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Ridgway Reservoir Fishing Report

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

A 1,000-acre reservoir in Ridgway State Park with trout, kokanee, splake and newly introduced walleye, where every smallmouth bass caught must be killed.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
248 cfs
Air / High
60 / 60 F
Wind
SSW 11 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 09147025, 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.

Ridgway Reservoir fishes cold and honest: earn your bites in the deep stuff. The nearest gauge is running 248 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind SSW around 11 mph, rising pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 60. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:49 AM-11:49 AM and 10:17 PM-12:17 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 50°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.

Smallmouth bassGood

Fish hold in slower, deeper water; fish slowly and expect fewer bites until spring warming.

WalleyeGood

Spawning runs begin soon after ice-out in the high 30s to mid 40s °F; before that, slow presentations with live bait in deep, low-current wintering areas and below dams.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 54 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 →

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 →

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 Uncompahgre River below Ridgway Reservoir.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 09147025.

94155215248 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 38 years of October 23

At 248 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 09147025 (Uncompahgre River below Ridgway Reservoir) is above the 95th percentile for the date: much above normal. In half of the 38 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 77 cfs; the highest was 302 cfs and the lowest 31 cfs.

p10 46median 77p90 205

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 09147025; 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 temp60 F
High / Low60 / 44 F
WindSSW 11-22 mph
Pressure1009.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain12% cloud, 31%
Sunrise / Sunset07:28 / 18:22
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
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 Ridgway Reservoir this week

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

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

Today, Oct 23 — Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
9:49 AM-11:49 AM and 10:17 PM-12:17 AM
Minor period
4:12 AM-5:12 AM
Sun
07:28 to 18:22
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 16 mph
Rain chance
31%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Ridgway Reservoir: 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 50°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.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Fish hold in slower, deeper water; fish slowly and expect fewer bites until spring warming.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spawning runs begin soon after ice-out in the high 30s to mid 40s °F; before that, slow presentations with live bait in deep, low-current wintering areas and below dams.

When to come: the Ridgway Reservoir 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
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
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 Ridgway Reservoir 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 60 F, wind to 19 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 57 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 62 F, wind to 9 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

Colorado fishing license, plus a state park vehicle pass. CPW rules checked 5 Oct 2026: kill all smallmouth bass caught in the reservoir; kokanee snagging allowed at the Dallas Creek inlet September 1 to December 31; on the Uncompahgre from below the USGS gauge to the Cow Creek confluence, artificial flies and lures only and all trout released. See the current CPW Colorado Fishing Brochure for other limits.

Access

Four-lane boat ramp at Dutch Charlie with mandatory aquatic nuisance species inspection; Blue Heron Marina and Snack Shop, May 15 through September; campgrounds at Elk Ridge, Dakota Terraces and Pa-Co-Chu-Puk; river access in Pa-Co-Chu-Puk and at Billy Creek State Wildlife Area.

About this water

A 1,000-acre reservoir on the Uncompahgre River in Ridgway State Park, Ouray County, Colorado; Ridgway Dam was completed by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1987.

Fishing Ridgway Reservoir: the full guide

The reservoir

Ridgway State Park lies along US 550, 4 miles north of the town of Ridgway and 22 miles south of Montrose, at the foot of the San Juan Mountains. Colorado Parks and Wildlife gives the reservoir 1,000 surface acres; the Bureau of Reclamation completed Ridgway Dam in 1987. CPW lists rainbow trout, brown trout, kokanee salmon, splake and recently introduced walleye.

Smallmouth bass must be killed

Smallmouth bass were introduced into the reservoir illegally. CPW requires anglers to kill every smallmouth they catch in Ridgway Reservoir rather than return it to the water.

Kokanee snagging at Dallas Creek

From September 1 to December 31, CPW allows kokanee to be snagged where Dallas Creek meets the Uncompahgre River at the upper end of the reservoir. CPW also points anglers to the water where the Uncompahgre enters the reservoir for rainbow and brown trout.

Pa-Co-Chu-Puk and the river below the dam

Below the dam, the Pa-Co-Chu-Puk area has a one-mile catch-and-release section limited to artificial flies and lures, plus Shavano and Pericles ponds, which are regularly stocked with rainbow trout and have accessible piers. Boating, tubing and swimming are not allowed in this area. CPW says the Uncompahgre from the dam to the Ouray County Road 2 bridge holds healthy numbers of brown and rainbow trout, a handful over 20 inches, with fishing limited by reservoir releases; USGS gauge 09147025 measures those releases.

Common questions

What can I catch in Ridgway Reservoir?

CPW lists rainbow and brown trout, kokanee salmon, splake and walleye. Any smallmouth bass you catch must be killed.

When can kokanee be snagged?

From September 1 through December 31, where Dallas Creek joins the Uncompahgre River.

Can I keep trout below the dam?

Not in the special-regulation reach: from below the USGS gauge to the Cow Creek confluence all trout go back and only flies and lures are allowed. Billy Creek State Wildlife Area, further down, allows all methods and harvest.

Is fishing good at Ridgway Reservoir 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 River8 miSan Miguel River21 miBlue Mesa Reservoir34 miTaylor River58 miVallecito Reservoir59 miGunnison River73 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 09147025 — Uncompahgre River below Ridgway Reservoir
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 38.2200, -107.7500 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.