Beta

GuidedFloats is in beta. The full site launches March 1, 2027. The mobile app follows.

Guides: claim before March 1, 2027 and your first full season of Premium is free. Claim your founding spot →

Log in List your guide serviceFor guides
Home › Waters › Colorado › Dolores River
River · Southwestern Colorado in Montezuma, Dolores and San Miguel counties, running from the San Juan Mountains past Rico and the town of Dolores into McPhee Reservoir and north toward the Utah line · Colorado

Dolores River Fishing Guides

A San Juan Mountains freestone above McPhee Reservoir with good wild brown trout water around Rico, and a spectacular but release-dependent canyon float below the dam.

A river running below a distant mountain range in the Rockies
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Guides on the Dolores River

Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.

About the Dolores River

The Dolores is really two rivers separated by a dam, and anglers need to know which one they are being sold. Above McPhee Reservoir the river is a classic southwestern Colorado freestone, dropping out of the San Juan Mountains through Rico and running down a narrowing valley to the town of Dolores. It is wadeable, wild and pleasantly uncrowded, with brown trout through the lower reaches, rainbows and cuttbows in the middle water and brook trout in the high tributaries. This gauge sits at the town of Dolores and reads that upper river.

Below McPhee Dam the river becomes something else entirely. The canyon downstream is one of the most beautiful stretches of water in the interior West, cutting through red sandstone toward the Utah line, and when there is water in it the float is extraordinary. The problem is that McPhee is an irrigation reservoir serving the Montezuma Valley, and in dry years the downstream release is cut to a trickle for months at a time. Boating releases happen in wet springs and not at all in dry ones, and the trout fishery below the dam has suffered badly through repeated low-water years.

Plan accordingly. The upper river above the reservoir fishes on a normal snowmelt schedule and is a dependable summer and fall trip. The canyon below the dam requires watching the release forecast, which is published by the water district in spring, and being ready to move quickly when a release is announced. This gauge reports discharge and stage but no water temperature. It describes the upper river only and tells you nothing about what is coming out of the dam, which is a separate and much more variable number.

This water needs a real photo

The photo at the top of this page is not Dolores River.

It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.

Add a photo of this water See the badges

Pioneer badgeUnclaimed

Add a photo of this water

Landscape, not fish — the water itself. Reviewed by hand before it appears. The first one published here earns the Pioneer badge.

Never published. It is how the badge is held for you until member accounts open.

Posting to Dolores River.

JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 12 MB. Landscape orientation looks best at the top of the page. We resize it and strip the location data out of the file.

The name printed under the photo and on your badge. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Fished this water? Add a photo

Reviewed by hand before it appears. Pick the water, not the spot — we never publish exact locations.

Never published. We use it only if we need to ask about the photo.

Posting to Dolores River.

JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 12 MB. We resize it and strip the location data out of the file.

The name shown under the photo. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Access

Rico and the upper Highway 145 pull-offs - small-stream freestone water in the San Juans.
Stoner and the middle valley - roadside access on the upper river.
Town of Dolores river park - the reach this gauge reads, with easy bank access.
McPhee Reservoir boat ramps - still-water launching above the dam.
Bradfield Bridge - the standard put-in for the canyon float below McPhee Dam.
Dove Creek Pumps - a common canyon take-out on shorter floats.
Slick Rock - the lower canyon access toward the Utah line.

Seasons

Spring: snowmelt on the upper river, and the annual decision on whether a canyon boating release will happen.
Summer: good wading and dry-fly fishing above the reservoir as the upper river drops and clears.
Fall: low clear water, strong brown trout fishing around Rico and Stoner, and very few anglers.
Winter: cold and quiet, with the upper valley snowed in and limited access.

From the water

No logged trips yet. Be the first to put this water on your map.

Log this water

Fished it or cleaned it? Log in or create a free account to log a trip with photos and earn the waterway badge.

Questions

What is the current flow on the Dolores River?

As of Sep 17, 6:45 am, the USGS gauge DOLORES RIVER AT DOLORES, CO. reads 70 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Dolores River?

Anglers target Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass on the Dolores River in Colorado.

Are there fishing guides on the Dolores River?

GuidedFloats lists 3 guides and outfitters on the Dolores River. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.

Where can you access the Dolores River?

Rico and the upper Highway 145 pull-offs - small-stream freestone water in the San Juans. Stoner and the middle valley - roadside access on the upper river. Town of Dolores river park - the reach this gauge reads, with easy bank access. McPhee Reservoir boat ramps - still-water launching above the dam. Bradfield Bridge - the standard put-in for the canyon float below McPhee Dam. Dove Creek Pumps - a common canyon take-out on shorter floats. Slick Rock - the lower canyon access toward the Utah line.

When is the best time to fish the Dolores River?

Spring: snowmelt on the upper river, and the annual decision on whether a canyon boating release will happen. Summer: good wading and dry-fly fishing above the reservoir as the upper river drops and clears. Fall: low clear water, strong brown trout fishing around Rico and Stoner, and very few anglers. Winter: cold and quiet, with the upper valley snowed in and limited access.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Dolores River?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Colorado agency site: https://cpw.state.co.us/rules-and-regulations