Cheesman Canyon Fly Fishing Report – July 2025: PMDs, Tricos & Mastering Colorado’s Toughest Tailwater

This week’s River Whisper takes you deep into Cheesman Canyon—Colorado’s most technical tailwater and home to some of the smartest, spookiest trout in the West.

Flows are low. Water’s clear. And the PMDs and Tricos are hatching like clockwork. If you’ve fished Cheesman before, you already know: it’s not about volume—it’s about precision. A blown drift, a sloppy cast, or 5X tippet could be the difference between a take and a ghosted trout.

In this episode, we cover:

• How to fish the July PMD hatch without getting rejected

• Why Trico spinners in the early hours are the real sleeper hatch

• The dry flies, emergers, and micro-nymphs we actually fish here (not the ones old-school shops still push)

• Tight-line and euro-nymphing tactics that catch fish when indicators fail

• Access tips, trail breakdowns, and how to fish smarter—not harder—in this granite-walled gauntlet

We also explain why Cheesman Canyon is where good anglers go to get better—and what it takes to actually land a fish here.

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