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Big Thompson River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Estes Park's canyon workhorse: pocket water rainbows below Olympus Dam.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
34 cfs
Air / High
93 / 94 F
Wind
ESE 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06752450, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Big Thompson River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 34 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind ESE around 7 mph, rising pressure near 1003 hPa and a high of 94. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutGood

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Similar at 93 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from CACHE LA POUDRE R ABV N 11TH AVE AT GREELEY, CO.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06752450.

28384934 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp93 F
High / Low94 / 54 F
WindESE 7-12 mph
Pressure1003.2 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 2%
Sunrise / Sunset06:29 / 19:26
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 94/54 F, wind 12 mph, rain 2%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the Big Thompson 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 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 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 Big Thompson River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 91 F, wind to 16 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 90 F, wind to 21 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 87 F, wind to 11 mph.

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

License

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

Regulations

Artificials-only, C&R stretches marked; standard bag elsewhere. Confirm with CPW.

Access

US-34 pullouts through the canyon (mind private stretches); Olympus Dam area lots.

About this water

Freestone-tailwater hybrid from Lake Estes through Big Thompson Canyon, Larimer County, CO.

Fishing Big Thompson River: the full guide

The Big T

The Big Thompson gives the northern Front Range its everyday trout fix: tailwater consistency below Lake Estes, pocket-water rhythm through the canyon, and wild browns mixing with rainbows the whole way. Small attractors and copper johns cover 90% of the year.

Canyon rhythm

The Big T's canyon fishes classic pocket water: high-stick the seams, dry-dropper the buckets, move constantly. Flood recovery (2013) rebuilt habitat deliberately: the fish counts responded, and the canyon now fishes as well as any Front Range freestone.

Below Olympus Dam

The first miles below Lake Estes run tailwater-stable: winter midging, spring baetis, summer caddis in the evening shade. Proximity to Estes Park means company: the canyon's middle miles thin the crowd for those who walk.

Canyon rebuilt, fishery reborn

The 2013 flood rebuilt the Big Thompson's canyon channel, and the recovery work engineered better habitat than before: constructed riffle-pool sequences below Olympus Dam now hold wild browns and stocked-gone-wild rainbows at big-river densities in pocket-sized water. The tailwater's first two miles fish all winter on midges; summer spreads caddis and PMD action down the whole canyon with pullout-to-pullout access along US-34.

Common questions

How did the 2013 flood change the river?

It rebuilt it: post-flood restoration engineered pools and structure that fish better than the pre-flood channel. A case study in recovery done right.

How does Estes Park's dam affect the fishing?

Olympus Dam smooths flows and keeps the upper canyon cold and fishable year-round: the tailwater reach is Colorado's most dependable winter dry-fly water within an hour of the Front Range cities.

Is fishing good at Big Thompson River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Boyd Lake15 miHorsetooth Reservoir25 miCache la Poudre River38 miAurora Reservoir52 miClear Creek (Golden)52 miBear Creek54 mi
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