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Ruedi Reservoir Fishing Report

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

A Reclamation reservoir on the Fryingpan River with rainbow, brown and lake trout, above a 14-mile reach of river that CPW limits to flies and lures.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
48 cfs
Air / High
61 / 61 F
Wind
SW 15 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 09080400, 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.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Ruedi Reservoir fishes cold and honest: earn your bites in the deep stuff. The release below the dam is running 48 cfs, falling. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SW around 15 mph, rising pressure near 1008 hPa and a high of 61. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:45 AM-11:45 AM and 10:14 PM-12:14 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.

Lake troutGood

Winter: Vermont says most of its lake trout fishing is done through the ice, and Michigan anglers jig spoons tipped with cut bait in deep Great Lakes bays.

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 Fryingpan River near Ruedi (below dam).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 09080400.

608511048 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 62 years of October 23

At 48 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 09080400 (Fryingpan River near Ruedi (below dam)) is below the 5th percentile for the date: much below normal. In half of the 62 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 108 cfs; the highest was 400 cfs and the lowest 42 cfs.

p10 54median 108p90 199

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 09080400; 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 / Low61 / 41 F
WindSW 15-23 mph
Pressure1007.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain35% cloud, 52%
Sunrise / Sunset07:25 / 18:16
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 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Ruedi Reservoir this week

Today is the pick of the week on Ruedi Reservoir, at 3 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 — fair at 3/5, rising pressure behind a front, typically the slowest.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:45 AM-11:45 AM and 10:14 PM-12:14 AM
Minor period
4:08 AM-5:08 AM
Sun
07:25 to 18:16
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 16 mph
Rain chance
52%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Ruedi 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.

Lake trout illustration

Lake trout

Spring and fall in shallow water, deep in summer, and through the ice in winter

Lake trout are slow-growing chars of large, deep, cold lakes, native from Alaska and northern Canada to New England and the Great Lakes, and introduced in many western lakes. Winter: Vermont says most of its lake trout fishing is done through the ice, and Michigan anglers jig spoons tipped with cut bait in deep Great Lakes bays.

When to come: the Ruedi 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
Lake 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 Ruedi 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 56 F, wind to 9 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 13 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 60 F, wind to 10 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. Ruedi Reservoir follows CPW's statewide rules (no water-specific listing in Chapter W-1, effective April 1, 2026); see the current Colorado Fishing Brochure for trout, lake trout and kokanee limits. Fryingpan River from Ruedi Dam to the Roaring Fork (about 14 miles): artificial flies and lures only; all trout except brown trout released.

Access

Reclamation lists 4 campgrounds with 81 campsites and 2 boat ramps, and says facilities close in winter because of ice and snow. The White River National Forest manages recreation; check its notices for current status.

About this water

A Bureau of Reclamation reservoir of about 1,000 acres and 102,000 acre-feet on the Fryingpan River in the Roaring Fork basin, Colorado; part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project.

Fishing Ruedi Reservoir: the full guide

What Ruedi is for

Reclamation built Ruedi Dam and Reservoir on the Fryingpan River, a tributary of the Roaring Fork in the Colorado River headwaters, as part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. The reservoir holds about 102,000 acre-feet with a surface area of about 1,000 acres when full. It compensates West Slope water users for water diverted east to the Arkansas River basin, and part of its storage is reserved for fish and wildlife enhancement, including releases for endangered fish in the Colorado River. Ruedi Dam, built from 1964 to 1968, is a rock and earthfill dam about 285 feet high with a crest 1,042 feet long. Reclamation lists rainbow trout, brown trout and mackinaw (lake trout) as the game fish.

How the level moves

Reclamation says Ruedi is usually lowest in April, rises with the spring snowmelt, and is full or nearly full by mid-July in most years. The level then falls quickly in late summer and fall as water is released downstream. The flow gauge on this page, USGS 09080400 Fryingpan River near Ruedi, sits just below the dam, so it shows those releases rather than the reservoir level; Reclamation publishes the current water level separately.

The Fryingpan below the dam

Under CPW's fishing regulations effective April 1, 2026, the Fryingpan River from Ruedi Dam downstream to its confluence with the Roaring Fork, about 14 miles, is fished with artificial flies and lures only, and every trout except brown trout must be returned to the water immediately. The reservoir itself has no water-specific listing in those regulations.

Common questions

What are the rules on the Fryingpan River below Ruedi Dam?

From the dam to the Roaring Fork confluence, about 14 miles, CPW allows only artificial flies and lures and requires every trout except brown trout to be released immediately.

When is Ruedi Reservoir full?

Reclamation says it is usually lowest in April and full or nearly full by mid-July, then drops quickly in late summer and fall as water is released.

Does the gauge on this page show the reservoir level?

No. USGS 09080400 measures the Fryingpan River just below the dam, so it reflects releases. Reclamation posts the reservoir's water level.

Is fishing good at Ruedi Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Roaring Fork River15 miCrystal River23 miEagle River24 miGore Creek25 miTwin Lakes31 miBlue River (Silverthorne)43 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 09080400 — Fryingpan River near Ruedi (below dam)
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:15 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 39.3652, -106.8033 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 6, 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 6, 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.