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Gunnison River Fishing Report

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

Colorado's wild artery: Gold Medal water through the Black Canyon's shadow.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
5,150 cfs
Air / High
63 / 65 F
Wind
NNW 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 09152500, 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.

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

Gunnison River fishes cold and honest: earn your bites in the deep stuff. The river is running 5,150 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind NNW around 7 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 65. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:52 AM-11:52 AM and 10:21 PM-12:21 AM: 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: Cooler at 58 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

Colorado requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $57.63 for residents. What a Colorado licence costs and where to buy it β†’

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

Water and weather

Live readings from Gunnison River near Grand Junction, CO.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 09152500.

1,6763,0444,4135,150 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 118 years of October 23

At 5,150 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 09152500 (Gunnison River near Grand Junction, CO) is above the highest daily mean on record for the date: much above normal. In half of the 118 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 1,395 cfs; the highest was 3,400 cfs and the lowest 301 cfs.

p10 876median 1,395p90 2,515

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 09152500; 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 temp63 F
High / Low65 / 49 F
WindNNW 7-11 mph
Pressure1012.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 34%
Sunrise / Sunset07:32 / 18:24
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)55 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 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Gunnison River this week

The best day on Gunnison River this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 3 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 β€” fair at 3/5, rising pressure behind a front, typically the slowest.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
9:52 AM-11:52 AM and 10:21 PM-12:21 AM
Minor period
4:16 AM-5:16 AM
Sun
07:32 to 18:24
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 18 mph
Rain chance
34%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Gunnison 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 Gunnison 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 Gunnison River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 24 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 60 F, wind to 24 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 63 F, wind to 19 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 71 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

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

Regulations

Gold Medal rules on designated reaches: artificials, reduced bags. Confirm with CPW.

Access

Almont to Gunnison town floats; East Portal road (seasonal); Chukar Trail for the Gorge (permit for overnight).

About this water

Colorado's second-longest river; Gold Medal water through and below the Black Canyon, Gunnison County.

Fishing Gunnison River: the full guide

The Gunnison deal

From Almont to the Black Canyon, the Gunnison stacks Gold Medal miles: kokanee runs in fall, big browns on stoneflies in June, rainbow recovery going strong. The Gorge float is the traditional; the East Portal drive-in offers canyon fishing without the rope work.

The salmonfly slot

Late May into June, the Gunnison's stonefly hatch marches upriver from the Black Canyon: fish the biggest dry you own tight to the willows. The window moves daily: our flow gauge plus local shop word tells you where the head of the hatch sits.

Gold Medal logistics

The Gunnison Gorge Wilderness section (below the Black Canyon) is the crown: rafted or hiked in via Chukar Trail, browns and rainbows measured in emotion. The upper river around Almont floats easily; East Portal's drive-in access serves canyon ambience without the mule.

The Gorge pilgrimage

The Gunnison Gorge's wilderness reach demands effort: a mile-long pack-in (horses available) drops you into gold-medal water where browns eat stoneflies against black granite walls. Multi-day float-camps through the double canyons are Colorado's premier wilderness fishing trip: salmonfly June, hopper August, streamer October. The effort tax keeps crowds thin and fish true.

Common questions

Do I need a raft for the Gunnison?

For the Gorge, effectively yes (or the Chukar hike with a guide's mules). The Almont-to-town water and East Portal fish fine on foot: pick your effort level.

How do I book the Gunnison Gorge float?

Wilderness camps run on BLM permits: guided multi-day trips handle logistics (horse pack-in, rafts, camps). DIY parties need the same permits and serious whitewater competence.

Is fishing good at Gunnison 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

Uncompahgre River67 miRidgway Reservoir73 miCrystal River76 miSan Miguel River77 miRoaring Fork River82 miBlue Mesa Reservoir84 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 09152500 β€” Gunnison River near Grand Junction, CO
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 39.0616, -108.5784 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.
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 guide was drafted with AI assistance. Unlike our newer pages, it does not yet list the official pages its facts were checked against: that audit is under way, and anything it cannot verify will be 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.