Fly Fishing In Colorado

[barredrock]

if you had to choose two place to fly fish for trout in colorado, where would it be. we are looking at going there this summer. i got a brother in denver adn a buddy in colorado springs. but i am open to other cities as well. i need to know what river as well as the city to stay in for the best fishing

thanks

[Zach Bearden]

Dude, the Arkansas out by Leadville is some of my FAVORITE water I've ever fished.

I've never fished the Cache la Poudre in Fort Collins but if you go there take lots of pictures and tell me how you liked it. I'll be there for the next four years

[Mark]

The Frying Pan, Roaring River, and Crystal River are all located within an hour of each other in the Glenwwood Springs/Carbondale/Aspen area if you wanted to have a selection within a short drive. The Frying Pan and Roaring Rivers both have Gold Metal sections. A friend and I fished the Crystal River last summer with some success. We enjoyed it because of the no bait restrictions on the upper part, isolated from the bigger towns, availability of campgrounds, plenty of public access, and the scenery. If you want to check on a map, the river from Redstone to Marble is where we fished and is accessable to the public with lots of places to pull off the road. There are a couple National Forest Service campgrounds right on the river. I recommmend Bogan Flats about 30 minutes south of Carbondale.

[Stragler]

Lodging in Delta or Paonia to fish the Gunnison River out of Pleasure Park off Hwy 92 between thoes two places.

[AZ_Trout]

You have a ton of options: Since you didn't set a time per se, summer in CO if late June can still find high water due to run off.

With either Denver or Colo Spgs many options,

From Colo Spgs: Deckers on the South Platte, Eleven Mile Canyon south on the South Platte, The Dream Stream section by Spinner Mnt Resv, the Arkansas up from Canon City toward Salida, or over by Buena Vista.

From Denver: Deckers on the South Platte, The Blue River west in Summit Co. North to the Colorado River - Right time - Big Bugs Big Fish.

I'd suggest a guide: Pat Dorsey out of Blue Quill Anglers http://www.bluequillangler.com/ Great guy --- worth the money.

You could check out Boxwood http://www.boxwoodgulch.com/

Possible area for private waters without a guide ..http://www.southparktrout.com/

Check out Blue Quill for reports and river info.

Good Luck

[ozark trout fisher]

Honestly, if I were you I wouldn't spend my time on the Roaring Fork or the Pan. There are lots of fish there for sure, and some hogs, but the fishing isn't really any better than some of the less crowded streams. And you will have A LOT of company if you fish on those rivers, especially the Fryingpan. Not to mention access is not the best.

If you're not wanting to go to the far corners of the state , I'd reccommend some of the smaller streams in the Rocky Mountain National Park/Estes Park region... St. Vrain River (and especially its forks), Glacier Creek, and Big Thompson, along with a whole bunch more in that area. Those streams get fished too, but nothing like the Fryingpan or the Fork. The fish aren't very big, but there are plenty of them and the beautiful country makes up for the size.There are also some awesome cutthroat lakes in the mountains in the park and surrounding Forest Service land-some of the most amazing scenery in the world and beautiful native fish, you can't beat that. High summer is the time to fish in that area especially if you're wanting to fish up high. I wouldn't go much if any earlier than July 15th or later than the last week in August if you want a pretty good assurance of success.

I am primarily a small stream guy, and so my advice usually goes in that direction. But if its big fish you want, then in the Denver area your best bet is probably going to be Cheesman Canyon on the South Platte. It's crowded like the Fryingpan, and the fish are super selective. I won't hide the fact that I have never really been able to figure out that stretch of water the few times I've fished and have only caught a few there. But there are certainly some really nice fish in that stretch of river. Cheesman Canyon is hike-in water and strikingly beautiful, even compared to other Colorado trout streams. It's the kind of place you really have to see to believe.

[MarkinKC]

Everyone that has spent any time fishing in Colorado has their favorites. One key for me is to locate some shopping nearby. Boulder is just north of Denver maybe 20-30 minutes depending on where you stay. I dropped my wife off at the Pearl Street Mall which has blocks of shops, galleries, and restaurants to keep her entertained while I'm fishing. I fished Boulder Creek and enjoyed it a lot. The highway runs alongside, which means it is easy to bounce from place to place along the miles of creek. Once you are in the water you quickly forget the highway. Check out the Boulder Creek Flyfishers on the internet. I purchased a map they created last year with lots of detail, fly selection, etc. Found it useful. Have fun. We're headed to Colorado again in mid-July and I cannot wait.

[troutfiend1985]

I'm going to be out in the Estes park area around the middle of july, and I have been wondering the same things. It looks like the coloradotrouthunter.com will be a website that I will be checking frequently.

Has anyone fished the lower big thompson, and if so, is it worth my time?

Thanks

[ness]

CO has got hundreds of options. Hell, about 1/3 of the state is public land. I think it depends a lot on what kind of fishing and/or vacation you're looking for. It's CO. It's great.

We've been to Estes/RMNP numerous times. It's a beautiful national park, with tons of wildlife to see, hiking trails, etc. There's small-stream, medium-stream, tail water (kinda), lake and Alpine lake fishing opportunities. It's about an hour from Denver, and an easy 1-day drive for me. Estes is a pretty cool town with enough shops around to keep my wife happy and touristy stuff for the kids. Lodging opportunities range from back country camping to luxury stuff. There are two very rare subspecies of cutthroat trout in the park, if you're into that. Otherwise it's feral rainbows, browns and brookies.

There are decent-sized fish in the Big Thompson below the dam. Good-sized, very wary fish in the slower water of Fall River and Big T meadows down low in the park, and lots of other meadow opportunities around.

As you move higher up you'll encounter a lot of pocket water and smaller fish. They'll readily take about any dry fly you toss on the water, because they only get to eat a couple months out of the year. They're not stupid though -- they're looking up, and a shadow, flash or crummy cast will put them down. You'll have to pass on 50-percent or more of the good places because you either can't get there, can't cast to it or you'll be seen. For the rest, you'll be doing just about anything BUT long, graceful casts. If you play it right, and if they take, it will be lightening quick. You'll find yourself saying 'he missed the fly'! But it's YOU that missed him. I love this kind of fishing more than any other, so that's where I'd go.

I've fished a few other places out there too -- Michigan River up in North Park, Blue River near Breck, etc. I've never fished any of the big-name streams, and don't really have much desire too either.

[barredrock]

thanks guys, some GREAT info!!!!