Water temp’s dipping chilly, daylight’s getting short, and the Colorado River through Grand County all the way down toward Glenwood Springs is still putting out solid fishing for the hearty angler this November 14. Sunrise rolled in at 6:47 a.m., sunset’s set for 4:52 p.m., giving us a crisp, bluebird fall day with high pressure building and highs touching the upper 40s. As for wind, expect things to pick up a bit after lunch—enough that you’ll want to put the 6X tippet away by afternoon. No tidal influence here; the only “tide” to worry about is whether your guides ice up before coffee’s finished brewing.

If you’re coming for numbers, mid-morning to late afternoon nymphing continues to be the best bet—especially in the deep tailouts below riffles and near cut banks. Kirks Flyshop reports the Colorado is “still fishing good this fall,” with nymph rigs producing steady action. Their guides are seeing regular catches of healthy brown trout in the 12–17 inch range, with rainbows mixed in and a few cutbows for good measure. The browns have wrapped up most main-spawn activities, but post-spawn feeding has them chasing protein. The streamer bite has been hot too: think big and buggy as you probe those deeper seams and pockets and get ready for a grab or two from fish that don’t want to hit a dry.

Hot flies for nymphing have been PMDs, Juju Baetis, Pats Rubber Legs, and classic Hare’s Ear variations. Lighter tippet and smaller stuff like Sparklewing Rs2 and Copper Ribbed Rs2 are also fooling picky fish, especially as water clears and drops in the colder weather. If you’re slinging streamers, Dungeons, Thin Mints, and olive or black Woolly Buggers are getting chased—especially around sunrise and just before sundown. Don’t be shy: add some flash to your rig, especially if you’re working murkier pockets or deeper holes.

For the spinning and bait crowd, bright spinners in gold or chartreuse, small crankbaits imitating rainbow fry, and nightcrawlers drifted slow and deep have all caught nice trout this week. If you hunt walleye or pike downstream, larger minnow baits and jerkbaits worked slow have produced after dusk, with some bonus big browns feeding shallow at last light.

Lake Granby’s in the turnover stage, mostly a trout game right now; shore fishers are connecting with rainbows and even kokanee using salmon eggs and orange PowerBait floated a few feet off the bottom. But action is slower compared to the river itself.

On the warmwater side, the lower Colorado in the far western state has some good smallmouth and even desert pupfish (rare, but reported in the region), but trout are still the main draw as waters cool according to recent anecdotes by local guides and anglers.

As for locations, two hot spots worth noting today:
- **Byers Canyon, just west of Hot Sulphur Springs:** Fish the pools and slow moving riffles with nymph/streamer combos. Pressure is light, and you can usually sight-fish the afternoon sun.
- **Pumphouse to State Bridge section:** Classic float or walk-and-wade. Focus on the first shelf drops and deeper bends. Rainbows have been sitting in slower water waiting to pick up tiny mayfly nymphs.

With clear skies, low and cold water, stealth counts; wear drab, sneak up, and watch for that midday blue-winged olive hatch. Only the hardiest anglers are out, so you’ll have long bends all to yourself.

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