The Crested Butte and Gunnison area in Central Colorado is one of the best places to fly fish in the state. We are fortunate to have gold-medal waters in our backyard and abundant insect activity for much of the year. Below, you will find the Central Colorado Hatch Chart for fly fishing, specifically curated for trout angling near Crested Butte and Gunnison.
In this article, you will learn about:
Central Colorado Fly Fishing Hatch Chart
This seemingly simple hatch chart holds the key to successful fly fishing by shedding light on the hatches of insects in and around the river throughout the year.
DOWNLOAD THE CENTRAL COLORADO HATCH CHART FOR PRINTING BY CLICKING BELOW!
These insects, from mayflies to caddisflies and stoneflies to grasshoppers, serve as a primary food source for trout in our rivers. Knowing when and where these insects hatch allows anglers to select the right flies to mimic them, increasing their chances of catching fish.
However, it’s vital to remember that hatch charts are not infallible guides. In other words, a hatch chart isn’t the law!
When Should You Ignore a Hatch Chart?
It’s not infrequent to find trout keying in on insects that are not traditionally expected during a specific season.
Hell, sometimes we can catch fish on a large Chubby Chernobyl dry fly in mid-winter, even though that kind of insect has no business hatching between December and March.
Climate variations, water temperature fluctuations, intelligence differences between fish, and other environmental factors can influence insect behavior, leading to out-of-season hatches and changing trout behavior.
Further, hatches on one river may be much different from those on a different river, only a few miles away.
An excellent example is the differences noted between hatches on the East River, a tailwater, and the Taylor River, a freestone, during mid to late summer.
The East River, just a few miles up from the confluence with the Taylor in Almont, will typically contain warmer water and more variable stream flows than its counterpart during mid-summer. These differences can change the timing of a hatch, the size of the bugs, and the diversity of insects on the menu.
Additionally, lower-elevation streams usually beat the hatch of the upper elevations.
We note these differences in places like Cochetopa Creek in southeast Gunnison County compared to hatches on higher elevation creeks such as Spring Creek or Brush Creek. Timing differences in these hatches can vary by several weeks.
Or on the Gunnison River, the prolific Caddis and Drake hatch will begin closer to Blue Mesa Reservoir and slowly work its way up to the river’s headwaters, day by day, in early summer.
COLORADO Hatch Chart for THE Northern and Southern PART OF THE STATE
Some may wonder if hatch charts for the rest of Colorado are the same as what we have in Central Colorado. Is the Southern Colorado Hatch chart that different from the Crested Butte/Gunnison Hatch Chart?
The answer is yes and no.
From river to river and region to region, insects will vary in the exact time of year they hatch. On a micro-climate scale, we notice these variances even on rivers only a few miles apart.
Although hatches can be wildly different from region to region, there are a few rules of thumb fly fishers can rely on to choose the best fly for their application:
- Size down on your fly section in late fall, winter, and early spring. Small midges will be in most rivers in Colorado from November to March (BWOs in the spring, PMDs and Drakes mid summer, BWOs in late summer/fall).
- Mayflies are present from Spring to Fall. Observe the water and air for the approximate size and color to match a fly imitation.
- During periods of high water, choose larger nymph flies (size 10-14) in brighter colors.
- Watch for trout sipping on the surface year-round for opportunities to catch them with dry fly patterns.
- There will be caddis, PMD, and drake hatches on most mid-elevation rivers sometime between June and August.
- Terrestrial hatches will happen annually starting in late June and going through September throughout Colorado.
- Use smaller, more realistic fly patterns in places like the Taylor River or other tailwaters throughout Colorado.
COLORADO Hatch Charts – THE BOTTOM LINE
Savvy anglers will remain flexible and adapt their tactics by carrying a diverse selection of flies that can mimic a variety of insects.
But the savviest of anglers will study the Colorado hatch chart in advance and have a good idea of what to do when they get to the river.
Hatch charts are valuable tools that can help anglers catch more trout. As a beginner fly fisherman or woman, we recommend keeping a printed copy of this chart in your bag for reference before taking your fishing trip to Crested Butte.