Fly Fishing in Colorado

A regional note specific to this state: the trout fishing here is a mix of tailwaters and a handful of high-country freestone streams, and the state agency stocks heavily in the tailwaters and manages the freestone streams as wild trout fisheries, and the most productive water depends on the time of year. Colorado trout fishing is the most famous in the country, and the only state where an angler can plan a year around the diversity of its tailwaters and freestone rivers. The state has more than 9,000 miles of fishable trout water, including the legendary Fryingpan, the South Platte, the Arkansas, the Gunnison, the Roaring Fork, and dozens more. The most famous tailwaters are the Fryingpan, the South Platte below Cheesman Reservoir, the Taylor, and the Gunnison below Taylor Park Reservoir, all of which produce wild trout averaging 14 to 18 inches. The most famous freestone rivers are the Eagle, the Colorado, the Arkansas, and the Animas, all of which produce wild browns and rainbows. The state's trout program is administered through Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the agency stocks the put-and-take lakes while managing the wild trout water through a combination of slot limits and special regulations. A regular Colorado fishing license is required, and the cost is $36 for residents and $96 for non-residents, and the daily limit is 2 trout combined in most tailwaters with special regulations on the wild trout water. The unique regional quirk is that Colorado tailwaters have some of the most restrictive regulations in the country, with most tailwaters requiring artificial flies and lures only, and a 2-trout limit that applies year-round.