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Roaring Fork River Fishing Report

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

The Gold Medal freestone that keeps pace with its famous neighbors, Aspen to Glenwood.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
299 cfs
Air / High
61 / 62 F
Wind
WSW 17 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 09081000, 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.

Roaring Fork River asks for patience today: short windows, precise presentations. The river is running 299 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind WSW around 17 mph, rising pressure near 1009 hPa and a high of 62. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:46 AM-11:46 AM and 10:15 PM-12:15 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 55 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 ROARING FORK RIVER NEAR EMMA, CO.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 09081000.

215248281299 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 28 years of October 23

At 299 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 09081000 (ROARING FORK RIVER NEAR EMMA, CO) is at the 27th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 28 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 329 cfs; the highest was 593 cfs and the lowest 208 cfs.

p10 229median 329p90 449

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 09081000; 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 temp61 F
High / Low62 / 45 F
WindWSW 17-26 mph
Pressure1009.2 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 39%
Sunrise / Sunset07:26 / 18:17
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)52 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 Roaring Fork River this week

The best day on Roaring Fork 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
9:46 AM-11:46 AM and 10:15 PM-12:15 AM
Minor period
4:09 AM-5:09 AM
Sun
07:26 to 18:17
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 17 mph
Rain chance
39%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Roaring Fork 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 Roaring Fork 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 Roaring Fork 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 55 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 60 F, wind to 11 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 63 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

Gold Medal from Crystal confluence down: artificials, 2 over 16. Confirm with CPW.

Access

Multiple ramps (Carbondale, Westbank, Two Rivers); wade access at Basalt area easements.

About this water

Gold Medal freestone, Aspen to Glenwood Springs, CO; major tributaries Frying Pan and Crystal.

Fishing Roaring Fork River: the full guide

The Fork

The Roaring Fork runs Gold Medal from Basalt to its Colorado River confluence: big browns and rainbows, a legendary green drake hatch, and float fishing that rivals anywhere in the state. It stays true through winter in the lower valley: streamers and stoneflies year-round.

The float game

Carbondale to Glenwood floats big and forgiving: streamers to the banks, hopper-dropper through the riffle corners, whitefish keeping legitimate counts. The lower Fork absorbs the Crystal and Frying Pan: every confluence adds fish and character.

Green drakes after dark

The Fork's famous drake hatch (late June-July) peaks at dusk: size 10 duns disappearing into slurps you hear more than see. Upper river wade access at Basalt and Old Snowmass serves it best: headlamps for the walk out, grins included.

The valley ladder

The Fork descends a fishing ladder: technical dries on the upper river around Aspen, freight-train riffles and the famous 'toilet-bowl' confluence pockets mid-valley near Basalt (where the Fryingpan doubles the biomass), and big brawling water into Glenwood where streamers move browns past 20 inches. Green drakes marching upstream in July are the signature event: locals follow the hatch like a caravan.

Common questions

Fork or Pan: which should I fish?

Different games: the Pan is technical tailwater pods; the Fork is big-river variety and floats. Mornings on the Pan, afternoons floating the Fork is the valley's classic double.

Is the Roaring Fork wade-friendly?

Mid and upper reaches, yes, with generous public easements; the lower river fishes best by boat. The Basalt-to-Carbondale floats are the time-honored guide day.

Is fishing good at Roaring Fork 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

Crystal River9 miRuedi Reservoir15 miEagle River20 miGore Creek38 miTwin Lakes44 miTaylor River50 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 09081000 β€” ROARING FORK RIVER NEAR EMMA, 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 39.3639, -107.0906 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.