Below the Gorge: Pleasure Park to Delta

Below the Gorge: Pleasure Park to Delta — Fishing Report for April 26, 2026

Quick Stats

Flow: 804 CFS | Trend: Stable | Fishability: Fair | Weather: Showers and thunderstorms, high 61°F

The Bite

Here's the honest picture for today: the seasonal guide tip for this section says to target early April before runoff muddies things up, and at 804 CFS with showers and thunderstorms in the forecast, late April is living up to that warning. Flows are sitting above the 10-day average of 756 CFS and holding stable — but with rain continuing through tonight and into Monday, expect some additional color and possible short-term bumps in flow. The good news is that snowpack in the Gunnison basin is dramatically below normal — just 12% of normal as of yesterday — which means the runoff pulse this year is likely to be shorter, milder, and earlier than typical. This section may clear and fish well again sooner than you'd expect heading into May.

Water temps are reading 53°F, which is actually warmer than the seasonal norm for late April and puts fish in an active metabolic range. That's a meaningful silver lining. Browns and rainbows will be feeding — they're just doing it close to the bottom in the murky, higher flows rather than keying on surface food. Don't expect the BWO hatch to fire in any meaningful way today; overcast skies and rain can trigger Baetis activity, but off-color water and heavy cloud cover with active storms will suppress surface feeding. If you see a brief clearing window in the afternoon, a Skwala dry or Elk Hair Caddis is worth a few drifts along the softer banks.

The fish are almost certainly stacked in the slower, deeper water — inside bends, behind mid-channel boulders, and along undercut banks where they can hold without fighting current. This is a nymphing day, full stop.

What to Fish

• San Juan Worm (red or wine) #12-14 — Point fly anchor. Runoff and rain wash worms into the system; fish key on them hard in off-color water. Let it ride the bottom through deeper slots.
• Stonefly Nymph (black) #10-12 — Trailed 12–16" behind the San Juan Worm. Heavy enough to stay down, and stonefly nymphs are active in this flow range.
• Hare's Ear #12-14 — Versatile mid-column nymph; swap in when water color improves.
• Scud (orange/pink) #16 — Effective all day near any weed beds or slower, silty margins.
• Copper John #14 — Useful as a secondary dropper when you want more flash in stained water.
• Elk Hair Caddis #14-16 — Keep one rigged for any afternoon clearing window; caddis are beginning to show at this elevation.

Tactics & Rigging

Set up a two-nymph rig with the San Juan Worm on point and a stonefly nymph or Hare's Ear trailed 14" above it on a 6–8" tag. Run 4X fluorocarbon to the point fly — you'll need the abrasion resistance near the bottom in this flow. Add enough split shot to get the rig ticking the substrate; in 804 CFS, that likely means more weight than feels comfortable. A strike indicator set at 1.5–2x the water depth will help you read the drift in the faster runs.

Focus your casts on the inside seams of bends, the soft water immediately downstream of any large structure, and the transition zones where fast current meets slower pools. This section's low gradient means those slack-water pockets are your best holding lies today. Avoid wading into the main current — the wider, easier character of this reach means you can cover most productive water from the bank or with minimal wading.

Access & Logistics

Access along this section is straightforward compared to the canyon water upstream — road access near Pleasure Park and several BLM pullouts along the lower reach make getting to the water easy. Muddy two-track roads after today's rain may be soft; a high-clearance vehicle is worth having. Thunderstorms are forecast through tonight, so watch the sky and get off the water if lightning approaches. Always verify current regulations with CPW before fishing.

Stop by Cimarron Creek Fly Shop in Montrose for flies, local intel, and to support the shops that keep these fisheries healthy.

Looking Ahead

Monday brings more showers before a sunny Tuesday at 64°F — that clearing trend could settle the water and trigger a legitimate afternoon hatch window by midweek. With snowpack so far below normal basin-wide, flows here may stabilize and drop faster than a typical late-April runoff, potentially opening up a second window of good fishing sooner than expected.