Little Colorado River Fishing Guides
The White Mountains headwaters at Greer, a small high-elevation meadow and timber stream and one of the few places to catch Arizona's native Apache trout.
Guides on the Little Colorado 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.
No guides listed yet
Guide or outfit this water? Create your profile. Listing is free, the commission is 10% or 7% with a premium profile, and premium profiles list first on this water.
About the Little Colorado River
Most of the Little Colorado is a desert river that runs dry for long stretches and reaches the Grand Canyon as a seasonal, mineral-blue torrent. At Greer it is something else entirely: a small, cold, clear mountain stream at well over eight thousand feet, running off the flanks of Mount Baldy through spruce and fir timber and open meadow. The contrast with the lower river is complete, and anglers who know the name from the canyon are often surprised to find a classic small trout stream at the top of the watershed.
The draw here is Apache trout, Arizona’s state fish and a species that exists naturally nowhere else. Once reduced to a handful of streams on the White Mountain Apache Reservation and the surrounding national forest, it has been the subject of a long recovery effort and is now catchable in several White Mountains streams, this one among them. Rainbow trout are stocked and abundant through the accessible water around Greer, brown trout hold in the deeper undercut bends and grow larger than the rest, and brook trout occupy the colder upper forks. The three forks above the village each fish slightly differently.
This is small-stream fishing in the truest sense: narrow water, meadow banks that demand a low profile, short casts and a lot of walking. Flows are modest and driven by snowmelt and the summer monsoon, so the river runs high and off-colour in spring, settles into prime condition by early summer, and spikes briefly after monsoon storms. Elevation keeps it cold when the rest of Arizona is unfishable, which is exactly why the White Mountains draw anglers from Phoenix and Tucson through the summer. Winter closes much of it under snow.
This water needs a real photo
The photo at the top of this page is not Little Colorado 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
Landscape, not fish — the water itself. Reviewed by hand before it appears. The first one published here earns the Pioneer badge.
Fished this water? Add a photo
Reviewed by hand before it appears. Pick the water, not the spot — we never publish exact locations.
Access
Greer - the gauge location and the main village on the river, with lodging and services.
West Fork Little Colorado - the upper fork above the village, with trail and meadow access.
East Fork Little Colorado - the other main fork, with campground and road access.
South Fork - a separate forest road drainage nearby with its own stream fishing.
Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest - the surrounding forest land holding most of the access.
River Reservoir and Bunch Reservoir - the Greer lakes immediately above the village.
Springerville and Eagar - the nearest towns, with tackle, fuel and full services.
Seasons
Spring: high and cold with snowmelt, and much of the upper water still difficult to reach.
Summer: the prime season, with settled flows, cool mountain temperatures and heavy visitor traffic.
Fall: the best fishing of the year as browns move onto the feed and the aspen turn.
Winter: snowbound and largely inaccessible, with the season effectively closed at this elevation.
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 Little Colorado River?
As of Nov 2, 6:30 am, the USGS gauge LITTLE COLORADO RIVER AT GREER, AZ reads 586 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Little Colorado River?
Anglers target Apache Trout, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Creek Chub, Rainbow Trout on the Little Colorado River in Arizona.
Where can you access the Little Colorado River?
Greer - the gauge location and the main village on the river, with lodging and services. West Fork Little Colorado - the upper fork above the village, with trail and meadow access. East Fork Little Colorado - the other main fork, with campground and road access. South Fork - a separate forest road drainage nearby with its own stream fishing. Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest - the surrounding forest land holding most of the access. River Reservoir and Bunch Reservoir - the Greer lakes immediately above the village. Springerville and Eagar - the nearest towns, with tackle, fuel and full service...
When is the best time to fish the Little Colorado River?
Spring: high and cold with snowmelt, and much of the upper water still difficult to reach. Summer: the prime season, with settled flows, cool mountain temperatures and heavy visitor traffic. Fall: the best fishing of the year as browns move onto the feed and the aspen turn. Winter: snowbound and largely inaccessible, with the season effectively closed at this elevation.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Little Colorado River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Arizona agency site: https://www.azgfd.com/fishing-2/licenses-and-regulations/