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Within the Colorado borders, the Colorado River is an
outstanding freestone fishery harboring excellent numbers
of trout and is known as one of the state's premier fisheries.
Rainbows reach impressive sizes in the Colorado, although
some have disappeared from whirling disease, Browns inhabit
the river in excellent numbers and average from 13-15
inches with a good number of fish in the 16-20 inch class
and some even larger. Cutthroat and brook trout can be
found in limited numbers near the river's headwaters.
Check the Colorado River's special
regulation area's before heading out.
The Colorado is a large powerful river that increases
in intensity and flow as it moves farther west, therefore
the best section for the wading angler is from the
junction of the Fraser River just west of Granby to
Troublesome Creek, which flows into the river east
of Kremmling. Route 40 parallels this section and provides
excellent access to the river. The town of Hot Sulphur
Springs, which lies in the middle of this section,
is a great starting point. In this section you will
find numerous places to wade and fish. The river here
consists mostly of beautiful riffles and runs with
a few pools mixed in averaging from 40-80 feet wide.
Much of this section is slow to moderate in pace with
the exception of Byers Canyon, which lies just west
of Hot Sulphur Springs. Byers Canyon is fast moving
with a lot of swift runs and pocket water.
West of Kremmling foot access becomes a little more
limited and the size of the river increases from the
influence of several feeder streams. Wade/foot access
can be found at some of the boat launches as well as
a few other areas. A major tributary in this section,
the Blue River, is found entering the Colorado just
southwest of Kremmling. The Blue River provides a good
shot of water to increase the Colorado's flow. The
river below Kremmling averages over a hundred feet
wide and ranges in character from big long slow moving
pools and riffles to swift runs, crashing white water
and charming pocket water. |
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Floating the river in this section is an excellent way
to cover water and access the river. Boat access through
this section, from Kremmling to Dotsero, can be found
in many areas some of which are located at Pump House,
Radium, State Bridge, Burns and Dotsero. This stretch
of river is approximately 60 miles long so your floats
will be broken up. The average float is 5-6 miles long
with some longer and some shorter. Hire a guide if the
water is unfamiliar to you for a few reasons. For one,
the river throughout this section has many areas of class
3 and 4 rapids with some reaching class 5. These are
areas of the river you don't want to navigate yourself
without some good experience. Most class 2 rapids are
safe but 3, 4 and 5 class rapids need higher levels of
skill. Even some of the local businesses and guides do
not float certain areas of the river depending upon water
levels and flow rates. Two, having an experienced guide
who knows what section is best to float or which areas
have been producing the best hatches and/or fishing is
a big bonus. Three, it's a great way to learn the river
from its history to the geography and best fishing areas.
Plan accordingly and you will have a very enjoyable trip
with the chance to catch several quality trout. Some
of trophy proportions! |
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At Kremmling, Route 40 turns north away from the river
and only small secondary roads follow the river (County
Route 1 or Trough Road and Colorado River Road follow
the river from Kremmling to Dotsero). These roads will,
in some areas, leave the river for prolonged periods
of time. An example of this is in the area of Gore Canyon,
which is located southwest of Kremmling before the Pump
House Access. This area is difficult to access with no
roads leading to the river for a stretch of about 4-5
miles. For a short distance Route 131 follows the river.
Below Dotsero the river flows west through Glenwood
Canyon and is paralleled by Route 70 and Highway 6
all the way to New Castle and beyond. This stretch
of river also provides superb angling. Glenwood Canyon
is a beautiful and productive stretch of river that
is easily accessed and provides great bank fishing.
Fish the seams and runs in close to shore. Fish will
hold in seams and pockets created by boulders, bends
and depressions in the river bottom. There are also
a few areas of access for anglers who wish to float.
The Colorado River also has an abundance of hatches.
Mayflies, caddis, and stoneflies can all be found in
excellent numbers. Blue-wing olives, pale morning duns
and tricos make up most of the mayfly hatches. Caddis
hatches are excellent from late spring through runoff
and remain good until early fall. Terrestrials and
attractive patterns are also important.
Stoneflies are a very important part of fishing the
Colorado. The salmonfly hatch can be very heavy and
provide exceptional fishing for better then average
size fish. They usually coincide, however, with the
runoff period, which usually runs from mid May to early
July. During this time fish the softer areas or close
to the banks with large stimulators and sofa pillows
(stonefly dry patterns). Large stonefly nymphs fished
deep will produce trophy fish and usually provide better
angling when the water is extremely high. Don't be
afraid to weight them and use a sufficient amount of
lead to get them down. Large golden stoneflies come
off during late and post runoff providing excellent
angling as well. The stonefly fishing is generally
best in the upper reaches of the river.
A few characteristics of the Colorado to point out
before making a fly selection would be; high rough
water much of the time, generally runs off color, hatches
of large stoneflies and a good variety of baitfish
all equate to fishing big flies, heavy tippets and
sometimes attractive patterns. The fish in this river
are much more forgiving then a tail-water or spring
creek. They have less time to react to the fly and
with the cloudy water they have less visibility. In
addition there is the potential of hooking a very large
trout in which a large fly and heavy tippet would increase
your odds of landing the fish. There are times, however,
where light leaders, matching the hatch and small flies
are necessary.
The Colorado River is a fabulous stream that would
put a smile on almost every anglers face. Its diversity,
scenery, access and large trout all help to make this
a wonderful place. If you're planning a trip or just
looking for a great fly fishing vacation, check out
the Colorado River in northwest Colorado. |
