7 Top Western Rivers to Fly Fish in November

By Nick Nickens

The Missouri, Bighorn, Green, Provo, Fryingpan, North Platte, and Crooked rivers are seven Western trout-fishing options worth considering in November. Their selected tailwater reaches offer opportunities as colder weather narrows the season on many freestone streams. Expect small insects, shorter feeding windows, and a need to adjust your plans to flows and weather.

Over the years, I've found that a November trip benefits from a little flexibility. A few productive hours can make a good day, and a nymph box matters just as much as the hope of finding rising trout.

Why These Seven Rivers?

This is a planning shortlist, not a scientific ranking or a report of today's conditions. The selections emphasize dam-influenced trout water, November midge and blue-winged olive opportunities, and different options for wading or floating. The numbers organize the guide; I don't rank one river above another.

Each entry identifies the reach to consider, a practical fishing approach, and a limitation worth weighing before you travel. The linked hatch charts describe seasonal tendencies, not guaranteed hatch dates. Early November can fish differently from the end of the month.

1. Missouri River, Montana: Holter Dam to Craig

A strong choice for: Anglers who enjoy technical presentations on broad tailwater water.

The Missouri below Holter Dam offers a useful combination of subsurface fishing and potential late-season surface activity. Blue-winged olives can remain relevant in November, with midges becoming increasingly important as winter approaches. Watch softer seams and sheltered water for feeding fish rather than assuming the entire river will come alive at once.

Begin with small mayfly nymphs or midge larvae and pupae when nothing is rising. If fish begin feeding on top, identify whether they are taking duns, emergers, or midges before choosing the dry. Long, flat drifts reward careful positioning and slack management.

The trade-off: This is big, exposed water. Wind and cold can make a float far less appealing than a shorter outing from a suitable public access point. Tailwater influence does not guarantee comfortable weather or safe wading.

Plan your fly selection with the Missouri River hatch chart: Holter Dam to Craig.

2. Bighorn River, Montana: Below Yellowtail Dam

A strong choice for: Anglers willing to nymph patiently and watch for a surface-feeding window.

The Bighorn's tailwater character makes it a logical late-season candidate. Midges are central to the cold-weather approach, while small blue-winged olives may offer additional opportunities. Scuds and sowbugs give you subsurface options when surface insects are scarce.

Concentrate on a controlled drift through holding water rather than covering every fast riffle. Carry midge larvae, pupae, and a few surface patterns so you can respond if fish begin sipping in quieter lanes. Adjust depth and weight before repeatedly replacing a reasonable fly.

The trade-off: A mild afternoon and a hard cold front can produce very different days. Check releases, wind, and the forecast, and avoid building the trip around a guaranteed dry-fly hatch.

See the Bighorn River hatch chart for the seasonal insect overview.

3. Green River, Utah: Below Flaming Gorge Dam

A strong choice for: Anglers looking for a canyon tailwater trip with both nymphing and possible surface opportunities.

Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources specifically identifies the Green as a November destination. Focus your planning on the fishery below Flaming Gorge Dam, including Section A, rather than treating the whole Green River as one uniform fishery.

Carry small midge and mayfly patterns, and watch quieter edges and eddies for feeding trout. Clear water makes observation useful, but it also rewards a careful approach and a natural drift. Fish below the surface while waiting for a hatch rather than forcing a dry onto fish that are not looking up.

The trade-off: Canyon shade, changing releases, and cold weather affect the outing. Choose a walk-in route or float suited to your experience, and confirm access and shuttle arrangements before committing.

Use the Green River Utah hatch chart to prepare for likely insects.

4. Provo River, Utah: Middle and Lower Tailwater Reaches

A strong choice for: A shorter wading-focused trip rather than a remote destination float.

The middle and lower Provo offer separate tailwater options, and Utah's wildlife agency includes the Provo among its November brown-trout destinations. Choose the actual reach before checking flows and regulations; conditions on one section do not describe the other.

Small blue-winged olive and midge patterns are useful starting points. Work a nymph through an appropriate seam, then watch for repeated rises before changing to a surface imitation. With small insects, improving the drift can matter more than finding a new pattern.

The trade-off: Convenient access does not guarantee solitude. Give other anglers room, use established access, and be particularly careful around shallow spawning areas.

Consult the Provo River hatch chart for seasonal planning.

5. Fryingpan River, Colorado: Below Ruedi Reservoir

A strong choice for: Anglers who enjoy small flies and deliberate, technical fishing.

The Fryingpan tailwater near Basalt offers a cold-season alternative to higher, more exposed freestone water. Midges anchor the November selection, with blue-winged olive opportunities depending on conditions. Do not arrive expecting summer's large-insect menu.

Bring small midge larvae and pupae, mayfly emergers, and a few low-riding dries. Watch the feeding level before deciding whether a high-floating adult, an emerger, or a subsurface pattern is appropriate. Use tippet that suits the fly and conditions without compromising the ability to land fish promptly.

The trade-off: Selective fish and popular access points can make this demanding water. Icy roads, shaded banks, and short daylight also deserve as much planning as the fly box.

Review the Fryingpan River hatch chart before choosing patterns.

6. North Platte River, Wyoming: Grey Reef and Other Tailwater Reaches

A strong choice for: Anglers comfortable planning around wind, open-country weather, and changing releases.

The North Platte's tailwaters give November anglers several distinct choices, including Grey Reef, Fremont Canyon, and the Miracle Mile. These are not interchangeable outings: access, exposure, and the character of the water differ.

Small midges and mayfly nymphs provide a practical starting point. Watch for blue-winged olive activity on suitable afternoons, and consider a streamer through non-spawning holding water when conditions favor it. Do not target fish paired on shallow spawning gravel.

The trade-off: Wyoming wind can decide the trip. Remote access adds another concern: Wyoming Game and Fish notes that the Miracle Mile access road and parking areas are not plowed in winter. Confirm road conditions rather than assuming open water means easy access.

Check current Wyoming tackle rules carefully. The agency introduced new single-point, barbless-hook requirements on designated North Platte tailwater reaches for 2026, along with other reach-specific restrictions.

Use the North Platte River Wyoming hatch chart as a seasonal overview, then plan around your chosen reach.

7. Crooked River, Oregon: Below Bowman Dam

A strong choice for: A Central Oregon outing focused on redband trout and small-insect presentations, when flows support responsible fishing.

Oregon's fish and wildlife agency identifies the Crooked below Bowman Dam as a year-round fishery, with September through mid-May a favored period. November's approach often centers on midge and small mayfly nymphs, with the possibility of afternoon rises.

Work softer seams and deeper holding water with a controlled subsurface drift. Keep a few small blue-winged olive and midge dries ready, but let rising fish tell you when to use them. The river's smaller scale does not eliminate wading hazards; the bottom can be very slippery.

The trade-off: Reservoir releases and low flows are a serious planning consideration. Check the gauge appropriate to the Bowman Dam tailwater, not a distant downstream reading affected by other inflows. If fish are crowded into limited habitat, choose another destination rather than add pressure.

Prepare with the Crooked River hatch chart, and check current conditions before leaving.

How to Plan a Better November Fishing Day

Start with the forecast, current releases, and the rules for the exact reach. A hatch chart helps you pack, but it does not establish that a road is passable, a section is open, or a flow is suitable for wading. Check the relevant state fish and wildlife agency, the appropriate river gauge, and local road information close to departure.

Build flexibility around late morning and afternoon rather than assuming dawn is best. Carry midge and small mayfly nymphs as well as dries, and adjust fly size to what you observe. Cold-weather fish often use water where they can feed without fighting the strongest current.

Protect spawning habitat. Avoid cleaned patches of gravel, do not wade through redds, and leave actively spawning fish alone. Fish other holding water instead. Keep fish wet, minimize handling, and shorten or cancel the outing if conditions make safe fishing or prompt release difficult.

Pack layers, rain protection, spare dry clothing, and a realistic return plan. A tailwater can offer open water while its banks, roads, and boat ramps are icy. No fishing opportunity is worth an unsafe crossing or a float you cannot comfortably finish before dark.

Sources and Planning Notes

I've fished all seven of these rivers over the years. This guide brings that experience together with our seasonal hatch charts and public agency and tourism resources. It is a planning guide, not a live fishing report.

Useful background includes Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks' cold-weather fly-fishing article, Colorado's fishing destination overview, Wyoming Game and Fish's Miracle Mile access information and 2026 regulation-change notice, and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Central Zone angling guide and winter trout tips. Older articles provide seasonal background, not current regulations or conditions.

About the Author

Nick Nickens has 60 years of fly-fishing experience across the Rocky Mountain West, through every season on the river. He spent many years working as a fishing guide in the region and has tied thousands of flies commercially.