Fly Fishing the Roaring Fork River

One of Colorado's premier freestone fisheries, the Roaring Fork tumbles out of Independence Pass and winds through Aspen and Carbondale before hitting the Gold Medal water near Glenwood Springs: big browns and rainbows, world-class dry-fly hatches, and a river that fishes well in every season.

22 shops nearby

See fly shops ↓

When to fish

Year-round

Best months: year-round

Best

Green Drake: late June–early July. Golden Stonefly: July.

Today's conditions

Where to fish

Aspen to Glenwood Springs

Basalt4 shopsAspen4 shops

Carbondale2 shopsAvon2 shops

The Rio Grande Trail parallels much of the river, and Colorado Parks & Wildlife maintains several fishing access sites from Aspen through Carbondale to Glenwood Springs. The lower Gold Medal stretch from the Crystal River confluence to the Colorado River is popular for both walk-wade and float trips.

The water

Freestone

Key hatches

Midge
Blue-Winged Olive
Caddisfly
Golden Stonefly
Salmonfly

Hatch calendar

Conditions

Loading river conditions

6-day forecast

Loading forecast

Forecast from the National Weather Service ↗

Hatch calendar

Months each hatch is active on the Roaring Fork River, with hook sizes and local timing notes.
Hatch · hook	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Midge(midges)hook #18–24	January	February	March						September	October	November	December
Blue-winged Olive(mayflies)hook #16–20fall			March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November
Caddisfly(caddis)hook #10–18spring–summer evenings			March	April	May	June	July	August	September
Golden Stonefly(stoneflies)hook #8–12July					May	June	July	August
Salmonfly(stoneflies)hook #6–10					May	June	July
Pale Morning Dun(mayflies)hook #14–18summer						June	July	August	September
Western Green Drake(mayflies)hook #10–14						June	July	August
Yellow Sally(stoneflies)hook #14–16							July	August	September