Almont's Late Season Belongs to the Kokanee Run and the Taylor Tailwater

Harmels has closed for the year and doesn't reopen until May 20, 2027. If you live along the lower Taylor or the East River, though, a resort's season was never what set the pace here in late October. Two things outside anyone's control do that. One is how many kokanee salmon make it up from Blue Mesa Reservoir to Roaring Judy. The other is a release from Taylor Dam that has already dropped to its winter level. The businesses still open every day in Almont are the ones built to work with those two things. This fall, both of them are a reason to check before you get in the car.

A thin run, and a Friday line that depends on it

Every fall, tens of thousands of mature kokanee swim nearly 30 miles from Blue Mesa through the Gunnison River and up the East River toward Roaring Judy State Fish Hatchery. The Gunnison Country Times describes them as landlocked sockeye that grow for three to four years in the reservoir before returning to spawn. September and October are usually the best months to see them, as they turn from silver to red.

This year the run started slowly. Colorado Parks and Wildlife canceled its Oct. 9 giveaway at Roaring Judy because there weren't enough fish. CPW's Gunnison-based aquatic biologist, Giulio Del Piccolo, told WesternSlopeNow in early October:

"I have been on the Gunnison River the last few days and haven't seen many kokanee running up from Blue Mesa toward our Roaring Judy Hatchery yet. People should definitely call before the scheduled giveaway days to make sure we are going to have fish."

You can see how much these runs swing elsewhere on the Western Slope. On the Dolores River, CPW collected 922,383 eggs in 2023 and held several giveaway days. In 2025 it collected 31,880 eggs on the same river and couldn't hold a giveaway at all. So a slow start at Roaring Judy isn't unusual. It does mean the schedule is a plan and not a promise.

The giveaways exist so spawned fish don't go to waste. The Roaring Judy dates run on Fridays through Nov. 20, and the Colorado Sun was still listing that schedule as of Oct. 12. That leaves four Fridays from the day this post goes up:

1. Friday, Oct. 30
2. Friday, Nov. 6
3. Friday, Nov. 13
4. Friday, Nov. 20

CPW asks people to be in line by 9 a.m. You'll need a 2026 Colorado fishing license, and one adult with a valid license can bring up to four youth. Bring a small cooler, since most kokanee run 10 to 13 inches. CPW recommends calling the day before or checking the agency's social media. Its 2026 giveaway announcement lists two numbers for Roaring Judy: 970-641-0190 and 970-641-7070.

If you just want to see the fish, CPW's Roaring Judy hatchery page says adult kokanee can be viewed near the fishing ponds in September and October. The hatchery offers self-guided tours and guided tours by appointment, and it doesn't post set visitor hours, so call first.

Why trout anglers watch the same run

The spawn matters to anglers too. As the kokanee spawn, eggs drift downstream and become an easy meal for larger trout, which is why egg patterns show up in fly boxes this time of year. Public water on the East River is limited, though. In its Oct. 7 report, Three Rivers Resort said public access is mostly a short stretch above and below the hatchery. The lower Roaring Judy section below the fish barricade has been closed to public fishing since Aug. 15 to help more salmon reach the hatchery, and the property's ponds and ditches closed over Labor Day weekend.

So the river closest to the salmon is also the hardest one to fish this month. That pushes most late-season anglers toward the Taylor, where the flow is already set for winter.

The number on the Taylor won't change until spring

According to the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District's September board packet, releases from Taylor Reservoir were scheduled to drop to 55 cubic feet per second on Oct. 1 and stay there through winter. The Three Rivers fishing report from Oct. 7 shows the dam release at 55 cfs. On the same day the river measured about 101 cfs through the canyon in Almont, after drying out from heavy rain at the end of September. The East River was near 90 cfs.

For someone who lives a few miles downstream, 55 cfs means the catch-and-release water below the dam will look the same in February as it does now. That report described the C&R section as fishing well, with sporadic daytime hatches. Nymphing was the most productive method, using flies in the 18 to 24 range and long, light leaders. Redds can be present at the C&R any time of year, and the report asks anglers to watch for them. In the canyon, low water meant easy wading through most of the river. Dry-dropper and nymph rigs were the recommendation for the first five miles, and there were more dry-fly takes between Granite Campground and about mile 12.

The C&R section below Taylor Park Dam stays open all year. Three Rivers says its fly shop and guide service also run all winter. Once the reservoir freezes, the resort adds guided ice fishing. Half-day and full-day trips come with augers, heated huts and fish finders.

Who's open while the water does the scheduling

Since the fish and the flow decide whether a morning on the river is worth it, the places that matter are the ones open on any given day. Here's where things stand going into November:

Mule's Ear is the newest addition. The Gunnison Country Times covered its grand opening, and the menu goes beyond baked goods to pizza, salads and soft-serve. It opens at 7 a.m., which matters for anyone heading to the hatchery: you can pick up coffee and a breakfast burrito on the way to a 9 a.m. line. Almont Resort also says Bar 47 serves dinner seven days a week and takes reservations.

The resort's hours on its website aren't labeled as winter hours. Last February, the Gunnison Country Times described a winter at Bar 47 with weekly Thursday trivia, billiards, darts and the Snowdance Winter Concert Series. The lineup for 2026–27 hasn't been posted yet, so check the resort's site as the snow arrives.

This fall also showed how the resort ties into the run. Its kokanee raffle gave daily winners private fishing access on a stretch of the East River that's normally closed to the public. Entry took three purchases at Bar 47 or Mule's Ear, and the final drawing was Oct. 15. The raffle is over, but it's a fair guess the salmon run will be part of the resort's calendar again next September.

Up the canyon, check the road first

Three Rivers says County Road 742 is plowed regularly up to Taylor Park, where snowmobilers head in winter. That describes a typical winter. It isn't a county notice for this season. The valley's travel alerts page directs drivers to COTrip for live seasonal closures, so check there before a trip to the dam or beyond. After the Taylor Canyon Fire in late July, the county's emergency page reported that the incident was no longer active and every road in the area had reopened.

So the late-season routine in Almont comes down to a few checks. Call Roaring Judy on Thursday. Plan around 55 cfs below the dam. Look up COTrip before heading up the canyon. And use the kitchens that keep their doors open, which this year means coffee at 7 and dinner until 9.

At Crested Butte Homes, we keep track of the confluence the same way our neighbors do, by flow, by season and by which doors are open. If you own a place along the Taylor or the East River and want to know how its river access and location factor into its value today, Gary and Hillary would be glad to walk the property with you. Request a Free Home Valuation, and we'll bring the local knowledge with us.