The Colorado River winding through Ruby Canyon west of Grand Junction

Photo: Bureau of Land Management, public domain

Fishing gear and merch from Grand Junction

Shop
Grand Junction, Colorado · Western Slope Outfitter

Who we are

Viral Cast Outfitters is a small shop in Grand Junction. Ryan Stahl started it for people who fish the Western Slope.

In 2007, at 22, Ryan was hurt in a forklift accident at work. It left him with a traumatic brain injury, and years later, short-term memory loss. After rehab, he built something of his own around the thing that has always steadied him: fishing out here.

Made to order, ships from Grand Junction. Our first own-brand fishing gear is open for pre-order. No ship date yet. Full refund any time before it ships.

The rest is free: fishing reports for each lake, Fish Kitchen recipes for what you catch, and a daily safety note.

We want honest gear and honest information, and we back CPW habitat work. We don't resell random gear. More about us.

Start here

This week on the water

New Interactive Colorado Angler Toolkit

Colorado Water Map, Lake Hubs & Interactive Gear Tools

Click any water pin on the map below to inspect elevation, target species, live Evergreen Lake Hubs, or load it directly into the Trip Builder below.

Filter Map by Elevation:
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WESTERN SLOPE & GRAND VALLEY FRONT RANGE & SOUTH PLATTE Highline / Mack (4,700 ft) CO River · GJ (4,590 ft) Rifle Gap (5,960 ft) Harvey Gap (6,400 ft) Grand Mesa (10,000+ ft) Vega Res (7,990 ft) Ruedi Res (7,766 ft) Blue Mesa (7,519 ft) Gunnison Gorge (5,300 ft) Lake Nighthorse (6,800 ft) Cheesman Canyon (6,842 ft)
Gunnison Basin · 7,519 ft USGS 09124700

Blue Mesa Reservoir

Colorado's largest body of water across Sapinero, Cebolla, and Iola basins. Prime late-fall shore casting for rainbow and brown trout, deep lake trout jigging, and winter hardwater.

Target Species: Kokanee Salmon, Lake Trout (Mackinaw), Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Yellow Perch
Open Evergreen Lake Hub → Log Water Stamp
6 New Evergreen Lake Fishing Report Hubs:
All fishing reports

Pick a water

Pick the water, then the fish. The note for that water follows.

Fishing style
Red rock canyons of Colorado National Monument

Photo: National Park Service, public domain

High desert above Grand Junction

Safety tip for today

Stay sober on the boat

CPW says alcohol is the leading contributing factor in recreational boating deaths. The drink waits until the boat is on the trailer and you are off the ramp. If you have already had one, you do not drive the boat. That limit is ours.

Today's safety note

Western Slope waters

Colorado at Cameo: current flow on the USGS site page.

Gunnison near Grand Junction: current flow on the USGS site page.

Colorado near the state line: current flow on the USGS site page.

Animas at Durango: current flow on the USGS site page.

USGS provisional data. A reading is not a ramp, a bag limit, or a forecast.

All river flows
No purchase necessary Fill the gauge, win a VCO rod and reel combo.

The gauge0 of 20 pre-orders

Enter free
Blue Mesa Reservoir in winter, frozen under evening clouds

Photo: National Park Service, public domain

Ice season on Blue Mesa

Featured

Shop all