Pa-Co-Chu-Puk, not Pleasure Park
Two names get mixed up on the Western Slope, and it matters this year. Pa-Co-Chu-Puk, locally Paco, is the Ridgway State Park entrance on the Uncompahgre just below Ridgway Dam, reached by driving 22 miles south of Montrose on U.S. 550 or 4 miles north of Ridgway. Pleasure Park is on a different river entirely: it sits where the North Fork joins the Gunnison, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife's 2026 voluntary afternoon closure on the Gunnison runs from there down to Highway 65. That closure does not apply to the Uncompahgre.
The Uncompahgre tailwater has no closure on CPW's 2026 list, and RiverReports' August report called it the most reliable fishery in the Telluride region by a wide margin at a time when access to the Gunnison in the Black Canyon was limited by a road closure.
The fence below the gauge, and the water to Cow Creek
Read the signs at the top of the park. CPW's 2026 regulations prohibit fishing, except as posted, from Ridgway Dam down to the fence just below the USGS gauge station, which is the same gauge, 09147025, whose readings appear on this page. From that fence downstream to the confluence with Cow Creek, only artificial flies and lures are allowed and every trout must be returned to the water immediately.
RiverReports describes about a mile of fishable water in the park from just below the dam to the end of park property, with five distinct fishing spots, two of them paved and accessible, and paved parking with restrooms. A state parks day-use pass is required. Above the reservoir, from the Ouray County Road 23 bridge down to the reservoir, the only special rule is a kokanee snagging season from September 1 through December 31.
A tailwater with a summer bulge
The river below Ridgway is cold and clear all year, but its volume is anything but steady across the seasons. The gauge record since 1988 shows median monthly flows of about 50 cfs from November through February, rising to roughly 300 to 390 cfs from May through August, then dropping to about 150 in September and 90 in October. RiverReports' bands for the tailwater: 50 to 100 cfs is winter water where fish sit deep, 100 to 200 cfs is ideal for sight fishing, 200 to 400 cfs is higher but fishable, and above 400 you should wait for releases to drop.
In late August 2026 RiverReports, citing RIGS Fly Shop in Ridgway, had the river at 169 cfs with the reservoir full and releases holding steady. By the record, the 100 to 200 cfs window usually falls in April before the summer release and again in September.
Sight fishing for large browns
RiverReports describes the 1.5 miles below the dam as rebuilt with boulder and log structures in the early 2000s, holding stocked rainbows, naturally reproducing browns that can top 10 pounds, and Snake River cutthroat. The approach it recommends is to find a feeding fish before casting, get into position, and make the first cast count, on 12-foot or longer leaders with 5X to 6X fluorocarbon. A 9 to 10 foot 5 or 6 weight handles the wind and the fish.
The easy parking and short walks bring a steady flow of visitors on summer weekends, but the fishing is technical enough that pressure stays manageable, by RiverReports' account. Weekday mornings are the quiet time.
Colorado 90 bridge to LaSalle Road
Downstream, CPW lists a second special section: from the Colorado 90 bridge downstream to the LaSalle Road bridge, artificial flies and lures only and all trout returned immediately. From Ridgway Dam all the way to the Gunnison confluence there are no bag or possession limits on channel catfish, bass, northern pike, walleye and the other warmwater species CPW names. USGS gauges at Colona and Delta cover the river below the park if you are fishing that far down.
Midges in winter, PMDs in summer, leeches in fall
RiverReports' Uncompahgre notes give the year its shape: midges all year, with January through March the time for slow presentations and the biggest fish; baetis emergers in spring and fall; PMDs through summer; and leeches from fall into winter as fish feed up. Spring, March through May, is its pick for the best season. Its key flies are Zebra and Mercury Midges in 20 to 24, a Rainbow Warrior in 18, a Pheasant Tail in 16, small leeches in 14 and caddis pupae in 16, and its August report added tan caddis and red midges.