River guide · Colorado

Fly Fishing the Blue River

Below Dillon Reservoir, the Blue River drops into Silverthorne as one of Colorado's most technical tailwaters: crystal-clear, 40°F year-round, and full of educated rainbows and browns that demand small flies and light tippet. The Mysis shrimp flushed from the reservoir have grown fish to remarkable sizes, and the town-center access makes it a can't-miss stop on any I-70 corridor fishing trip.

8 shops nearby

See fly shops ↓

When to fish

Year-round

Best months: year-round

Best

Midge: year-round, dominant hatch. Mysis Shrimp: year-round subsurface staple.

Today's conditions

Where to fish

Along the Blue River

Silverthorne1 shopBreckenridge1 shop

Avon1 shopShawnee1 shop

Public access is excellent for a Colorado tailwater: the river runs through the Town of Silverthorne with multiple roadside pull-offs and a published Town of Silverthorne fishing access map. The reach behind the Silverthorne outlet stores is especially popular and fishable within walking distance of town.

The water

Tailwater

Key hatches

Blue-Winged Olive
Caddisfly
Golden Stonefly
Western Green Drake
Yellow Sally

Hatch calendar

Conditions

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6-day forecast

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Forecast from the National Weather Service ↗

Hatch calendar

Months each hatch is active on the Blue River, with hook sizes and local timing notes.
Hatch · hook	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O
Blue-winged Olive(mayflies)hook #16–20spring and fall	March	April	May				September	October
Caddisfly(caddis)hook #10–18summer evenings				June	July	August	September
Golden Stonefly(stoneflies)hook #8–10				June	July	August
Western Green Drake(mayflies)hook #10–12				June	July	August
Yellow Sally(stoneflies)hook #12–18				June	July	August
Pale Morning Dun(mayflies)hook #16–18summer					July	August	September