Blue River Report

Blue River Report

1-17-2025

Today is probably the last good day to get out, as it's looking to be a pretty chilly weekend. Expect some ice shelves to form, and below SIlverthorne the river will likely be capped by Monday. If you do venture out, bundle up and bring a spare set of clothes. Hatches have been primarily midges.

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For dries, use a Griffith's Gnat, CDC Spent Midge, Parachute Adams, Chubby Chernobyl, Quill Midge, Brook's Sprout, Purple Haze, and Hippy Stomper.


For subsurface presentation, use a UV Midge, BTS Mysis, Jigged Mysis, Zebra Midge, Globug, Roza's Neon Jig, Sculpzilla, AR's Perdigon, T-Midge, Roza's Orange, Poison Tung, Black Beauty, and a Double Dirty Hippy.

Guide Rating

5/5

Weather Experienced

- Temperature: Mid 30's

- Wind Conditions: Breezy

- Precipitation: 30% chance of snow

Water Observations

- Water Temperature: 38

- Flow Level: 53.9 CFS

- Water Clarity: Near crystal clear

About Blue River Fly Fishing

For Denver area flyfishers, the Blue River, which rests just an hour-and-a-half west of the city off I-70, is an excellent after-work and short weekend option. However, due to its location, it can suffer from crowding.

Despite its location and a good population of trout, not many people consider the Blue their favorite river. However, for those who know the Blue, “Big trout,” “Broken tippet” and “the one that came off,” are all phrases that are commonly heard as those anglers head home from the river.

It hasn’t always been that way; improvements on the Blue over the last four or five years have benefited the fishery. New catch-and-release regulations to strengthen the population of larger fish and the fact that the rainbows, browns, and brookies in this river have bellied up to a diet of seafood – a white shrimp called Mysis – have played a big part in these improvements.

The Blue below Dillon Reservoir is not a typical Colorado tailwater. In fact, fishing the Blue below Dillon is a somewhat urban experience – it flows through Silverthorne, and those fast food joints, gas stations, and factory outlet stores make a strange setting for a gold medal trout stream.