Colorado trout fishing

[Bonzoso]

Hi all,
Never fished Colorado before and will be taking a drive from Boulder to Steamboat Springs in early July. Wondering if anyone has some recommendations for sort of medium water fishing along the way. Looking for water that I can fish without a lot of company, if you know what I mean. No particular route in mind. The fishing will determine that. Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

 

[Chaz]

I'd try the Colorado R. or find some streams in the National Parks. I've fished the S. Platte and it just doesn't appeal to me. Make sure the water you fish is public, Colorado is strange about their stream access laws.

 

[streamerguy]

I fished in Colorado for a few days two summers ago, in late July. Here's a few streams I fished that you may want to check out:

Boulder Creek: Nice stream loaded with wild browns. Most of the fish average 8-11in but you'll catch lots. I fished it right in town and a handful of locations up into the canyon. It fished good everywhere and I think I only encountered one or two fishermen all day, though there were lots of hikers, bikers, etc... I guess it has a good amount of brookies above the lake

South Boulder Creek: I fished it in Eldorado Springs State Park(I think that's the name). Lots of wild browns and I even got a colorful little bow. Saw a couple fishermen there but not what I considered crowded. If you aren't already aware, CO charges you to enter their state parks which I found a little odd. I think it was about $5 or something......and RMNP I think is $20-25 but worth every penny. There's also another access further upstream which is supposed to be good(and I think free....)

Big Thompson River: No, it's not big and it's not what I'd consider a river. Not sure of your definition of "medium water" but that's what I'd consider the Big T below the lake. I only fished it for an hour or so and caught a couple bows. Definitely a tougher stream compared to Boulder but it's loaded with fish... Since it's a very famous stream you'll definitely encounter a lot of fishermen but you still shouldn't have any problem getting into fish.

St. Vrain: I fished the North St. Vrain in RMNP for about an hour or so. It was flowing really hard but in the little soft water I did find I managed a handful of browns. I guess it's supposed to be really good for brookies and even some cutties as you get further upstream.

Roaring River: Small stream in RMNP that has many cutties and even some brookies. Lots of tourists and hikers here, and a few other fishermen for being such a small stream but I still enjoyed it. My main mission here was to get my first cutthroat so I didn't really care so much about the crowds.....just wanted to catch one!

Clear Creek is another stream worth checking out, though looking at your route it's a little out of the way. Caught a good amount of browns here and a little bow. The farther upstream of Golden you go the better the fishing...

That's all I got. In all honesty though just find water and fish lol. It's Colorado.......there's trout everywhere! Like Chaz said, just be aware of what's public and what's private. If you've never been in that area I do recommend making a stop at RMNP while you're out there.....

 

[gfoledc]

If you are going through Rocky Mountain National Park I would also recommend The Big Thompson both in the park and below the town of Estus Park.
One of the best streams I have fished is The Yampa River outside Steamboat Springs full of big rainbows. The tail water below Stagecoach Reservoir is where I caught the most fish, but you will not be by yourself in the mile or so below the dam. If you want less people keep going down that same road and the people thin out.
PM me if you want more details

 

[barbless]

Anywhere that isn't running too muddy, high, and fast should be great, as long as you have the right tackle.

I was in Steamboat Springs last October. The Yampa is a gorgeous river. Great fly shop, right there in town.

I got to Colorado in late September, about a week after Boulder Creek, the Big Thompson, the St. Vrain, and the RMNP rivers and streams went over the banks, unfortunately. I did get a look a Boulder Creek, a great little stream right in the middle of town, with a running path paralleling it for miles. Also, another great fly shop, right in the middle of town. Locals cap on Boulder Creek because the fish size tops out at about 13". When I was there, the flood waters had receded, but it was still running full bore. Easy to see what a gorgeous little stream it is, though.

Also in Golden, another great fly shop, right in the middle of town. The guy there was telling me about Euro nymphing Clear Creek with a 25' leader in the lower reaches, where it's really big water. Clear Creek doesn't really turn into a "creek" until you get up near the headwaters, something like 40 miles upstream.

Two things to keep in mind about Colorado- 1) it's often very windy; 2) the water is often big, wide, fast flowing, and deep. I'd bring more than one rod, but unless you plan to stick to headwaters, small tribs, and spring creeks, take a 9' 6-8 weight wind-cutter as the first choice. There's plenty of technical dry fly fishing and tiny-fly nymphing for big fish, but even there, you'd be better off using a 6 weight than a 4 weight if you're on the main rivers and tailwaters. There were times when the wind made it very difficult for me, even using a 7 weight with a sink-tip. Also, because the flows are so fast, using a lot of weight is common when nymphing or streamer fishing. Chuck and duck.

oh yeah, 3) lots of good water is posted and fenced off. The fly shops can help you out with finding public water. Boulder Creek is all public. The Yampa mileage in the town of Steamboat Springs is all public. And it's terrific. Not the dregs at all.

Plenty of info on-line about Colorado, too. So many great rivers there. I'd map out the road route, find the rivers that run nearby, and do a search on each one along with the keywords [fly fishing report 2014]

 

[Bonzoso]

Thanks to all for the suggestions!

 

[Dobeitz]

I used to live in Boulder and like the recommendations from everyone - especially Streamer guy.

Stop by Front Range Anlgers and they'll hook you up - there's a little "boulder creek" fly they got me with and i crushed em with it. As mentioned plenty of 10-14 in browns.

I spent a lot of time on the Big Thompson but would recommend a ways down from Estes Park - too crowded right below the dam. Look for Brown Trout Lane and fish in that area but do not cross any wires that restrict access - they will bust you. It's clearly marked in my experience so you'll know when you're about to get into the wrong area.

I hit the S. Platte often as well - more people but not bad at all if you get there on a weekday. Go downstream from Deckers and you can find some good water ---- when fishing the S. platte always cast toward the dark vegetation in the water when seen in the normal spots you would expect them. South Platte outfitter will hook you up as well. they'r ein deckers.

 

[riz]

the frying pan river is definitely worth checking out. the hole at the dam outflow holes some real monsters. to get that spot got to be there several hours before light. only 2 spots to get the right drift, but many spots to fish the many miles down stream.

 

[Tiogadog]

The Frying Pan will be a bit out of your way. If I was you I would fish the Yampa both the tailwater section and in the town of Steamboat Springs. The tailwater will be crowded but it is a fun place to fish. In town you need to fish before 10 in the morning; that is when the tubers come out. The Bear river can be accessed by driving out of th e small town of Yampa into the Flat Tops wilderness area. It is a small stream with plenty of pocket water fish.

I would go tailwater from dawn until 10...break for a snack , go up into the Bear for a few hours, and then back to the tailwater in the evening. In fact that is what i do every year when I go out there.

Plenty of lakes in the area as well. RMNP is worth driving though and fishing.

 

[NedZeppelin]

Fished the Baetis Bridge hole on the FP last September. Lots of great fish rising to PMDs and occasional Green Drakes. Beautiful if a bit crowded.

I yearn to fish the Yampa and the Williams Fork, which should be within range of our traveler.

All great advice, leave the Pennsylvania rods (3 and 4 wts) at home.

 

[JeffK]

One thing I do with a PA transplant out there is hit the little brookie streams. They are considered an invasive species in CO and you can take 10 brookies a day. Few people hit the brookie streams since the fish are small, but the settings are always great. Makes for guilt free wild brookies on the grill.

 

[troutbert]

I recommend doing some cutthroat trout fishing. That's something that's available in CO, but not in PA.

 

[Tiogadog]

Williams Fork or Colorado near Parshall in the summer... bring an insane amount mosquito repellent

 

[Bonzoso]

high on my list troutbert. I've never caught one!

 

[Bonzoso]

the Yampa is a definite Ned as i will be in steamboat several days.

 

[JeffK]

One thing that drives me nuts in CO is that it is tougher to find the native cutthroats out there than it is to find brookies out East. CO really did a number on their native fish. In my experience there is less of a native trout crowd out there, but there are a few and the national park puts a priority on native fish.

I like to get native species when I travel, but CO cutthroats still seem to be underappreciated though. Nevada has six native salmonids (Lahontan, Yellowstone, and Bonneville cutthroats, bull trout, whitefish, and redbands) and they are serious about native fish protection (albeit after years of abuse) and give a certificate out to anglers who catch all six. That said, I had my best cutthroat fishing in the Frying Pan drainage above Ruedi Dam. The cutts weren't big and some of the walk ins were tough, but the scenery was awesome and the fishing pressure was negligible compared to the crowds in the tailwater section.

 

[troutbert]

JeffK wrote:
One thing that drives me nuts in CO is that it is tougher to find the native cutthroats out there than it is to find brookies out East.

That is definitely true and it is important to realize that if you are going to fish there and wish to catch cutts.

You shouldn't just expect to just fish streams at random and catch cutts. Because most stream mileage has been taken over by other species, browns, rainbows, and brook trout.

Even in the small stream mileage, much of it has been taken over by brook trout.

If you do some searching around, you can find info on cutt streams, and so make a plan before you leave. Mark them on your maps with a big yellow highlighter!

 

[Acristickid]

Fished the South Platte and it was great- both Elevenmile Canyon and Cheesman Canyon and Deckers areas. I would go back great fishing there. I have a report on them from 07 I think on here.

Getting excitied to fish for the WY cutt slam in about 4 weeks. Yea!!

Good luck with the CO trip.

My advice on trips is to call the local state fish biologist- the guy in WY spent a half hour on the phone and told me all kinds of great places to fish and where to stay etc... he was a fly fisher too so he knoew exactly what I was looking for.

 

[barbless]

The brookie cutthroat thing is really ironic. In one river drainage I was fishing in Colorado last October, the brookies were spawning in one tributary (fishing was closed there), and they were stacked up by the dozen, average size about 14".

Maybe if the cutthroats were transplanted to small streams in the East, they would drive out the brookies and thrive ;^o

 

[boogeyklat]

Hey I am researching a trip in March to Colorado to fish and try out the new law! I have been doing a lot of research but figured I would narrow down my choices by posting to some experienced anglers that have fished the state.

So if I was planning a trip and wanted to do some hiking and wade fishing where should I consider. I would like to fly into Denver and not drive too far from the airport to stay. Maybe an hour or 2 from airport. I just want to get outdoors and fish. I don't have anything specific I'm looking for. I don't want to fish huge rivers because I don't have enough experience in them. I would love to mix in some small stream days because that what I'm used to here in pa. Basically I have a week off from being a new dad and would like to travel out west instead of salt for once. Any help would be greatly appreciated. If I don't get any responses I will try and pm some folks from this thread.

I am tempted to just book a place in rmnp. It seems like I could cover all my bases with a trip there.