Fly Fishing Destinations: Colorado

I have been living in Colorado since April, 2006. I manage the Willowfly Anglers fly shop and Orvis-endorsed guide service at Three Rivers Resort in Almont during the season. When I am not working, I am fishing. This part of the Rocky Mountains is home to some of the best trout rivers in the country, including the Gunnison River, Taylor River, and East River. In addition to these three rivers, there are countless opportunities to fly fish on a variety of water all within a 60-mile radius of Almont. Needless to say, I have a lot more exploring to do here in the Rockies, so I'll be expanding this section of the web site over time. If you're looking for current fishing information during the season, visit the Willowfly Anglers fishing reports section of the web site. I keep the fishing reports updated with current flows and hatches throughout the season, from April through October.

Colorado - 2009
It was another excellent year of fishing here in the Gunnison Valley. It was a strange run-off which started early but then the snow continued to melt off in about three stages. Some of the rivers were not fishable as early as we thought they would be. It was a tough economy for sure, so not as many people came to the area to fish, but the fishing was awesome all season long. I had really nice days on the East River, up at the Taylor C&R, on the Lake Fork, and down in the Black Canyon. I had fun fishing with Ellie and Dennis. We had some amazing days up at the C&R in June. Early season fishing was really fun on the small creeks, and the hatches really kicked during the summer on the big rivers. The PMD hatch seemed without end. I am still amazed at how many fish you can catch in one day here. One of the highlights of 2009 for me was catching a 24-inch cutbow, which had a 10-inch brown trout in its throat, on a bamboo rod (see photos). I really had a blast fishing bamboo rods throughout the year. I am already looking forward to fishing more with cane next year. The VA and NY boys came out again, and hopefully we'll see them all here again next year. We got hit with a major snow storm in late October, but early November brought us temperatures in the 50s. We'll see what sort of winter we'll have and plan for lots of great fishing in 2010. (photos)

Colorado - Spring/Summer 2008
My third season here in the Rockies was quite different than the first two. After record snow fall last winter came the snow-melt and major run-off in the spring. Some rivers were not fishable until mid summer. Some of the smaller streams fished great during the early season, and it was a good time to fish bamboo rods and 3-wt. outfits for brookies and browns. Once the big rivers settled down, the fishing really turned on. I had 20 and 30 fish days up at the Taylor River C&R, with some great dry fly action during summer. Some buddies from NY and VA came out during late summer (and early fall) and the fishing got better and better as we moved into fall. Fall is definitely one of the best times to be here. It was another great season with lots of fish, including some beautiful wild fish and high country native cutthroat. As I watch the snow fall and think about winter fishing, I am also looking forward to spring. (photos)

Colorado - Fall/Winter 2007-8
It was a really nice early fall with great fishing and beautiful scenery. November was warm and dry, but December hit hard with snow storm after snow storm. The snow continued into January and early February, with some very cold temps in January. It got down into the 20s and 30s below zero quite a bit. The snow really piled up and the rivers froze over. Needless to say, there wasn't a lot of fishing going on this winter. Once the rivers opened up a bit, I snowshoed in to fish some. The snow was chest-deep in many places. The fishing was very slow, but it was still good to get out on the river after shoveling snow all winter. (photos)

Colorado - Spring/Summer 2007
This was my second season here in the Colorado Rockies. The fishing was awesome from March straight on through to the fall. My sister came out to fish in late April, and we had beautiful weather and some good fishing. I had some 50 to 60 fish days fishing streamers during the early season, and I continued to learn more about nymphing techniques on these western rivers. I hit the Green Drake hatch on the East River in July and had one of the most incredible days of fishing in my life. And in September, I landed the biggest trout of my life on a fly rod - a nice 27-inch brown. The New York boys came out in September and we had a 5-day Rocky Mountain Fish Camp. We fished here locally and also spent a day in the Black Canyon. It was great fishing with the guys again. It was an awesome season, and I am already looking forward to the next one.  (photos)

Colorado - Winter 2007
The fishing just seemed to get better as winter progressed. I got into some of the nicest fish since I have been in Colorado during January and February. When we had some real cold weather, like 20 to 30 below zero at night, the fishing slowed down significantly. I continued to fish the East and Taylor rivers during the warmest part of the afternoons. The rod, reel, and line constantly freezing up was certainly a challenge, but it was worth it. I had a lot of river to myself, and I got into some beautiful wild fish. And the Rockies sure are awesome here in the winter.  (photos)

Colorado - December 2006
Winter came and the weather was very mild for this part of the Rockies in December. During the afternoons when the sun was out to warm things up, the fishing really turned on. There were days in December when I got into more fish than I did during the summer. It was mostly nymphing slow and deep, but I did actually get some fish on dry flies. Once the rivers really started to ice up, fishing was limited to the Taylor River tailwater and the East River below the Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery. The release from Taylor Reservoir allows for year-round fishing below the dam, especially right there at the C&R section. But I also fished as far down into the canyon as 5 or 6 miles below the dam. The ponds at the hatchery drain into the East River, which helps keep the water temps up a bit there below the hatchery. That section of the East River and the Taylor River both fished great in December.  (photos)

Colorado - Fall 2006
I had a lot more time to fish after the peak summer season ended at Three Rivers Resort. The kokanee salmon were running, and fishing for browns and rainbows really picked up after Labor Day. The BWOs were popping, with some great hatches on the lower Gunnison during September. The rivers dropped and were easy to wade. The Aspen trees turned that beautiful gold color by mid to late September. The weather cooled off pretty quick, and we had our first snow by mid October. The scenery was awesome, and the fishing was really special here during the fall.  (photos)

Colorado - Spring/Summer 2006
I arrived in Gunnison on April 1, 2006. I started exploring and fishing right away. From April through August, I fished as much as I could while also working during the peak fishing season at Three Rivers Resort. I mainly fished the Gunnison River, East River, and the Taylor River. But I also made it down to the Black Canyon and the Lake Fork of the Gunnison, and I also fished some of the other creeks in the area. This is an awesome place and I highly recommend making a trip out here to fish these rivers.  (photos)

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