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Colorado River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Lees Ferry: the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam, which the National Park Service calls a world-class trout fishery.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
5,000 cfs
Air / High
57 / 64 F
Wind
SE 1 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 09380000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Colorado River fishes cold and honest: earn your bites in the deep stuff. The river is running 5,000 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind SE around 1 mph, falling pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 64. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:05 AM-11:05 AM and 9:33 PM-11:33 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown troutExcellent

Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Tomorrow: Similar at 60 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Arizona requires a fishing licence from age 10, from $37.00 for residents. What a Arizona licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with AZGFD before you keep anything. The season dates for Arizona, read off the agency, are on the Arizona seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Colorado River at Lees Ferry.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 09380000.

5,5676,6207,6735,000 cfs09/2310/0210/1410/23

Today’s flow against 105 years of October 23

At 5,000 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 09380000 (Colorado River at Lees Ferry) is at the 10th percentile for the date: below normal. In half of the 105 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 8,910 cfs; the highest was 36,500 cfs and the lowest 1,000 cfs.

p10 4,972median 8,910p90 15,440

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 09380000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp57 F
High / Low64 / 51 F
WindSE 1-1 mph
Pressure1015.3 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:41 / 17:39
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)64 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~47 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Colorado River this week

Today is the pick of the week on Colorado River, at 4 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
9:05 AM-11:05 AM and 9:33 PM-11:33 PM
Minor period
3:28 AM-4:28 AM
Sun
06:41 to 17:39
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 8 mph
Rain chance
1%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Colorado River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

When to come: the Colorado River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Colorado River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 64 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Arizona requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Arizona fishing license for anglers 10 and older. Dam to Paria Riffle: 2 rainbow trout a day, artificial flies and lures only, barbless hooks; Paria Riffle to Navajo Bridge: 6 rainbow trout a day (AZGFD 2025–26 regulations). Lees Ferry is on Arizona's aquatic invasive species list for quagga mussel, New Zealand mudsnail and didymo.

Access

NPS Lees Ferry launch ramp and riverbank; free backcountry permit for any watercraft between the dam and Lees Ferry; NPS Lees Ferry Campground (upper loop closed for renovation).

About this water

The Colorado River from Glen Canyon Dam to Lees Ferry, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Coconino County, Arizona.

Fishing Colorado River: the full guide

From the dam to the Paria Riffle

The Lees Ferry fishery is the Colorado River from Glen Canyon Dam down to the Paria Riffle, inside Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The National Park Service calls the cold, clear water a world-class trout fishery. Lees Ferry is the only place in Glen Canyon where visitors can drive to the river, and it sits at the start of the Grand Canyon.

Rainbows, browns and the rules

Arizona's 2025–26 regulations allow 2 rainbow trout a day from the dam to the Paria Riffle, with artificial flies and lures and barbless hooks only; a rainbow must be kept as part of the limit or released at once. Other sport fish, brown trout included, have no limit there. Grand Canyon National Park describes brown trout as an invasive predator of native fish.

Launching and wading

The Lees Ferry ramp has a paved upstream section for upriver boats and a gravel section for downriver trips, and each party has 30 minutes to launch or retrieve. Any boat or kayak going upstream needs a free Lees Ferry Backcountry Permit from the kiosk at the launch; anglers who only fish from the bank do not. Travel above the closure buoys, about a quarter mile below the dam, needs a Reclamation permit, and everyone in a hand-propelled craft must wear a life jacket.

Flows and getting there

Glen Canyon Dam releases set the flow, which USGS gauge 09380000 (Colorado River at Lees Ferry) reports. The dam occasionally makes very large releases to rebuild native-fish nursery habitat and camping beaches. Lees Ferry is 42 miles from Page by US 89 and US 89A; the entrance is at Marble Canyon, which has a gas station, store and post office.

Common questions

Do I need a permit to fish from the bank?

No. The NPS requires the free backcountry permit only for watercraft; hiking or fishing along the bank needs just an Arizona license.

What can I keep at Lees Ferry?

Two rainbow trout a day above the Paria Riffle, on flies or lures with barbless hooks. Brown trout and other sport fish have no limit.

What is downstream of Lees Ferry?

The Grand Canyon. Lees Ferry is where Grand Canyon river trips launch.

Is fishing good at Colorado River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Lake Powell48 miPanguitch Lake82 miOtter Creek Reservoir93 miMinersville Reservoir115 miFish Lake116 miOak Creek136 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 09380000 β€” Colorado River at Lees Ferry
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 16:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 36.8700, -111.5900 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.