S3E4: 3.4 – Fishing Colorado in the 2026 Drought

About this episode

The episode discusses fishing in Colorado during a historic drought and offers tips for anglers.

Summer is in full swing, and anglers across Colorado are looking for opportunities to set a hook into the mouth of a fish across the state’s incredible array of lakes, rivers and small streams. But with the state facing a historic drought, there is a lot for anglers to keep in mind. In this episode of the Colorado Outdoors podcast, we sit down with CPW Assistant Director Matt Nicholl, who oversees the Aquatic Wildlife Branch, as well as Josh Nehring, CPW’s Deputy Assistant Director of the Aquatic Branch, to talk about all matters fishing in Colorado for 2026.   According to the U.S. Drought Monitor released on June 4, 2026, all 64 counties in Colorado are currently experiencing at least Abnormally Dry conditions, while nearly 93% of the state is in Moderate to Exceptional Drought. Following the lowest snowpack accumulation season on record, May 1 streamflow forecasts projected runoff ranging from only 21% to 37% of median across Colorado river basins. Additionally, this water year (October 2025 - Present) has been the warmest on record in Colorado, contributing to early snowmelt, extremely low river flows, diminished soil moisture conditions and elevated wildfire risk…

People in this episode

Guests: Matt Nicholl, Josh Nehring

Topics covered

• fishing
• drought
• Colorado
• aquatic wildlife
• angling tips

Keywords

• fishing
• drought
• Colorado
• anglers
• aquatic wildlife
• streamflow
• water temperatures

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Colorado Parks & Wildlife

Places: Colorado

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• S3E1: 3.1 – Range Riding with CPW’s Max Morton · March 19, 2026 · 52 min
• S2E16: 2.16 – Big-game hunting chat with Andy Holland · November 6, 2025 · 31 min
• S2E15: 2.15 – Extreme Botany: Colorado's Rare Plants · August 1, 2025 · 44 min
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