Colorado Trip Planned

[ozark trout fisher]

I have been trying to to plan a trip to Colorado this summer for a while now, and much back and forth over whether it was actually going to work out, it finally appears that that unless something unexpected happens, the truck will be pointed west on August 7th. The destination is the mountains, rivers, and lakes of the west slope of the Rocky Mountains in Northwest Colorado. Here's how the plan is looking as of now:

Leave early on the 7th of August, hopefully making it to the Continental Divide at Rabbit Ears Pass in western Colorado sometime after dark. As I mentioned, Rabbit Ears Pass is on the divide, at an elevation of around 9400 feet. The area is strikingly beautiful, classic Colorado high country. There is a campground there, and within easy walking distance is a little mountain lake which holds brookies and stocked rainbows. This isn't exactly what you'd call a destination lake fishing- wise, but it is located in some of the most beautiful country in the state, and often has decent fishing. I'll probably fish it for a few hours the next morning before moving on depending on how things go. Then it's on to Stagecoach State Park near Steamboat Springs, to fish the Yampa River tailwater for rainbows. This is very pretty foothill country, and it's probably the best trout water on the Yampa, although certainly not the easiest water to fish, as the trout possess all the normal traits of tailwater fish. I'll fish there that afternoon/evening, and the next morning, before moving on to the Lake Avery Campground near the town of Meeker for the next night. Lake Avery itself is worth fishing for stocker 'bows, but the real attraction there is the White River, just a few hundred yards from the lake. It's a classic western freestone stream with a very good population of wild cutthroats, rainbows, browns, and Mountain Whitefish. After we fish there that afternoon and the next morning, I head to the final fishing stop, Trappers Lake and the Flattop Wilderness. This is some of the prettiest country you'll find anywhere, with 10,000 foot + peaks, beautiful alpine meadows, and ponds, lakes, creeks, and rivers that are chock full of native cutthroat and brook trout. Trappers Lake is probably the best native cutthroat fishery in the state that you can drive to, but the real attraction is the secluded ponds and streams that you have to hike into- you can cast to good sized cutthroat in tiny streams, fish that may or may not have every seen an an artificial fly. We'll spend two nights in this area, and I will say that is the part of the trip that I am looking forward to the most. Somewhere probably at the end of this stay, I will make it up to my old home town of Craig for a few hours, in the high desert along the Yampa River. That probably won't be a fishing stop (although I might just take a few casts, as there are a some trout in that stretch of the Yampa, it's just far from the best water) , but just kind of a look around at a town where I spent five years of my life. It's a bit out of the way, but I can't go all the way to the Westslope of Colorado without at least a short visit. Then it's the long drive home.

All of the areas that I'm going to be hitting are pretty close together-all in a relatively small chunk of Northwestern Colorado, but the really cool thing is the different kind of country and fishing that you can experience. If all goes as planned,there'll be high mountain fishing in an Alpine or sub-alpine environment in classic Colorado high country in the Rabbit Ear Pass and Flattops Wilderness area, tailwater fishing on the upper Yampa, fishing a good sized, western pocket water river on the White that flows through pasture and cottonwood country, and big lake fishing on Stagecoach and Lake Avery. Then there is the sagebrush desert around Craig, and the slow waters of the middle Yampa where I learned how to catch trout with some consistency. I love it all, and you really can find just about every sort of western fishing and western scenery in that area-which is what draws me there.

I should say that all of this is very tentative. My plans on these sort of trips are never really set, and if, say, the fishing turns out to be unexpectedly good in the Rabbit Ears Pass area, I could easily just stay there the whole trip. That kind of thing has happened before. All I can say is I sure hope it all works out.

[chambug]

I have been trying to to plan a trip to Colorado this summer for a while now, and much back and forth over whether it was actually going to work out, it finally appears that that unless something unexpected happens, the truck will be pointed west on August 7th. The destination is the mountains, rivers, and lakes of the west slope of the Rocky Mountains in Northwest Colorado. Here's how the plan is looking as of now:

Leave early on the 7th of August, hopefully making it to the Continental Divide at Rabbit Ears Pass in western Colorado sometime after dark. As I mentioned, Rabbit Ears Pass is on the divide, at an elevation of around 9400 feet. The area is strikingly beautiful, classic Colorado high country. There is a campground there, and within easy walking distance is a little mountain lake which holds brookies and stocked rainbows. This isn't exactly what you'd call a destination lake fishing- wise, but it is located in some of the most beautiful country in the state, and often has decent fishing. I'll probably fish it for a few hours the next morning before moving on depending on how things go. Then it's on to Stagecoach State Park near Steamboat Springs, to fish the Yampa River tailwater for rainbows. This is very pretty foothill country, and it's probably the best trout water on the Yampa, although certainly not the easiest water to fish, as the trout possess all the normal traits of tailwater fish. I'll fish there that afternoon/evening, and the next morning, before moving on to the Lake Avery Campground near the town of Meeker for the next night. Lake Avery itself is worth fishing for stocker 'bows, but the real attraction there is the White River, just a few hundred yards from the lake. It's a classic western freestone stream with a very good population of wild cutthroats, rainbows, browns, and Mountain Whitefish. After we fish there that afternoon and the next morning, I head to the final fishing stop, Trappers Lake and the Flattop Wilderness. This is some of the prettiest country you'll find anywhere, with 10,000 foot + peaks, beautiful alpine meadows, and ponds, lakes, creeks, and rivers that are chock full of native cutthroat and brook trout. Trappers Lake is probably the best native cutthroat fishery in the state that you can drive to, but the real attraction is the secluded ponds and streams that you have to hike into- you can cast to good sized cutthroat in tiny streams, fish that may or may not have every seen an an artificial fly. We'll spend two nights in this area, and I will say that is the part of the trip that I am looking forward to the most. Somewhere probably at the end of this stay, I will make it up to my old home town of Craig for a few hours, in the high desert along the Yampa River. That probably won't be a fishing stop (although I might just take a few casts, as there are a some trout in that stretch of the Yampa, it's just far from the best water) , but just kind of a look around at a town where I spent five years of my life. It's a bit out of the way, but I can't go all the way to the Westslope of Colorado without at least a short visit. Then it's the long drive home.

All of the areas that I'm going to be hitting are pretty close together-all in a relatively small chunk of Northwestern Colorado, but the really cool thing is the different kind of country and fishing that you can experience. If all goes as planned,there'll be high mountain fishing in an Alpine or sub-alpine environment in classic Colorado high country in the Rabbit Ear Pass and Flattops Wilderness area, tailwater fishing on the upper Yampa, fishing a good sized, western pocket water river on the White that flows through pasture and cottonwood country, and big lake fishing on Stagecoach and Lake Avery. Then there is the sagebrush desert around Craig, and the slow waters of the middle Yampa where I learned how to catch trout with some consistency. I love it all, and you really can find just about every sort of western fishing and western scenery in that area-which is what draws me there.

I should say that all of this is very tentative. My plans on these sort of trips are never really set, and if, say, the fishing turns out to be unexpectedly good in the Rabbit Ears Pass area, I could easily just stay there the whole trip. That kind of thing has happened before. All I can say is I sure hope it all works out.

Sounds like you will be in the White River Valley part of the time. Be sure to chack out the areas between Meeker and Buford. Both have outfittters who wiil help you out. You are in for a treat. I wish you luck. Be sure to get lots of pictures.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Post up a trip report when you get back, OTF.

Good luck!

[ozark trout fisher]

I sure will post a report. Hopefully it'll be a good time, and the report will be good. I am going to have to learn how to post pictures on here when I get back.

[ness]

I thought all the water in CO was off limits?

Seriously, have a great time. Sounds like a well thought out trip you've got planned there.