3 Places For Fly Fishing in Colorado

Colorado is a fly fisher's paradise. With 9,000 Miles of trout streams (322 of which carry the 'Gold Medal' signature and happen to be West of 105) as well as numerous lakes and other bodies of water, there really is no better place to cast your best line

Here are three of the best.

#Gunnison River

The Gunnison River has 27 miles of Gold Medal waters, running from 200 yards downstream of the Crystal Reservoir Dam to the confluence with the Smith Fork. The Gold Medal waters are contained within Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park which means there are great places to camp and plenty of other recreation opportunities. Pleasure Park provides exceptional trout fishing but there are also good opportunities all the way to Gunnison ranging from open river to the depths of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison at the East Portal and Blue Mesa Reservoir. The latter is also popular for ice fishing in winter. Within the Gold Medal waters all rainbow trout must be returned to the water immediately upon catch.

Dragonfly Anglers, Montrose Angler, Western Anglers are recommended.

South Platte River

Much of the Gold Medal waters of the South Platte River are located in the beautiful Pike National Forest. Split into three different parts, there is a total of 37 miles of trout-filled water to choose where to cast a line. The longest section is a 20-mile stretch from the bridge on Colorado Highway 9 over Blue River downstream to Spinney Mountain Reservoir; the second section is about four miles long and runs from below Spinney Mountain to the inlet of Eleven Miles Reservoir; and the final section starts at the Wigwam Club and heads downstream a dozen miles or so to Scraggy View Picnic Ground. This last section is particularly good as there is easy access to the river and decent wildlife populations relatively close

to town.

Flies and Lies in Deckers and Blue Quill in Evergreen are recommended outfitters.

Eagle River

Just north of Minturn is Gore Creek. A tributary to the Eagle River, this is the smallest section of Gold Medal waters in Colorado at just about four miles long, but don’t let that fool you, this is a great spot to fish, but you will likely have a little bit of company. It starts at Dowd’s Junction where I-70 meets Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway and ends just before Vail. This stretch is particularly good as many locations are easily accessible from the highway; it is especially known for brown trout. Just along the Eagle River in Avon is Harry A. Nottingham Park where the lake has four kinds of trout: Brown, Cutthroat, Rainbow and Snake River Cutthroat. And a little further up the river in Edwards is another recommended spot just north of Berry Creek.

Vail Valley Anglers and Minturn Anglers are recommended outfitters.

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