East River Fishing Guides
The Crested Butte freestone that meets the Taylor at Almont to form the Gunnison, with wild browns, rainbows and a famous late-summer hopper season.
Map of the East River
17 numbered points: 5 campsites, 5 bridges, 3 parks and conservation areas, 1 agency office, 1 USGS gauge, 2 points of interest. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Sep 16, 2026.
- Campsite (5)
- Bridge crossing (5)
- Park / conservation area (3)
- Agency / conservation office (1)
- USGS gauge (1)
- Point of interest (2)
Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
Open the printable mapAll 17 points on this map
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emerald Lake Day-Use Area USFS · Gunnison National Forest | Park / conservation area | 39.00694, -107.03841 | Top of the sheet, at the head of the East River above Gothic. |
| 2 | Campsites GC 13 Gothic corridor designated camping | Campsite | 39.00034, -107.02381 | Numbered dispersed site on the Schofield Pass road above Gothic. |
| 3 | Campsites GC 9-12 Gothic corridor designated camping | Campsite | 38.99924, -107.02017 | Cluster of four numbered dispersed sites. |
| 4 | Gothic Natural Area Gunnison National Forest | Park / conservation area | 38.99416, -107.03005 | Protected ground on the west bank above the Gothic townsite. |
| 5 | Schofield Pass Road bridge (upper) Gunnison County · CR 317 | Bridge crossing | 38.99514, -107.01445 | Upper of the two Schofield Pass crossings above Gothic. |
| 6 | Campsites GC 4-8 Gothic corridor designated camping | Campsite | 38.98582, -107.00967 | Cluster of five numbered dispersed sites. |
| 7 | Campsites GC 1-3 Gothic corridor designated camping | Campsite | 38.98102, -107.00620 | The bottom cluster of the Gothic corridor, beside Gothic Campground. |
| 8 | Schofield Pass Road bridge (lower) Gunnison County · CR 317 | Bridge crossing | 38.97736, -107.00209 | Lower Schofield Pass crossing, just above the Gothic townsite. |
| 9 | Avery Peak Picnic Site USFS · Gunnison National Forest | Point of interest | 38.97628, -106.99898 | Day-use pullout and trailhead on the river at Gothic. |
| 10 | Judd Falls / Copper Creek Trailhead USFS · Gunnison National Forest | Point of interest | 38.96609, -106.99367 | Trailhead parking just off the river below Gothic. |
| 11 | Gothic Road bridge Gunnison County · CR 317 | Bridge crossing | 38.95220, -106.98933 | Crossing between Gothic and Mount Crested Butte. |
| 12 | Brush Creek Designated Camping Area USFS · Gunnison National Forest | Campsite | 38.88681, -106.90081 | Designated camping area on Brush Creek Road, about 600 m off the East River. |
| 13 | Brush Creek Road bridge Gunnison County | Bridge crossing | 38.86455, -106.90927 | East River crossing on Brush Creek Road below Crested Butte. |
| 14 | Cement Creek Road bridge Gunnison County · CR 740 | Bridge crossing | 38.80626, -106.88621 | Crossing at Crested Butte South. |
| 15 | Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery Colorado Parks and Wildlife | Agency / conservation office | 38.71388, -106.85393 | CPW hatchery on the lower river; the reach around it is the best-known public water. |
| 16 | Roaring Judy State Wildlife Area Colorado Parks and Wildlife | Park / conservation area | 38.70638, -106.85421 | The public-access ground below the hatchery. |
| 17 | USGS 09112500 — East River at Almont At the Taylor River confluence | USGS gauge | 38.66444, -106.84750 | The gauge the water page reads for flow. |
Guides on the East 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.
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About the East River
The East River begins in the Elk Mountains above Crested Butte and runs south through some of the most photographed valley country in Colorado before joining the Taylor at Almont to form the Gunnison. It is a true freestone – snowmelt driven, cold, and shaped by gradient rather than by a dam – and it fishes completely differently from the tailwater it meets at the bottom.
Brown trout dominate, with rainbows well established and increasingly wild, brook trout in the upper reaches and tributaries, and cutthroat in the headwater creeks. Mountain whitefish are common and are worth catching rather than cursing. The river through the Almont valley runs over gravel and cobble with undercut banks, deep outside bends and a lot of classic riffle-run-pool structure, which makes it one of the more readable dry-fly rivers in the state. Late summer is the season people plan around: grasshoppers, ants and beetles blowing off the meadows produce genuinely good terrestrial fishing from August into late September, and the aspen colour that comes with it is a fair part of the draw.
Access needs care. Large stretches of the valley are private ranch land, and Colorado stream access law is strict about it, so know exactly where you are. The public water is real but finite – the Roaring Judy hatchery reach, sections of public frontage in the Almont area, and the upper river in national forest above Crested Butte. Outfitters in Crested Butte, Almont and Gunnison hold access to private water and that is often the honest reason to book one.
Runoff is heavy and late here; the river is usually unfishable from late May into early July, and the gauge will tell you when it has cleared.
This water needs a real photo
The photo at the top of this page is not East 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.
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Access
Almont - the gauge reach and the Taylor confluence at the bottom of the river.
Roaring Judy State Wildlife Area - the hatchery reach and the most reliable public water.
Crested Butte - upper river access in town and above.
Gunnison National Forest above Crested Butte - headwater public access.
Cement Creek confluence - middle valley access point.
Brush Creek confluence - tributary junction on the upper river.
Highway 135 pullouts - scattered legal public frontage between Crested Butte and Almont.
Seasons
Spring: heavy late runoff, usually unfishable from late May into early July.
Summer: clearing flows, caddis and stoneflies, then the hopper season from August.
Fall: brown trout spawning colour, terrestrials and the best dry-fly weeks of the year.
Winter: cold, low and ice-affected, with limited access and very little pressure.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the East River?
As of Sep 17, 6:15 am, the USGS gauge EAST RIVER AT ALMONT, CO reads 111 cfs, with water temperature 55.2 F. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the East River?
Anglers target Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout on the East River in Colorado.
Where can you access the East River?
Almont - the gauge reach and the Taylor confluence at the bottom of the river. Roaring Judy State Wildlife Area - the hatchery reach and the most reliable public water. Crested Butte - upper river access in town and above. Gunnison National Forest above Crested Butte - headwater public access. Cement Creek confluence - middle valley access point. Brush Creek confluence - tributary junction on the upper river. Highway 135 pullouts - scattered legal public frontage between Crested Butte and Almont.
When is the best time to fish the East River?
Spring: heavy late runoff, usually unfishable from late May into early July. Summer: clearing flows, caddis and stoneflies, then the hopper season from August. Fall: brown trout spawning colour, terrestrials and the best dry-fly weeks of the year. Winter: cold, low and ice-affected, with limited access and very little pressure.
Where are the fishing regulations for the East River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Colorado agency site: https://cpw.state.co.us/rules-and-regulations