Uncompahgre River Fly Fishing Report
Uncompahgre River below Ridgway Reservoir. Guides and local shops report an ideal wade-fishing window of roughly 100–400 cfs (RIGS Fly Shop). Live gauge data below updates automatically.
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What's swimming in the Uncompahgre River
- CPW's body-of-water page for the gauge fence to Cow Creek reach (below Ridgway Reservoir dam) reports a healthy Brown and Rainbow Trout fishery with some fish over 20 inches, managed catch-and-release, artificial flies and lures only (CPW Uncompahgre River).
- A 2024 Colorado River Recovery Program mark-recapture survey of this reach found no escaped triploid Walleye or Smallmouth Bass (Colorado River Recovery Program, 2024 annual report).
- Sources disagree on Gold Medal status: Troutline.co says the reach does not qualify because trout density falls just under the standard (Troutline.co), while Montrose Anglers' river report claims the stretch does qualify (Montrose Anglers) -- TroutTips treats this as unresolved and does not label the reach Gold Medal.
- Orvis and Montrose Anglers both list Rainbow, Brown and Snake River Cutthroat Trout as present year-round; the Pa-Co-Chu-Puk section has not been stocked since 2024, with a stocking pause planned through 2028 (RIGS Fly Shop).
Getting to the Uncompahgre River
- Ridgway State Park -- Pa-Co-Chu-Puk unit, CPW -- below Ridgway Dam; catch-and-release river fishing, fishing ponds, an accessible fishing pier off the paved River Walk Trail, fish-cleaning station (CPW park brochure; CPW park highlights).
- Dutch Charlie unit, CPW -- visitor center, boat ramp, Blue Heron Marina selling licenses/tackle, mandatory boat-inspection station (CPW).
- Billy Creek State Wildlife Area, Ouray/Montrose counties -- open May 1–Dec. 31 for general access, though hunting/fishing/trapping run year-round along the river corridor from Hwy 550 to 100 ft. from the east bank; river access here is difficult (CPW; CPW Billy Creek SWA).
- Immediately below Ridgway Dam: fishing prohibited except as posted, down to a fence just below the gauge station. That fence downstream to the Cow Creek confluence (the Pa-Co-Chu-Puk section): artificial flies and lures only, catch-and-release (CPW special regulations). Billy Creek SWA, downstream of that, allows all methods and harvest.
5 sourced hatch windows for the Uncompahgre River
Species, size, and season, each tied to the published fly-shop or guide-service chart it came from. See Hatch Charts for every Colorado river we track and a precision-level key.
| Species | Season Window | Size | Precision | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caddis (various) | Apr 2–Nov 1 | #10-20 | Week-level estimate | Fly Shack |
| Midges (various) | Apr 2–Dec 1 | #16-24 | Week-level estimate | Fly Shack |
| Stoneflies (various) | Jun 2–Sep 1 | #8-16 | Week-level estimate | Fly Shack |
| Pale Morning Dun | Jul 2–Sep 1 | #14-20 | Week-level estimate | Fly Shack |
| Terrestrials (various) | Jul 2–Oct 1 | #8-20 | Week-level estimate | Fly Shack |
6 fly pairings from real fishing reports
Up to 2 pairings for this river are always free to browse in full. Fly names, leader/tippet spec, and full source are unlocked by .
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Recent reports from anglers on the Uncompahgre River
Real ratings, notes, condition tags, and rig tags logged by signed-in anglers after fishing this water.
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Fly shops on the Uncompahgre River
Uncompahgre River fly fishing questions
What is a good flow (cfs) to fish the Uncompahgre River?
Guides and local shops report an ideal wade-fishing window of roughly 100–400 cfs on the Uncompahgre River (RIGS Fly Shop). TroutTips shows the live current reading against this range so you can check before you go.
Is the Uncompahgre River designated Gold Medal water?
No, the Uncompahgre River does not currently carry Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Gold Medal water designation.
What flies work on the Uncompahgre River?
TroutTips tracks 6 fly pairings reported specifically on the Uncompahgre River, each tied to a season and a real source. See the Fly Pairings section on this page for the full list.
Are there fly shops near the Uncompahgre River?
Yes, Telluride Angler / Telluride Outside, RIGS Fly Shop & Guide Service, Ed's Fly Shop, Montrose Anglers guide this river. See the Nearby Fly Shops section on this page for details.