |
| 92 | South Fork South Platte (Hartsel) Spring creek · meandering meadow water through Hartsel · South Park | 95 | 2h 10m | 35 | 48° | Fishing Well | Brown, Rainbow, Cutthroat, occasional reservoir-run trophies | The Catch and The Hatch · live | |
| 90 | Blue River (Silverthorne tailwater) Tailwater · Dillon Dam through Silverthorne | 90 | 1h 50m | 54 | 43° | Fair / Picky | Rainbow, Brown | Cutthroat Anglers · live | |
| 90 | Fall River (RMNP) Freestone · Horseshoe Park, Estes Park, RMNP east side | 65 | 1h 35m | 28 | 43° | Fishing Well | Brook (eager), Brown (lower), occasional Rainbow | Kirk's Fly Shop · live | |
| 89 | St. Vrain Creek (Lyons / Main Stem) Freestone · main stem through Lyons after the forks join | 30 | 45m | 14 | 47° | Fishing Well | Brown, Rainbow, Brook (upper) | Rocky Mountain Anglers · live | |
| 88 | South Platte — Dream Stream Tailwater · Spinney Mtn Reservoir to Eleven Mile Reservoir | 95 | 2h 15m | 125 | 42° | Fair / Picky | Rainbow (post-spawn), Brown, Cutthroat, resident + transient | South Platte Fly Shop · live | |
| 88 | Williams Fork (Parshall) Tailwater · Williams Fork Res. to Colorado River | 100 | 2h 15m | 80 | 42° | Fair / Picky | Brown (dominant), Rainbow | Cutthroat Anglers · live | |
| 86 | North St. Vrain Creek Freestone · Wild Basin (RMNP) → Allenspark down toward Lyons | 50 | 1h 15m | 64 | 41° | Fair / Picky | Brook (eager), Brown, Cutthroat (occasional) | Front Range Anglers · live | |
| 86 | Middle St. Vrain Creek Freestone · Indian Peaks Wilderness → Camp Dick / Peaceful Valley | 45 | 1h 10m | 22 | 41° | Fair / Picky | Brown, Rainbow, Cutthroat (in pools) | Front Range Anglers · live | |
| 83 | South Boulder Creek (below Gross Reservoir) Tailwater · Walker Ranch open space | 35 | 1h | 191 | 46° | Fishing Well | Rainbow, Brown, occasional Cutthroat | Front Range Anglers · Aug 10, 2026 | |
| 83 | Eldorado Canyon (S. Boulder Cr. in park) Tailwater/Freestone · Eldorado Canyon SP section of S. Boulder Cr. | 32 | 50m | 191 | 47° | Fishing Well | Rainbow, Brook, Brown (some 18"+) | Front Range Anglers · live | |
| 82 | Eagle River — Avon Freestone · Gold Medal Edwards downstream · Minturn through Avon, Edwards, Wolcott | 128 | 2h 15m | 153 | 54° | Fishing Well | Brown, Rainbow | — | |
| 73 | South Platte — Waterton Canyon Tailwater · Strontia Springs Dam to Chatfield | 38 | 50m | 22 | 49° | Fishing Well | Rainbow, Brown, Cutbow | Rise Beyond Fly Fishing · live | |
| 68 | Colorado River — Pumphouse Freestone · Upper C, Pumphouse to State Bridge · near Kremmling | 100 | 2h 15m | 682 | 67° | Fishing Well | Rainbow, Brown | — | |
| 63 | Homestake Creek — Red Cliff Freestone · below Homestake Reservoir · Gold Park to the Eagle at Red Cliff | 122 | 2h 10m | 10 | 48° | Fishing Well | Brook, Brown, Cutthroat | — | |
| 57 | South Platte — Eleven Mile Canyon Tailwater · Eleven Mile Reservoir to Lake George | 100 | 2h 20m | 2 | 47° | Fishing Well | Brown, Rainbow, Cutthroat | South Platte Fly Shop · live | |
| 57 | Boulder Creek Freestone · Boulder Canyon (Orodell down) | 30 | 45m | 0 | 45° | Fishing Well | Brown, Rainbow | Front Range Anglers · Aug 10, 2026 | |
| 57 | Bear Creek Freestone · Idledale to Morrison | 25 | 40m | 172 | 48° | Tough | Brown (dominant 8–12"), Rainbow | Front Range Anglers · Aug 10, 2026 | |
| 45 | Gore Creek — Vail Freestone · Gold Medal through Vail to the Eagle confluence at Minturn | 118 | 2h 5m | 15 | 35° | Fishing Well | Brown, Rainbow, Brook, Cutthroat | — |
Add a Colorado river
live USGS gauge searchIn season now
Midsummer — Tricos, PMDs & Terrestrials
Prime time. Cool morning Trico spinner falls, PMDs and caddis midday, and hoppers/ants all afternoon. Watch water temps in the heat — fish early and high.
Morning
Dawn – 11am
Trico spinner fall · PMDs · Midges. Trico spinner #22-24, PMD nymph #18, RS-2 #20
Afternoon
11am – 5pm
PMDs · Caddis · Yellow Sallies · Terrestrials. Hopper-dropper: Hopper #10-12 over a PMD nymph #18; Elk Hair Caddis #16
Evening
NOW5pm – dark
Caddis egg-lay · Ants/beetles · PMD spinners. Elk Hair Caddis #16, Flying Ant #18, Rusty Spinner #18
Default fly box
Top midsummer patterns across CO reports: Trico spinner #22-24, PMD nymph & dun #16-18, RS-2 #20, hopper #10-12, Elk Hair Caddis #16, Pat's Rubber Legs, Zebra Midge #22.
Rig of choice
Dry-dropper to prospect (hopper over a PMD/baetis nymph); long light leader (6-7x) for Trico risers; indicator nymph rig deep in tailwaters early morning.
Spawn etiquette
Rainbow spring spawn is over — resident summer fishery now. Don't target fish on redds; brown spawn comes in fall. Follow current CPW regulations.
Water-temp watch
Summer heat: fish early, lean on cold tailwaters midday. Stop fishing once water passes ~68°F to protect stressed trout — carry a thermometer.
Weather play
Cool, cloudy mornings = the best dry-fly windows (Tricos, PMDs). Watch afternoon thunderstorms; freestone flows can spike and stain fast after rain.
Source: Hatchwise Seasonal Guide · updated Jul 5, 2026. General seasonal patterns — verify against a current shop report before you go.
Sources & authors
About Boulder / Boulder CVB — · 1 river
Anglers Covey — · 3 rivers
AvidMax Blog — · 2 rivers
Blue Quill Angler — · 1 river
BlueStream Fly — · 2 rivers
Colorado Trout Hunters — · 2 rivers
Cutthroat Anglers — Silverthorne · 2 rivers
Dave Weller's Fly Fishing Blog — · 3 rivers
Family-Outdoors — · 1 river
FishExplorer — · 2 rivers
Fly Fish Food — · 2 rivers
Front Range Anglers — Boulder · 8 rivers
Golden Fly Shop — Golden · 1 river
Hartsel Ranch — · 1 river
Kirk's Fly Shop — Estes Park · 3 rivers
Mountain Angler — Breckenridge · 1 river
NPS — Rocky Mountain National Park — · 4 rivers
Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing — · 2 rivers
Rise Beyond Fly Fishing — · 3 rivers
Rocky Mountain Anglers — Boulder · 8 rivers
Saint Vrain Anglers TU — · 3 rivers
South Platte Fly Shop — · 4 rivers
St. Peter's Fly Shop — Fort Collins · 2 rivers
The Catch and The Hatch — · 3 rivers
Trouts Fly Fishing — Denver · 1 river
USGS Water Services — live flow & water temp (updates continuously)
Hatchwise Seasonal Guide — seasonal hatch & fly guidance · updated Jul 5, 2026 (editorial)
NOAA / National Weather Service — forecasts (connects in a later phase)
Always check current Colorado Parks & Wildlife regulations and avoid fishing to spawning fish on redds.
Live flow & water temp from USGS; fly-shop reports cited per river with their own dates. Weather & hatch factors in the Fishability Score are placeholders until wired to live sources. Always check current regulations and access before you go.