River · Northern Front Range
Big Thompson River at Loveland
Seasonal notes
The Big Thompson below Lake Estes is a tailwater fishery punching well above its weight for a river that most people associate with a highway corridor and the 1976 flood. The bottom-release dam at Estes Park keeps water temperatures cold and flows stable, supporting wild rainbows and brown trout that grow to surprising sizes given the modest flows. The best dry-fly water runs from Loveland up into the canyon — particularly the Big Thompson Canyon stretch of US-34, where pull-offs give access to classic pocket-water runs. PMDs and caddis are the primary hatches in May–July; blue-winged olives come off well into fall. The river is wide enough for two-handed short spey casting in some runs but tight enough in the canyon to reward roll-casting expertise. September and October are outstanding — the crowds thin out after Labor Day and the browns begin staging for fall.
What’s hatching
MidgeIn seasonWinterIn season — no live conditions to judge it by
Best: midday
Confidence is graded from live National Weather Service conditions and gage flow as of Nov 1, 8:40 AM MST. Time of day is left to you — check the “Best” line above.
What changed this week
- Emergency Closure posted Oct 31
- Conditions approaching closure thresholds — no official CPW closure posted (Oct 31)
- Emergency Closure posted Oct 30
- Conditions approaching closure thresholds — no official CPW closure posted (Oct 30)
- Conditions approaching closure thresholds — no official CPW closure posted (Oct 28)
- Conditions approaching closure thresholds — no official CPW closure posted (Oct 27)
- Conditions approaching closure thresholds — no official CPW closure posted (Oct 26)
Current conditions
Discharge
21cfs
Gage height
0.96ft
Water temp
—
normal for Nov 1 (47 yrs of record)
Last reading Nov 1, 8:30 AM MST. Source: U.S. Geological Survey gage 06741510.
Weather
Air temp
46°F
Wind
3mph
Precip
19%
1016 mb ↓ · Patchy Fog
Latest Stocking
No stocking recorded this season.
Special regulations
Catch-and-release, artificial flies and lures only in the designated Wild Trout section below Lake Estes. The specific boundaries have shifted in recent seasons as CPW adjusts the Gold Medal candidate designation — check the current CPW brochure for the exact start and end points. Below the Wild Trout section, standard statewide regulations apply. Several private ranches own sections through the lower canyon; watch for trespass signs and use established pull-off access points.
Quick ref: Tailwater below Lake Estes; wild rainbow + brown trout; Gold Medal candidate
Location
Nearby waters
Nearby fly shops
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