Fly Fishing Montrose, Colorado: Gunnison Gorge, Seasons and Local Pros
Location Details / Colorado / Towns / Montrose
Fly Fishing Montrose, Colorado: Gunnison Gorge, Seasons and Local Pros
Montrose is the base for the Gunnison Gorge, Gold Medal water that starts 200 yards below Crystal Dam and runs to the North Fork confluence, flies and lures only with every rainbow released. South of town in Ridgway, the Uncompahgre below Ridgway Dam is a catch-and-release tailwater. Fly into Montrose (MTJ).
Montrose sits between two very different tailwaters. The Gunnison below the Black Canyon dams is deep, remote canyon water where guides run multi-day trips; the Uncompahgre below Ridgway Dam is a small, easy-to-reach river where the trout can still be enormous.
This page covers the water within reach of Montrose, the seasons that matter for sight fishing, and what Gunnison Gorge guide Matt McCannel, who works out of Ridgway, told us on the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast. For the rest of the state, start with the Colorado hub.
Top species
Resident brown and rainbow trout; stocked Snake River cutthroat in the Gorge
Best months
Fall through spring for sight fishing at lower flows; summer for multi-day Gorge trips
Top nearby waters
Gunnison River (Gunnison Gorge), Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Uncompahgre River below Ridgway Dam, Ridgway Reservoir
Drive times
Uncompahgre below Ridgway Dam: about 10 minutes from Matt McCannel's home near Ridgway
License and regs
CPW fishing license plus Habitat Stamp; water rules in the Colorado Fishing Brochure
Nearest airport
Montrose (MTJ)
Rivers and Lakes Near Montrose
- Gunnison Gorge: Gold Medal water from 200 yards below Crystal Reservoir dam to the North Fork of the Gunnison. Colorado Parks and Wildlife rules make it flies and lures only from 200 yards below Crystal Dam to the Relief Ditch diversion, with every rainbow released. Matt McCannel guides three-day Gorge trips about once a week in summer and says he is out of contact for days at a time.
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison: the canyon above the Gorge, inside the national park. The National Park Service fishing page covers access and park rules.
- Uncompahgre River below Ridgway Dam: the tailwater at the Pa-Co-Chu-Puk area of Ridgway State Park. From the fence just below the USGS gauge station below the dam down to the Cow Creek confluence, it is flies and lures only, with every trout released; the water right below the dam is closed except as posted. Matt sight fishes it about ten minutes from home. See the CPW Pa-Co-Chu-Puk map.
- Ridgway Reservoir: the reservoir above the Uncompahgre tailwater; on the river above it, from the Ouray County Road 23 bridge down, kokanee snagging is legal from September 1 through December 31.
When to Fish Near Montrose
Matt McCannel's sight fishing season runs from the fall flow drop through winter and into spring, when the water is low and clear. Summer is the season for multi-day float trips through the Gorge.
| Season | What fishes near town |
|---|---|
| Winter | Low, clear tailwater for sight fishing to big resident browns; small midges and leeches |
| Spring | Sight fishing continues until flows rise |
| Summer | Higher flows; multi-day Gunnison Gorge trips |
| Fall | Flows drop and the big-fish sight fishing season starts |
Matt McCannel and the 35-Inch Brown
Matt McCannel calls what he does hunting, not fishing. On Guided EP #12: Matt McCannel, "The Stealthy Trout Hunter" he described clients taking off their wading boots 100 feet from a fish, because two rocks knocking together 60 or 70 feet away was enough to send it home. He uses a camouflaged step ladder set back from the bank to spot fish and watch them eat, and he says most of those eats never move the indicator.
His best story is one fish. A brown he had chased for four years reappeared one December 12th; his client spent six and a half hours on it and made 12 casts, waiting up to half an hour between them so the fish, and the angler, stayed calm. It taped 35 inches. Read Hunting Big Trout: The Stealth and Leader System That Gets Eats.
Hire a Local Pro in Montrose
No FFIP Certified guide is listed in Montrose yet. Multi-day Gunnison Gorge trips need a guide with permits and boats. Find a Pro lists every vetted guide, lodge and outfitter.
Tips from Podcast Guests
-
Ditch the tapered leader for a stealthy mono nymph rig
A long hard-mono butt, a free-sliding yarn indicator and a micro swivel sink flies faster and keep thick leader out of a wary trout's window.
Matt McCannel, Gunnison Gorge tailwater guide, on Guided EP #12 "The Stealthy Trout Hunter"
Nearby Fly Fishing Towns
Montrose Fly Fishing Questions, Answered
Where can you fly fish near Montrose?
The Gunnison Gorge is Gold Medal water from 200 yards below Crystal Dam to the North Fork confluence, flies and lures only with rainbows released. South of town, the Uncompahgre below Ridgway Dam at Pa-Co-Chu-Puk is catch and release to the Cow Creek confluence, and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison sits above the Gorge.
When is the best time to fly fish near Montrose?
For big fish you can see, fall through spring, when flows drop and the water clears; Matt McCannel sight fishes all winter. Summer is the season for multi-day float trips through the Gunnison Gorge.
Do you need a guide to fly fish near Montrose?
For the Gunnison Gorge, a guide is the practical way in: it is remote canyon water, and multi-day trips need boats and permits. The Uncompahgre at Pa-Co-Chu-Puk is easy to reach on your own, but its big trout reward the slow, stealthy approach Matt McCannel teaches.
Is Montrose or Gunnison a better base?
Montrose is the base for the Gunnison Gorge and the Uncompahgre tailwater at Ridgway, with its own airport. Gunnison is the base for the upper river, the Taylor and the East River. If you want canyon water and trophy sight fishing, choose Montrose.
Sources: Regulations: CPW Chapter W-1 (November 2025). Gold Medal list: Colorado fishing regulations. Gunnison Gorge and Black Canyon: National Park Service. Pa-Co-Chu-Puk: CPW Ridgway State Park. Guest material: Matt McCannel on the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast.
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By Christian Bacasa, host of the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast. Last reviewed November 2026.
Seasons, flows, regulations, access and license rules change without notice. Regulations here come from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife rules in force at the time of writing. Confirm current rules with CPW, and trip pricing and availability with your Frontiers specialist, before you book.