Dolores River: Below McPhee Dam
Dolores River: Below McPhee Dam — Fishing Report for April 24, 2026
Quick Stats
Flow: 3 CFS | Trend: Stable | Fishability: Poor | Weather: Mostly Sunny, High 61°F
The Bite
This is one of the harder reports to write this spring. The Dolores tailwater below McPhee is running at just 3 CFS — a trickle by any measure, and well below the 30 CFS floor of the fishable range. The culprit is no mystery: the basin's snowpack is sitting at roughly 10% of normal, one of the worst water years on record for southwest Colorado. McPhee Reservoir simply doesn't have the water to release, and that reality is written in the gauge reading today.
The silver lining — and there is one — is water temperature. At 54°F, the river is actually in a productive thermal window, warmer than the seasonal norm and warm enough to keep fish metabolically active. Browns are not lethargic; they're just compressed into a fraction of their normal habitat. Every deep pool, undercut bank, and shaded run that still holds meaningful depth is now a fish hotel. Pressure from the sun on a clear 61°F afternoon won't help surface activity, and the BWO hatch that typically defines April afternoons here will likely be muted without cloud cover. Don't expect the blanket emergences this section is capable of producing — today's sunny forecast works against that.
If you're already in the area or committed to the drive, fish can still be caught. Approach slowly, keep a low profile, and expect spooky fish in thin water. This is a day to be a hunter, not a caster.
What to Fish
- San Juan Worm (wine) #12 — anchor pattern, dead-drifted along the bottom of any pool with depth; this is your highest-percentage fly today
- Scud (orange/pink) #16 — fished near weed beds and along the substrate; year-round tailwater staple that doesn't need a hatch to work
- RS2 (olive) #20 — trail 12–18" behind the San Juan Worm as a dropper; fish will key on it as a Baetis nymph near the surface film in slower water
- Pheasant Tail Nymph #18 — solid mid-column option in any run with enough depth to swing through
- Parachute BWO #18 — worth having rigged if clouds build late afternoon; fish the slowest, flattest water you can find
- Griffith's Gnat #18 — midge clusters can draw a look in the calmer tailouts even on sunny days
Tactics & Rigging
Rig a double-nymph setup with the San Juan Worm on point and the RS2 or Pheasant Tail trailing 14–16" above it on a 6–8" tag off the tippet. Use 5X fluorocarbon to the anchor and step down to 6X for the dropper. Add just enough split shot to tick the bottom — in 3 CFS, you won't need much. Fish this rig with a high-stick presentation through the deepest slots you can find, keeping your indicator or sighter tight to the water to detect subtle takes from fish that aren't moving far.
If clouds build and you see any surface activity in the afternoon, switch to a single Parachute BWO or Sparkle Dun on 6X and work the slowest, glassiest water — likely the wider flats near Bradfield Bridge. Cast well upstream of any riser and let the fly ride the current without drag. In water this low, one bad cast can shut down a pod of fish for twenty minutes.
Access & Logistics
Access via Bradfield Bridge and the lower pullouts along Highway 145 remains straightforward. With flows this low, wading is trivially easy — almost too easy, as you'll be walking on exposed gravel that would normally be underwater. That same exposed substrate means fish can see you from a long way off; stay back from the bank and approach pools from downstream. Crowds are not a concern today. Verify current regulations with CPW before fishing — artificial flies and lures only applies for approximately 12 miles below the dam, and bag limit details can change.
Stop by Dolores River Anglers for current flies and local intel — they'll have the most up-to-date read on where fish are holding in these conditions and support the shops that keep this fishery on the map.
Looking Ahead
Sunday's forecast brings showers and thunderstorms, which could nudge flows slightly and — more importantly — deliver the overcast skies that trigger the BWO hatches this section is famous for; if you can fish Sunday afternoon, it may be worth the wet weather. Longer term, with snowpack at 10% of normal, don't expect a meaningful spring pulse from McPhee — the Dolores River Anglers and Trout Unlimited have been advocating for minimum instream flows here for good reason, and this drought year is exactly why that work matters.