Animas River: Upper (Silverton)

Animas River: Upper (Silverton) — Fishing Report for April 24, 2026

Quick Stats

Flow: 57 CFS | Trend: Stable | Fishability: Poor | Weather: Mostly Sunny, High 52°F

The Bite

At 9,000 feet in late April, the upper Animas is still shaking off winter. Water temps are sitting at 35°F — right at the floor of what trout can tolerate — and fish are metabolically sluggish, holding in the deepest, slowest water they can find. Today's sunny skies and a high of 52°F are about as good as it gets up here this time of year, and there may be a brief window in the early afternoon when solar warming nudges surface temps just enough to coax a fish off the bottom.

This is not a destination day. It's a scouting day, or a day for the angler who simply needs to be on the water. The good news: flows are sitting squarely in the fishable range at 57 CFS, clarity should be reasonable on the main stem, and crowds are nonexistent. The bad news: snowpack across the southwest basin is dramatically below normal — just 10% of average — which means this year's runoff pulse will be weak and short-lived. That's actually a silver lining for May fishing, but it also means the river hasn't had the flush that typically clears out winter sediment. Expect the water to look a little tired.

Look ahead with some caution: snow showers are forecast Saturday night through Sunday, which could bump flows and muddy things up heading into next week. Today's window may be the cleanest fishing of the next several days.

What to Fish

• Pat's Rubber Legs #8 — Point fly, heavy enough to get down fast in cold, slow pools. The go-to anchor in these conditions.
• San Juan Worm (red) #10 — Trailed 12–16" behind the Pat's as a dropper. Worms move water and trigger reaction strikes from lethargic fish.
• Zebra Midge (black) #18 — A lighter option for the dropper position if you want to scale down in clearer, shallower pockets.
• Copper John (red) #16 — Worth a try in the tail of a pool if you find fish stacked up.
• Hare's Ear (natural) #14 — A general searching nymph for any water with a little more life to it.

Tactics & Rigging

Rig heavy and fish slow. Set up a double-nymph with the Pat's Rubber Legs on point and the San Juan Worm trailing 14" above it on a 6" tag off the tippet — or simply drop the San Juan 14" behind the Pat's as a trailing dropper. Use enough split shot to keep the flies crawling along the bottom. At 35°F, trout aren't chasing anything; the fly needs to come to them. Target the deepest slots in plunge pools and the slow inside seams of any bend — places where a fish can sit without burning energy. A long, drag-free drift is essential; any unnatural movement at these temps will be ignored. Fish 4X fluorocarbon to the anchor and 5X to the dropper. Strike indicator set deep — at least 1.5 to 2 times the water depth.

Access & Logistics

Access is straightforward from Silverton. The river runs alongside and near CR 110 (the road toward Eureka) and is accessible on foot from several pullouts north of town. Trails and streamside terrain may still have icy patches from overnight lows in the mid-20s — wear boots with grip and watch your footing on shaded banks. Cement Creek enters the Animas in town and carries discolored water from historic mine drainage; stick to the main stem above the confluence for the cleanest conditions. The Gold King Mine spill legacy is a reminder that these tributaries remain impaired — don't fish Cement Creek or Mineral Creek, and rinse your gear before moving to other waters to prevent aquatic nuisance species spread. Verify current regulations with CPW before fishing.

Stop by Duranglers or Mountain Waters Guiding in Durango if you're passing through — they'll have the most current intel on conditions up and down the Animas drainage.

Looking Ahead

Snow showers arriving Saturday night and continuing through Sunday could push flows up slightly and drop visibility — check the gauge before making the drive. With snowpack at historic lows across the basin, the spring runoff window should be short and mild, which sets up a potentially early and extended fishable stretch in May.