Colorado

Middle Colorado River

Colorado’s premier river, originally named the “Grand”, flows through 7 states covering almost 1500 miles.  Derived from the Spanish word rojo, meaning red, much of the lower drainage heading to the Pacific is off color due to heavy silt. However, upstream the water is clear and fishable from early summer through late fall and is a revered fly fishing paradise for the vast majority of our guided trips.

The Middle Colorado begins near State Bridge and covers more than 50 river miles before it enters the tiny bedroom community of Dotsero, named for mile marker zero or “sero” on the map, as I-70 had not yet continued west through Glenwood Canyon. The most remote of all the rivers we guide, the Middle Colorado River is home to private historic ranches of the old west, wide-open spaces and spectacular landscapes. High plateaus, rocky hillsides and narrow cannons dominate as the river cuts its way southwest and into lower, drier elevations. Wildlife abounds; you will see more bald and golden eagles than people while float fishing here.

Characterized by long runs, gentle riffles and back eddy pools, anglers have excellent opportunities to hook into rainbows, cuttbows and browns.  Major hatches include Baetis, Yellow Sallies, Trico’s, Caddis, Golden Stonefly’s and the late summer favorite, Red Quill. Hopper season starts early on the Middle Colorado and the dry dropper rig is a client favorite beginning in late June. Our guides also are experts in the art of streamer fishing, which is very effective in the early spring and fall.

The most popular way to fish here is from the comfort of a drift boat (our river Cadillac).  Easy to stand and cast from, these boats offer dry storage, drink holders and cooler within reach, with a casting platform to help manage your line.  Leave your cell phone behind, as there is little-to-no service here, and come escape to rarely fished banks filled with wild trout and few other anglers. Imagine placing a cast against a shady bank under a mature cottonwood and twitching your terrestrial while watching a predatory brown trout circle downstream to then inhale your pattern effortlessly, like he has been doing successfully all day! The trout then goes crazy when you set the hook, leaps into the air, runs under the boat and then heads straight downstream with vigor. That’s the Middle Colorado!

Lower Colorado River

This is the place we look forward to guiding the most.  The Lower Colorado is fishable 365 days a year and is considered one of the last few floatable sections for quality trout fishing in the entire west that has not yet been affected by heavy angler pressure. Beginning below the confluence of the Gold Medal waters of the Roaring Fork, the river here commands respect as it flows west/southwest towards the border of Utah with volume and strength.  Flows can exceed 20,000 CFS in the spring when we have an above average snowpack and the river here can be hundreds of feet wide.

The powerful spring runoff cleans and invigorates the river bottom structure aquatic insects need to succeed.  This rejuvenation of a seemingly endless food source grows some of the biggest fish we catch anywhere.  The deeper water on the Lower C also promotes year-round feeding whereas their upstream cousins are mostly losing weight during the winter months with limited habitat and hatches.  Imaging living under ice in two feet of water versus thriving in an 8 foot deep hole that is wide open to healthy flows, available food and plentiful oxygen.

Our guides refer to the Colorado as the “Big Easy” as the runs here are wide and easy to read creating forgiving casting lanes and effortless mending even for our first-time anglers.  Massive tail outs can play host to rising fish in the afternoons. Look for noses up in the back eddies and foam-covered slack water to place your fly.  Don’t forget the fast shallow currents to find feeding fish in the hot, middle-of-the day hours during peak summer months. We guide mostly between Glenwood Springs and Rifle, but you can request a two-day float all the way to De Beque with one of our veteran guides if you want to get really isolated.

Winter floats can be epic here with less wary but hungry fish on the prowl.  We also love to guide in the fall searching for aggressive spawning brown trout in the mornings and sipping rainbows during Baetis hatches in the afternoons. The ranch owners on the Lower Colorado have posted much of their land adjacent to the river with no trespassing signs as new increased use has created push back from the old school residents.  If you are fishing here on your own, know where you are and keep your boat afloat while passing through private property, respecting landowners privacy and also Colorado private property laws of no touch, except for the water.

Let our seasoned guides spoil you with our signature wild game lunch made fresh on a hot grill while you kick back and relax with literally no one else in sight. Big horn sheep are common sightings on the scenic drive through Glenwood Canyon and you can expect to see a variety of wildlife during your day including deer, elk, eagles, herons, red tailed hawks, every kind of waterfowl and the occasional bear. Trout Trickers oarsmen know every inch of the river on the Lower Colorado, when you’re wanting to get a little farther away while enjoying some incredible fishing, this is the place.

Roaring Fork River

Home to over 9,000 miles of trout streams, Colorado plays host to literally a fishing paradise. Of this total, only 322 miles have been designated as Gold Medal by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission for fisheries that consistently produce outstanding angling opportunities. The Roaring Fork has 22 miles of this elite classification and backs it up with large healthy populations of above-average sized trout. The Fork is a classic western trout stream with all the surrounding beautiful landscape you would expect including high alpine forest, flower-covered meadows and red, iron-rich rocky cliffs. Most impressive are the multicolored rocks on the river bottom that seem to brag with shades of red, green, yellow, grey, black and blue creating a magical glimmer as the cold water passes above. Once you make a cast here, it will stay in your memory always as one the best.

This fast-paced rocky mountain freestone originates in the high peaks of Independence Pass and flows north, picking up the infamous Frying Pan River on its way to join the Colorado River in Glenwood Springs. Perhaps best fished from the comfort of a drift boat, the Fork can be big and pushy though much of the spring and early summer with significant rapids, rocky riffles and boulder-filled runs dominating the pace. Prolific hatches of Caddis, Baetis, Yellow Sallies, Golden Stones and everyone’s favorite Green Drakes are as good as it gets, literally filling the air during the spring, summer and fall months.

The guides here are all pro’s; many were born and raised along its banks, and there is a healthy, competitive, camaraderie as we jockey boats full of excited anglers up and down eddy lines in sometimes tight spaces to fish down the same run. Nothing is more rewarding than having your clients double when it’s your turn to make a pass and know you got it right with your fly selection for often picky, educated trout that are constantly changing their minds. We know of no other creature that can be feasting on hot dogs and then refuse a hamburger. The trout’s diet on the Roaring Fork can be incredibly selective and unforgiving to an inexperienced guide.

The spring float season on the Fork is unrivaled anywhere in the state, with midges so big they are nicknamed “Midgezilla” and a hatch so intense that they create piles of shucks along the banks for days. Once the Baetis also get going, the fish will be on the surface and our guests can’t believe that we are crushing with dry flies this early in the year. I dare you to take a day off from the ski slopes on a warm, sunny, March day and come experience some of the best float fishing of the entire year. You too will become a regular year after year after just one great spring day on the Roaring Fork.

Our guides have rafts to take the best care of our guests when it’s low and bony in the winter months and early spring, and switch over to drift boats during the rest of the year, always providing a clean, safe and comfortable ride down this thrilling freestone. This is the only Gold Medal water we float; it’s hard to argue that there is a better place for your next trip with Trout Trickers.