Colorado Fishing Reports ยท Colorado Basin
Around Hot Sulphur Springs the Colorado River is Gold Medal Water with town parks, state wildlife areas and the big pocket water of Byers Canyon.
Looking for the latest Colorado River Hot Sulphur Springs river report? This page is updated by the AvidMax fly shop team with live flows, current conditions, hatches and the flies working now on the Colorado River โ Hot Sulphur Springs.
Current flows
Wind forecast
Hot Sulphur Springs fishing report
Updated November 7, 2026.
Flows are a little under 200 cfs downstream at Parshall. The gauge above is upstream at Windy Gap, so expect more water in town. Midges and BWOs are hatching.
Nymph the deeper seams from late morning through the afternoon with a Juju Baetis, a small midge and a Pheasant Tail.
Load your fly box
Before you head to Hot Sulphur Springs, bring: JuJu Baetis #20-22, Zebra Midge #20, Pheasant Tail Nymph #18-20, Parachute Adams #18-22, Woolly Bugger #6-8, RS2 Emerger #18-22, Black Beauty #20-24, Egg #14-16, Squirmy Wormie #12-14.
Flies working right now
The flies above that we have in stock right now.
Hot Sulphur Springs river details
| Access | Roadside off US-40. Pioneer Park has more than a mile of both banks, and the Hot Sulphur State Wildlife Area units and Byers Canyon are nearby. |
|---|---|
| Elevation | About 7,670 ft |
| Drive from AvidMax | About 110 miles, roughly 2 hours 44 minutes from our Centennial shop |
| Best season | Spring and fall |
| Fish | Brown and rainbow trout |
| Regulations | Gold Medal Water. Special catch-and-release rules apply on the wildlife area units. Check Colorado Parks and Wildlife for the current rules. A Colorado fishing license is required. |
| Leaders and tippet | 9 ft leaders, 5X to 6X tippet |
| Camping | Pioneer Park and Lone Buck |
| Kids | Yes at Pioneer Park. Byers Canyon is steep. |
| Good to know | Byers Canyon pocket water holds big browns. |
Fishing by season
Winter
Midges and some open water.
Spring
April and May before runoff.
Summer
Caddis and PMDs.
Fall
BWOs and spawning browns.
How to get there
Pioneer Park is in Hot Sulphur Springs off US-40.