Taylor River September 01, 2024

Temperature: high 70's
Flows: ~320 cfs
Fish Landed: 9

Summary

The Taylor is nestled in the heart of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains (about 3.5 hours from Denver) and is a true gem for anglers and outdoor enthusiasts. The river is renowned for its crystal-clear waters, abundant wildlife, and, of course, its trout fishing. Whether you’re wading through its gentle currents or casting into its deeper pools, the Taylor offers a perfect balance of challenge and reward. The combination of stunning mountain scenery and world-class fishing makes it a destination you’ll want to return to time and time again. The Taylor is one of my all time personal favorite rivers in Colorado. In fact, I just love Taylor Park for all it has to offer. Fishing, water sports, OHV, hiking, biking, and camping.

Today, I decided to venture out to the “upper” Taylor near Taylor Park Reservoir dam (aka the C&R). This area is know for it’s large trout. When there are large trout there are sure to be people and with people comes heavy fishing pressure. You will find yourself looking down at good sized fish that will consistently refuse anything you have to offer. This is a technical stretch of river and picking the right fly pattern and ensuring proper drifts will land you fish.

Even though it’s early September, you could feel the fall weather settling in at the higher altituded. It was a cool 39 and breezy at 7am so I waited a bit to start my day. There are deep pools in this stretch of river and flows at 300CFS so I decided on my euro nymping set up with my 10’ Moonshine 4wt.

The mid-morning session proved to be eventful, but unfortunately not productive. I was surrounded by 5 or 6 other anglers that appeared to be indicator or dry fly fishing. I was consistently getting fish on the hook while others weren’t but I was only able to net 1. As my angler friends like to call it, I had multiple LDR’s (long distance releases). I ended up losing 4 fish to LDR and 1 completely broke off my 5x tippet set up taking both nymphs.

Fish landed: 1

In the evening, my son and I attempted again. The crowds had lessened and the weather was perfect. I decided to stick to the euro while my son attempted his indicator setup. Within a few minutes of casting my son had a nice size rainbow on but ended up losing it after a solid minute of trying to land it. Shortly after, I had a strong take and landed our first rainbow of the day. This fish was about 16" with amazing color. Minutes later my son had retied a flossy worm (recommended by the local fly shop) and quickly landed a beautiful brown trout, also about 16". We continued on for another hour without much luck. Soon the sun started to set and the cool evening breeze convinced my son it was time to retire to the camper. I continued on giving myself another hour before I knew it’d be dark. This was a good decision as I landed another 7 fish with my best being a 22" rainbow that took me clear back down stream as I tried to tire him out. No LDR this time!

Fish landed: 8

The Taylor will challenge you but also reward you with amazing fish and scenery. From the uppper to the lower there are plenty of drop-in areas to access public water. There are a few private spots along the canyon drive but they’re well marked.

If you decide to make a trip that way make sure to check in with the good folks at Three Rivers Resort in Almont for an up to date report and pick up a few flies.

Flies used

  • Flossy worm
  • Spanish Bullet
  • Mysis Shrimp (20)
  • Blowtorch
  • D-midge (20)

Products used

Rainbow Trout Brown Trout