Share your catch

San Miguel River Fishing Report

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

Telluride's river: a free-flowing ribbon dropping from the box canyon through cottonwood gold, wild trout the whole way.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
68 cfs
Air / High
75 / 75 F
Wind
SW 14 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 09172500, 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.

San Miguel River rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The river is running 68 cfs, on the rise. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SW around 14 mph, rising pressure near 1007 hPa and a high of 75. 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 77 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 San Miguel near Placerville.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 09172500.

60738568 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp75 F
High / Low75 / 53 F
WindSW 14-18 mph
Pressure1007.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain26% cloud, 4%
Sunrise / Sunset06:44 / 19:37
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 · Partly cloudy, 75/53 F, wind 14 mph, rain 4%

Fair or better. A 14 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 75 F, wind to 14 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 73 F, wind to 18 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 71 F, wind to 12 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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 license. Standard trout rules; some private-lease bends: respect signage.

Access

Hwy 145 pull-offs: town water, Placerville, Norwood canyon accesses.

About this water

The free-flowing river below Telluride, San Miguel County, CO. Box-canyon-born wild trout.

Fishing San Miguel River: the full guide

The free river

The San Miguel runs undammed from Telluride's box canyon to the Dolores: a rarity in Colorado: wild browns and rainbows in a freestone that makes its own rules: brief runoff, honest pockets, and September cottonwoods that justify the word golden.

Pocket-water program

The river fishes classic small-freestone: attractor-dropper rigs through the pockets, hoppers along the sage banks (August's game), streamers in the deeper bends below Placerville. Fish run 10-16 inches wild: the canyon stretches add solitude the highway pull-offs can't.

The valley ladder

Town water (Telluride's stretch: fishes better than any resort river should), the Placerville-to-Norwood canyon (the quality middle), and the lower desert reaches toward Naturita (bigger browns, fewer boots): one river, three characters, all wading-friendly.

San Juan practicalities

Highway 145 shadows the river (pull-offs ladder it): runoff clears by late June (our Placerville gauge: under 300 CFS is prime): and afternoon monsoons rule July-August: mornings, then coffee in Telluride. The Dolores' tailwater sits an hour south: the region stacks options.

Common questions

Is the San Miguel worth fishing versus famous neighbors?

For undammed character and solitude, yes: wild fish in honest pocket water without tailwater crowds. September here is Colorado's quiet postcard.

When does the San Miguel fish best?

Late June through September after runoff: hoppers in August, streamers as the cottonwoods turn. Winter sleeps: the freestone's honest trade.

Does the San Miguel have a fly shop?

Telluride's outfitters cover the river daily: honest boards, wade rentals, shuttle beta. The town water fishes before breakfast: ask about the evening caddis before dinner.

Is fishing good at San Miguel 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

Ridgway Reservoir21 miUncompahgre River26 miVallecito Reservoir52 miBlue Mesa Reservoir55 miGunnison River77 miTaylor River79 mi
Share your catch