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Big Thompson River

Latest Guide Report

06-10-2019

Report by: Randy Hanner

The flows at the tailwater were pretty fast running at 360cfs. We weighted up, and dredged sow bugs and rs2s. We did get pretty consistent strikes and landed one really nice brown in some of the slowest moving water we could find. Other areas were pretty tough to find fish consistently.

Guide Rating
/5
Weather Experienced

Partly-Cloudy
Temperature:
Wind Conditions: Calm
Precipitation: None
Water Observations

Light-Stain
Water Temperature:
Flow Level: CFS
Runoff? Light-Stain

Big Thompson River Water Flow Graphs

CFS Graph Currently Unavailable

The government datasource for the current flow is currently unavailable. Please try again shortly.

About Big Thompson River Fly Fishing

Starting as a mere trickle on the east side of the Continental Divide, inside Rocky Mountain National Park, the Big Thompson flows from Forest Canyon Pass near the top of Trail Ridge Road through Forest Canyon. As small drainages offer additional snowmelt, the Big Thompson picks up volume, turning into one of Colorado’s finest streams.

The Big Thompson becomes fishable at Moraine Park in Rocky Mountain National Park, about six miles downstream of its headwaters. It’s there at Moraine Park, where the river splits into numerous braids and channels, that fisherman encounter the river’s first public access. Trails leading up and down the river from that point will lead you to great flyfishing experiences.

Moraine is a wide-open area, but the Big Thompson’s banks are lined with willows. It’s typical small stream conditions, and the river is filled with, you guessed it, brook, brown, and cutthroat trout in the 6- to 12-inch range. They’ll readily take a variety of general attractor flies.