In this report
107 CFS and Rising Heat: Fish Early, Fish Deep, Fish With Respect
At 107 CFS, the Pueblo tailwater is running low for early June—not dangerously so, but low enough that you need to adjust your expectations and your tactics. This is not winter’s stable, cold-water paradise. This is June heat meeting thin water, and that combination stresses trout fast.
Before you drive down, check the flow chart on this page. Pueblo releases swing violently—you could see 150 CFS by midweek or drop another 20 by Friday. The difference between 107 and 85 CFS is real on this water: less current to mask your approach, fewer deep slots to hold fish, and faster warming in direct sun. Plan around the live number, not this report.
Water Temperature: The Hard Limit
At this flow and this time of year, water temperature is the gating factor. Bring a thermometer. If you’re seeing mid-60s Fahrenheit, you’re approaching the upper edge of where trout hold comfortably; above that, you’re asking stressed fish to work harder than they should. Fish dawn and dusk. Midday sun on gin-clear, thin water heats fast. The deep, shaded holding water—slots carved tight against the bank, undercut runs, the shadowed base of the lower pools—will be several degrees cooler than the flats. That’s where the fish are now, and that’s where you spend your time.
This is not the place to grind the pretty, shallow, gin-clear water you see from the bank. You’ll spook everything and catch nothing.
What’s Hatching: PMD Emergers and Midges Lead
Pale Morning Duns are the marquee hatch right now—late morning into early afternoon, #16 and #18 sizes. On the Pueblo tailwater, PMD emergers often matter more than the dry; the nymphs ascend and hang in the film under low light and moderate flow. At 107 CFS, emergence windows are compressed: fish see them in a tight window, and competition is real.
Midges run all day, every day—#20–24 blacks, zebra patterns, mercury emergers. They’re the bread-and-butter dry-dropper combo when the PMD window closes. Caddis (#14–16) show in the evening, but with water this low and warm, evening fishing gets difficult; fish gorge earlier and rest during heat stress.
The Rig: Tight-Line, Deep, and Delicate
Build a tight-line nymph setup. Start with a heavier anchor fly—a Barr’s Emerger or small stonefly nymph in #16—and split-shot it to tick bottom in the deep slots. Hang an #18 PMD emerger or a #22 zebra midge 18–24 inches above on a short dropper. Use 5X tippet on the main line (the split shot and anchor can handle it), then 6X on the dropper. At this flow, you’re working slow water and holding trout; they’re not moving far.
Tight-line means no indicator—just feel and watch the tippet sag. Set strikes are small and fast. In the skinny, clear water at 107 CFS, an indicator is a dinner bell that spooks everything it floats over. You’ll miss some eats, but you’ll hook more fish because they won’t flee before you cast.
Focus the deep current seams, the slots where water stacks and slows against the bank, and the tails of pools where cooler water collects. Avoid the bright, sun-baked flats. Wade slow and low; your silhouette matters.
The Water Types Worth Fishing
The Pueblo tailwater below the dam is not a wide, open freestone. It’s tighter, more defined, often bank-to-bank current. That means every type of water does something:
Deep, narrow slots (where the current focuses hard and the bank rises) hold the biggest, most confident fish. Fish the near edge and the far edge—don’t assume the deepest V is always the payoff. At low flow, fish tuck tight to the current tongue and behind any structure (root wads, boulders, slight bends).
Slower banks and back-eddies (especially on the inside of bends, downstream of obstructions) are where midges congregate and where stressed trout rest. Hit these with dry-dropper combos early and late.
Pool tails and transitions where slower water meets current are PMD emergence zones. Fish the soft edge where nymphs hang before ascending.
Avoid the bright, thin, featureless stretches. They’re not worth the time or the risk of spooking holding water downstream.
Fly Box for June: Specifics
- #18 PMD Emergers (Barr’s style, partially shuck, or simple upright nymphs)
- #22 Zebra Midges (black or dark gray body, thin and realistic)
- #20–22 Mercury or Tungsten Midges (for deeper, faster slots)
- #16 Barr’s Emerger or Pheasant Tail (anchor fly, can be weighted)
- #16–18 PMD Dry (a few, for late-morning window when fish rise; expect them to be picky)
Forget the attractors and the big terrestrials for now. At this flow, realism and small size win. Giant foam hoppers are noise in thin water.
Before You Go
This is a special-regulation tailwater: the stretch from the Valco Ponds bridge down to Pueblo Boulevard is artificial flies and lures only, with trout over 16 inches released (not full catch-and-release). Verify the current boundaries and rules before you fish; they vary by subsection and can shift. Lower sections have standard regs, but confirm before you keep fish.
Low-flow June on the Pueblo tailwater is not a time for heroic midday sessions. It’s a time to respect the fish, fish the cool hours, use small flies and long leaders, and accept that you’re working marginal conditions. Done right, you’ll catch browns and rainbows in a beautiful, underrated tailwater. Done wrong, you’ll spook educated fish and go home frustrated.
Check the gauge before you drive.