Lower Taylor: Lottis Creek to Almont

Lower Taylor: Lottis Creek to Almont — Fishing Report for April 24, 2026

Quick Stats

Flow: 113 CFS | Trend: Stable | Fishability: Good | Weather: Sunny, High 50°F — rain and snow arriving Sunday

The Bite

April on the lower Taylor is one of the quieter pleasures in the basin, and this week is a good example of why. While the upper tailwater draws crowds chasing trophy fish in tight quarters, the lower canyon is sitting at a comfortable 113 CFS — well within its fishable range — with room to breathe and browns that rise more freely than anything you'll find upstream. With a dramatically low snowpack across the Gunnison basin this year, runoff is expected to be mild and short-lived, which means this fishable window could extend longer than a typical April. Enjoy it.

Today's sunny skies are the one wrinkle. BWO hatches thrive under cloud cover, and full sun tends to push emergence later and thinner. Don't expect a dense afternoon blanket of bugs — but don't write off the surface either. Watch for sporadic rises between 2 and 5 PM as the sun angle drops and cloud cover potentially builds ahead of tonight's system. The fish here aren't as educated as their upstream neighbors, and even a modest hatch can bring them up. Midges should be reliable through midday and are worth fishing early before the afternoon window opens.

The real story this week is timing: today and Saturday are your shots before rain and snow showers move in Saturday night and linger through Sunday. Wet, overcast conditions Sunday could actually set up a strong BWO emergence — but wading a rising freestone river in April snow is a different proposition. If you can get out today or tomorrow morning, do it.

What to Fish

• Parachute BWO #18-20 — anchor your afternoon dry-dropper rig; watch for rises in the slower tailouts and along foam lines
• Pheasant Tail #16-18 — trailed 14–18" below the dry as a dropper; covers the Baetis nymph stage before and during the hatch
• Griffith's Gnat #18-20 — effective during the midday midge window, especially in flatter water
• San Juan Worm (red or wine) #12-14 — dead weight option for deeper runs and pockets; always worth a drift in freestone water
• Black Stonefly Nymph #14-16 — fish the riffles; little black stones are beginning to show in the freestone sections
• RS2 (olive) #20 — a reliable Baetis emerger to trail behind a dry or fish as a single in slower currents

Tactics & Rigging

For the afternoon window, rig a dry-dropper with a Parachute BWO on point and a Pheasant Tail or RS2 dropped 14–18" below on 5X fluorocarbon. This setup covers both the surface and the water column simultaneously — useful when the hatch is building but fish haven't fully committed to the top. Focus on the slower tailouts below riffles and along current seams where drifting naturals collect. Let the rig ride the seam untouched; any hesitation in the dry is worth a lift.

Earlier in the day, before the hatch develops, consider a two-nymph setup with a weighted Black Stonefly Nymph or San Juan Worm on point and a Pheasant Tail or RS2 trailed 12–16" behind. Fish the deeper pockets and runs with enough split shot to keep contact with the bottom. The lower Taylor's moderate gradient gives you plenty of classic nymphing water — riffles, runs, and undercut banks — that rewards methodical coverage over cherry-picking pools.

Access & Logistics

Access along the lower Taylor canyon is generally straightforward via CO-135 and the canyon road. Parking pullouts are scattered along the route; midweek pressure here is light, so finding water to yourself is realistic. Trail conditions should be fine given the dry spring. Wading is rated easy for most of this stretch, though cold water (temps unavailable from today's gauge, but likely in the low-to-mid 40s°F given the season) makes a wading belt and caution standard practice.

Verify current regulations with CPW before fishing — this section runs under standard Colorado regulations below Lottis Creek, including bait and standard bag limits, which differ significantly from the Gold Medal water upstream.

Stop by Almont Resort or Taylor River Lodge for flies, local intel, and to support the shops that keep these fisheries healthy.

Looking Ahead

Rain and snow showers arrive Saturday night and persist through Sunday, which could push flows modestly and set up a strong overcast BWO emergence early next week as conditions clear. If the snowpack signal holds — and this has been a very dry water year across the basin — any runoff bump should be short-lived, keeping the lower Taylor in fishable shape well into May as the Mother's Day Caddis hatch begins to build.