Cimarron River Below Silver Jack Reservoir

Cimarron River Below Silver Jack Reservoir — Fishing Report for April 24, 2026

Quick Stats

Flow: 12 CFS | Trend: Stable | Fishability: Unfishable | Weather: Mostly Sunny, High 58°F

The Bite

The honest answer today is simple: you can't get there. Forest Road 858 remains gated for the season, and the upper canyon is still buried under late-season snowpack. Even with a warm, sunny Friday pushing temps to 58°F in the valley, the road closure makes the question of what's biting entirely academic. The Cimarron isn't fishing poorly — it's just not fishing.

At 12 CFS, flows are actually sitting in the lower end of the fishable range, and the reservoir is holding steady as it fills through spring. Biologically, the tailwater is doing what tailwaters do — scuds and aquatic worms are active in the substrate year-round, and midges will be ticking off on sunny midday windows near the dam. The fish are there. The access isn't.

One note worth tucking away for planning: the Gunnison basin is running at just 13% of normal snowpack this year, with water-year precipitation at about 79% of normal. That's a dramatically light snow year. The practical upside for Cimarron anglers is that runoff — when it does arrive — should be modest and shorter-lived than usual, potentially opening a fishable window earlier than a typical year. Don't expect a prolonged blowout. Late May could come into shape quickly.

What to Fish

• San Juan Worm (red or wine) #12–14 — point fly, fished along the bottom through deeper pockets
• Scud (orange/pink) #16 — natural presentation near weed beds and slower seams
• Ray Charles #16 — versatile attractor nymph, effective as a dropper above the worm
• Zebra Midge #20–22 — worth having for midday midge activity once access opens
• WD-40 #20 — secondary midge pattern for clear, low-flow conditions

Tactics & Rigging

When the road does open and you make your first trip in, plan for tight-quarters nymphing in pocket water and plunge pools. Rig a San Juan Worm on point with a Ray Charles or small scud trailed 12–16" above on a short dropper — the worm anchors the setup and gets down fast in the gradient water. Use 5X fluorocarbon to the point fly and step down to 6X for the dropper. Keep your leader short and your casts precise; this is intimate water where a sloppy presentation spooks fish before they ever see the fly. Stealth and a low profile matter more here than anywhere else in the region.

Water temps aren't available from the gauge, but tailwater releases from Silver Jack typically keep the Cimarron cold well into spring. Once you're on the water, expect fish to be holding in the slower water behind boulders and in the deeper pools rather than actively feeding in fast runs.

Access & Logistics

Forest Road 858 (Cimarron Road) is closed. Do not attempt to drive or hike around the gate — the canyon is still snowed in and conditions are unsafe. The earliest realistic window for access is late May, and with this year's light snowpack, it could come a bit sooner. Check road conditions with the Uncompahgre National Forest before making the drive out. Verify current regulations with CPW before fishing.

Looking Ahead

A rain and snow system moves in Sunday with snow showers likely Sunday night — not unusual for late April at elevation, and it won't meaningfully change the access picture. Keep an eye on road conditions through May; the light snow year suggests the gate could open earlier than normal, and when it does, flows should come into shape relatively quickly.