And so is fishing!
In the 1,000-plus miles we covered during the 50 Campfires Field Trip: Heart of the Rockies, we were blown away by the number of people we saw fishing nearly everywhere there was water – especially flowing water. We made it a point to try it for ourselves.
The primary fish pursued in Colorado’s rivers are trout. There are opportunities to catch rainbow, brown, brook, lake, and cutthroat species as well as Kokanee salmon, which is a land-locked sockeye. It’s interesting to note, the only one of these species truly native to Colorado is the cutthroat, which is actually a mountain subspecies of the rainbow trout. The threatened Greenback rainbow trout subspecies was named the official state fish in 1994, but it was originally planted in Colorado’s waters in the late 1800s. There are a number of other non-native rainbow subspecies found in Colorado waters today.
However, for most Colorado anglers the greatest prize in fishing flowing water is hooking, landing, and releasing a cutthroat. The true mountain trout, they represent the high-country lifestyle most authentically. These beautiful trout are only found in a portion of their original range today due to being pushed out by the non-native species, over-fishing, and habitat loss.
While anglers of most any kind are welcome to fish in Colorado, the most iconic method for river trout is fly fishing. The Brad Pitt movie, “A River Runs Through It” is about a lot more than fishing, but gives a good idea of how religiously some anglers take catching trout on flies. It can become a lifestyle.
However, the 50 Campfires team – like most car camping families – aren’t necessarily looking for a lifestyle. They are looking for new experiences and to collect lasting memories. Fly fishing for trout in Colorado easily provides both.
Like anywhere else, fishing in Colorado is governed by regulations and licensing meant to protect the resource and ensure it’s available fairly to the public – the people who own the resource under the North American model of wildlife conservation. In the Centennial State, the body tasked with managing fish resources is the Colorado Department of Parks & Wildlife. You can find out all you need to know about Colorado fishing at their website: http://www.cpw.state.co.us/
Colorado also has great fishing for warm water species like bass, panfish, catfish, pike, walleye, and more. Public shore fishing provides great access to all of these for family-friendly fishing opportunities.
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