Yampa River Fly Fishing Report
Yampa River at Steamboat Springs. Guides and local shops report an ideal wade-fishing window of roughly 120–200 cfs (RiverReports). Live gauge data below updates automatically.
- Yampa River below Stagecoach (mandatory)Full day closure.Stagecoach Dam downstream 0.6 mile to the Stagecoach State Park boundary. CPW reach notice
- Yampa River, Sarvis Creek State Wildlife Area (voluntary)Effective immediately, a full-day voluntary fishing closure is in place on the Yampa River from the top of the Sarvis Creek State Wildlife Area (about 1.7 miles downstream of Stagecoach dam), downstream through the Bureau of Land Management stretch of the river (about 3.3 miles downstream of Stagecoach dam).
Mandatory: fishing is prohibited in the listed reach during the closure. Voluntary: CPW asks anglers not to fish the listed reach during the closure.
What's swimming in the Yampa River
No CPW fishery survey exists for the Yampa. CPW's body-of-water page describes the Hayden reach downstream of Steamboat, not the town stretch, so the notes below lean on that river-wide data plus a local TU chapter.
- CPW's river-wide page lists Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass, describing the US 40 bridge-to-Hayden reach downstream of Steamboat, most of it private property (CPW Yampa River).
- Mountain Whitefish are native to the Yampa drainage, one of only two Colorado drainages (with the White River) where whitefish occur naturally (CPW Mountain Whitefish).
- A local Trout Unlimited chapter reports Rainbow Trout through the downtown Steamboat and BLM reaches and Chuck Lewis SWA, Brown Trout in the BLM reach and Chuck Lewis SWA, and an occasional Brook Trout below Sarvis Creek (secondary source) (Yampa Valley Fly Fishers / TU).
- The in-town reach from Walton Creek downstream to the James Brown Bridge in Steamboat is catch-and-release, flies and lures only; no Gold Medal designation applies to this stretch (CPW special regulations).
Rivers and creeks that flow into the Yampa River
18 hold fish on Colorado Parks and Wildlife's records, listed from the headwaters down. Open one for where to fish and its rules.
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Bear River Brown, cutthroat and brook trout, plus 1 other species
Where to fish
Routt National Forest
CPW access point · Medium access · Stocked with young trout
About it
It joins the Yampa River at Yampa. It flows year-round. CPW also records mountain whitefish.
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Lawson Creek Brook trout
Where to fish
National forest stretch
About 7 miles up the creek · Forest Road 285.1, high-clearance
About it
It joins the Yampa River about 2 miles SE of Phippsburg. It flows year-round along most of its length.
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Morrison Creek Brook trout
Where to fish
We found no CPW access point or public-land stretch on it. Check land ownership before you fish.
About it
It joins the Yampa River about 8 miles E of the town of Oak Creek. It flows year-round.
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Sarvis Creek Brook trout
Where to fish
National forest stretch
About 15 miles up the creek · Forest Road 100.1
About it
It joins the Yampa River about 8 miles E of the town of Oak Creek. It flows year-round.
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Green Creek Brook trout
Where to fish
We found no CPW access point or public-land stretch on it. Check land ownership before you fish.
About it
It joins the Yampa River about 9 miles NE of the town of Oak Creek. It flows year-round.
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Harrison Creek Rainbow and brook trout
Where to fish
National forest stretch
About 7 miles up the creek · Forest Road 303.1, high-clearance, open Jul 1 to Dec 1
About it
It joins the Yampa River about 9 miles S of Steamboat Springs. It flows year-round.
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Oak Creek Cutthroat trout
Where to fish
National forest stretch
About 35 miles up the creek · Forest Road 949.1, high-clearance
About it
It joins the Yampa River about 4 miles S of Steamboat Springs. It flows year-round.
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Walton Creek Brook trout
Where to fish
Routt National Forest
CPW access point · Difficult access
About it
It joins the Yampa River at Steamboat Springs. It flows year-round.
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Spring Creek Brook trout
Where to fish
National forest stretch
About 6 miles up the creek · Forest Road 60.1, open Jun 15 to Dec 1
About it
It joins the Yampa River at Steamboat Springs. It flows year-round.
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Soda Creek Rainbow and brook trout
Where to fish
We found no CPW access point or public-land stretch on it. Check land ownership before you fish.
About it
It joins the Yampa River at Steamboat Springs. It flows year-round.
Show all 18
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Elk River Brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout, plus 1 other species
Where to fish
Routt National Forest
CPW access point · Medium access
Christina SWA
CPW access point · Easy access · Stocked with young trout
About it
It joins the Yampa River about 8 miles W of Steamboat Springs. CPW also records mountain whitefish.
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Trout Creek Brown, rainbow, cutthroat and brook trout
Where to fish
Routt National Forest
CPW access point · Difficult access
Flat Tops Wilderness Area
CPW access point · Difficult access
CPW special rules
From the headwaters downstream to, but not including, Sheriff Reservoir
- Artificial flies and lures only.
- Cutthroat must be returned to water immediately.
About it
It joins the Yampa River about 11 miles W of Steamboat Springs. It flows year-round.
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Smuin Gulch Cutthroat trout
Where to fish
We found no CPW access point or public-land stretch on it. Check land ownership before you fish.
About it
It joins the Yampa River about 3 miles W of Hayden. It flows seasonally along most of its length.
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Elkhead Creek Cutthroat trout
Where to fish
National forest stretch
About 51 miles up the creek · Forest Road 150.2E, high-clearance, open Jul 1 to Dec 1
About it
It joins the Yampa River about 6 miles E of Craig. It flows year-round.
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Williams Fork Smallmouth bass
Where to fish
We found no CPW access point or public-land stretch on it. Check land ownership before you fish.
About it
It joins the Yampa River about 5 miles NW of Hamilton.
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Bell Rock Gulch Bluegill, northern pike and smallmouth bass
Where to fish
We found no CPW access point or public-land stretch on it. Check land ownership before you fish.
About it
It joins the Yampa River about 6 miles NW of Hamilton. It flows seasonally along most of its length.
-
Milk Creek Cutthroat trout
Where to fish
National forest stretch
About 43 miles up the creek · Forest Road 254.1, high-clearance, open May 21 to Nov 22
About it
It joins the Yampa River about 8 miles W of Hamilton. It flows year-round.
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Little Snake River Channel catfish, northern pike and smallmouth bass
Where to fish
We found no CPW access point or public-land stretch on it. Check land ownership before you fish.
About it
It joins the Yampa River about 20 miles W of Maybell.
Show 35 more named tributaries (no CPW fish data)
These also flow straight into the Yampa River. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has no fish data for them; some may still hold fish.
- Phillips Creek
- Watson Creek
- Meadowbrook Creek
- Hunt Creek
- Whipple Creek
- Little White Snake Creek
- Raspberry Creek
- Jack Creek
- Middle Creek
- Little Morrison Creek
- Martin Creek
- Dry Creek
- McKinnis Creek
- Agate Creek
- Fish Creek
- Butcherknife Creek
- Slate Creek
- Cow Creek
- West Fork Elk River
- Cheney Creek
- Tow Creek
- Wolf Creek
- Grassy Creek
- Sage Creek
- Goose Creek
- Morgan Creek
- Dry Creek
- Fortification Creek
- Bogenschutz Creek
- Lay Creek
- Deception Creek
- Spring Creek
- Sand Creek
- Turners Creek
- Cottonwood Creek
Species and special rules are Colorado Parks and Wildlife's. Statewide rules apply everywhere. Before you fish, check land ownership, CPW's current regulations and its temporary closures for drought and low water.
How we pick these
Species are CPW's records from its Fishing Atlas. A creek missing from this list may still hold fish; CPW simply has no record for it. The list runs in the order each one joins the Yampa River, from the headwaters down, and "joins" names the nearest town to where it does on the same side of the mountains: a Census place, or a town with its own post office. Flow is how USGS maps each channel, not a live reading.
Special rules are the ones CPW writes for each creek in its Fishing Atlas. Rules CPW writes for the river itself, such as closures around a creek's mouth, are not repeated on the creek, and no directions lead into water CPW closes all year.
A national forest stretch is one that both the Forest Service's and BLM's ownership maps show as national forest for at least half a mile of the creek, with a road on the Forest Service's motor vehicle map within 500 feet; directions go to that road. Maps can be wrong and road seasons change. Away from CPW access points, check land ownership before you fish.
Getting to the Yampa River
A "Trafalgar Conservation Easement SHA" appears in CPW's mapping data for this stretch but has no dedicated access page confirming public fishing rights -- it's left out below until CPW publishes a standalone listing.
- The town section runs through a chain of city parks confirmed directly from the City of Steamboat Springs' own parks GIS: River Creek Park, Rotary Park, Fetcher Park, Bear River Park, Emerald Park, West Lincoln Park, Ski Town Lions Park, Steamboat Springs Park, Little Toots Park, Dr. Rich Weiss Park, Stockbridge Park, and Howelsen Park. Fetcher Park and River Creek Park are specifically flagged by the city as fishing spots (City of Steamboat Springs GIS).
- River Creek Park (put-in, near Walton Creek Rd./US 40) and the Stockbridge Transit Center (take-out, ~4 river miles downstream) anchor the town-section float, with Rotary and Fetcher Parks along the same mainstem in between (Friends of the Yampa).
- Four CPW SWAs cover stretches upstream and downstream of town: Chuck Lewis SWA (access prohibited sunset-to-sunrise except while hunting/fishing, no overnight parking), Steamboat Springs SWA (fishing use only, no overnight parking), Sarvis Creek SWA (camping limited to licensed hunters in season), and Yampa River SWA (boats allowed only while actively fishing/hunting) -- all require a license or SWA pass 16+ (CPW Chuck Lewis SWA; CPW Steamboat Springs SWA; CPW Sarvis Creek SWA; CPW Yampa River SWA).
- Catch-and-release stretch (not a Gold Medal designation): Walton Creek confluence downstream 4.8 miles to the James Brown (Soul Center of the Universe) Bridge in Steamboat Springs -- artificial flies and lures only, all trout released immediately. Downstream of that bridge to the Colo. 394 bridge near Craig, trout bag is 2 (CPW special regulations).
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What’s hatching on the Yampa River
15 insects, from the published hatch charts of 5 fly shops, guides and fishing sites. Tap an insect to see where its dates come from. Every river, month by month →
Hoppers & terrestrialsApr – Sep · hook #8–209 sources
Where these dates come from:
- Fly Shack “Terrestrials (various)”: Jun 15 – Aug 14 · #8-20
- The Perfect Fly Store “Terrestrials (ants, beetles, hoppers)”: no dates given
- The Catch and The Hatch “Ant patterns”: Apr – Sep (months only) · #14-18
- The Catch and The Hatch “Beetles”: May – Sep (months only) · #14-18
- The Catch and The Hatch “Hoppers”: Jun – Sep (months only) · #8-16
- The Catch and The Hatch “Flying Ants”: Aug – Sep (months only) · #14-18
- Rivus “Grasshopper / Terrestrial”: no dates given · #8-12
- Rivus “Flying Ant / Carpenter Ant”: no dates given · #10-16
- Rivus “Terrestrial Beetle”: no dates given · #10-14
CaddisApr – Oct · hook #8–229 sources
Where these dates come from:
- Fly Shack “Caddis (various)”: Jun 15 – Sep 14 · #10-22
- The Perfect Fly Store “Little Black Caddis”: Apr – May (months only)
- The Perfect Fly Store “Spotted Sedges”: Jun – Oct (months only) · size 14/16
- The Perfect Fly Store “Green Sedges”: Jul – Aug (months only)
- The Perfect Fly Store “Little Sister Caddis”: Jul – Aug (months only)
- The Perfect Fly Store “October Caddis”: Sep – Oct (months only)
- The Catch and The Hatch “Caddis”: May – Oct (months only) · #10-20
- Rivus “Caddisfly”: no dates given · #14-16
- Rivus “October Caddis”: no dates given · #8-10
Golden StonefliesJun – Aug · hook #8–143 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Perfect Fly Store “Golden Stoneflies”: no dates given
- The Catch and The Hatch “Golden Stone”: Jun – Aug (months only) · #8-14
- Rivus “Golden Stonefly”: no dates given · #8-10
Pale Morning Duns (PMD)Jun – Sep · hook #14–205 sources
Where these dates come from:
- Fly Shack “Pale Morning Dun”: Jun 15 – Aug 31 · #14-20
- The Perfect Fly Store “Pale Morning Duns”: no dates given · sizes 16/18
- Yampa Valley Fly Fishers (TU) “Pale Morning Dun”: no dates given · size 20 (winter PMD noted "the end of December")
- Yampa Valley Fly Fishers (TU) “PMD / Little Yellow Sallies / olive stoneflies”: from Jun, no end date given
- The Catch and The Hatch “Pale Morning Dun”: Jun – Sep (months only) · #14-20
SalmonfliesJun · hook #4–82 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Perfect Fly Store “Salmonflies”: Jun (months only)
- Rivus “Salmonfly”: no dates given · #4-8
StonefliesJun 1 – Aug 14 and Dec – Feb · hook #4–182 sources
Where these dates come from:
- Fly Shack “Stoneflies (various)”: Jun 1 – Aug 14 · #4-18
- The Perfect Fly Store “Winter stoneflies”: Dec – Feb (months only)
Red QuillsJun 15 – Jul 14 · hook #14–281 source
Where these dates come from:
- Fly Shack “Red Quill”: Jun 15 – Jul 14 · #14-28
Yellow SalliesJun – Aug · hook #12–183 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Perfect Fly Store “Little Yellow Stoneflies”: Jun – Jul (months only) · size 14/16
- Yampa Valley Fly Fishers (TU) “PMD / Little Yellow Sallies / olive stoneflies”: from Jun, no end date given
- The Catch and The Hatch “Yellow Sally Stonefly”: Jun – Aug (months only) · #12-18
TricosAug – Sep · hook #20–242 sources
Where these dates come from:
- Yampa Valley Fly Fishers (TU) “Trico”: Aug – Sep (months only)
- Rivus “Trico”: no dates given · #20-24
Blue-Winged Olives (BWO)Aug 15 – May 31 · hook #16–247 sources
Where these dates come from:
- Fly Shack “Blue Winged Olive (spring)”: Apr 1 – May 31 · #16-24
- Fly Shack “Blue Winged Olive (fall)”: Aug 15 – Oct 14 · #16-24
- The Perfect Fly Store “Blue-winged Olive (Baetis spp., spring)”: Mar – May (months only) · size 18
- The Perfect Fly Store “Blue-winged Olive (fall brood)”: Sep – Oct (months only) · size 18
- Yampa Valley Fly Fishers (TU) “Blue-winged olive”: Apr – May (months only)
- The Catch and The Hatch “Blue Wing Olive”: Sep – Apr (months only) · #16-24
- Rivus “Blue Winged Olive”: no dates given · #16-20
Green DrakesNo dates published1 source
Where these dates come from:
- Yampa Valley Fly Fishers (TU) “Green Drake”: no dates given
Pale Evening DunsNo dates published · hook #16–201 source
Where these dates come from:
- Rivus “Pale Evening Dun”: no dates given · #16-20
MidgesAll year · hook #16–265 sources
Where these dates come from:
- Fly Shack “Midges (various)”: Apr 1 – Nov 30 · #16-24
- The Perfect Fly Store “Midges (red/blood, cream, light green)”: Jan – Dec (months only) · sizes 20/22
- Yampa Valley Fly Fishers (TU) “Midges”: Jan – Feb (months only)
- The Catch and The Hatch “Midge”: Jan – Dec (months only) · #16-24
- Rivus “Midge”: no dates given · #20-26
Streamers & baitfishMay 15 – Nov 14 · hook #2–102 sources
Where these dates come from:
- Fly Shack “Streamers (various)”: May 15 – Nov 14 · #2-10
- The Perfect Fly Store “Sculpin (streamers)”: no dates given · sizes 4/6 and 6/4
Worms & eggsNo dates published · hook #121 source
Where these dates come from:
- The Perfect Fly Store “Aquatic worms”: no dates given · size 12
Some sources list only months, not days, so treat the dates as a guide and check conditions before you go.
8 fly pairings from real fishing reports
Browse 50 public pairings across the library. A Free account unlocks 5 more of your choice.
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Fly shops on the Yampa River
Yampa River fly fishing questions
What is a good flow (cfs) to fish the Yampa River?
Guides and local shops report an ideal wade-fishing window of roughly 120–200 cfs on the Yampa River (RiverReports). TroutTips shows the live current reading against this range so you can check before you go.
Is the Yampa River designated Gold Medal water?
No, the Yampa River does not currently carry Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Gold Medal water designation.
What flies work on the Yampa River?
TroutTips tracks 8 fly pairings reported specifically on the Yampa 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 Yampa River?
Yes, Steamboat Flyfisher, Straightline Sports, Bucking Rainbow Outfitters, Yampa Valley Anglers, Yampa River Outfitters guide this river. See the Nearby Fly Shops section on this page for details.