Fishing

From fly fishing the top-rated waters of the Roaring Fork River to dropping a baited hook from a drift boat in the Colorado River; the fishing in and around Glenwood Springs is hard to beat. In fact, in 2008 Field & Stream magazine designated Glenwood Springs as the top fishing town in America!

The Roaring Fork and Fryingpan Rivers are "Gold Medal" waters, offering a quality and quantity of Rainbow and Brown trout that is virtually unmatched. For a water to qualify for Gold Medal status in Colorado it must produce more than 60 pounds per acre of trout and at least 12 of those trout per acre must top 14 inches in length. The Roaring Fork and Fryingpan easily and continuously smash those standards. The 42 mile continuous stretch of Gold Medal water on the Roaring Fork and Fryingpan is the longest stretch of Gold Medal water in Colorado.

There are a variety of fly fishing shops and outfitting services in Glenwood Springs that offer equipment rental, a lesson or a guided excursion. And if finding a quiet stretch of publicly accessible river or stream is your goal, the Colorado Division of Wildlife offers plenty of options too.

The Colorado River, which flows through Glenwood Canyon and through the middle of town, and the Crystal River, which tumbles 35 miles through scenic terrain before it joins the Roaring Fork River two miles below Carbondale, also offer spectacular fly- fishing opportunities with a little less crowding and plentiful public access.

If waders and a fly rod are not your fishing preference, Ruedi Reservoir above Basalt is the largest still-water fishing in the area.

If you're seeking solitude, then some of the hundreds of high mountain streams and lakes offer an opportunity to catch a Brook Trout or a spectacular native Cutthroat Trout.

Whatever your fishing preference, the Colorado Division of Wildlife can provide the information you need to get the trip started.