Fishing in Colorado

Fishing is a very popular sport in Colorado. With all the differences in elevation, you'll have your choice of warm-water and cold-water fish, sometimes even in the same lake. In most places, fishing is allowed all year-round, 24 hours per day. While there are lots of places where the naturally occurring fishery is healthy enough to maintain good populations of fish, there are also many areas that are popular with sportsmen but don't have enough of whatever to maintain the fish population. So there are several state and federal fish hatcheries spread around the state. Some popular areas get restocked every year, while the high mountain lakes that require a helicopter or small plane to drop fish into the water tend to get restocked every two-to-three years (although lakes that have been determined to freeze all the way to the bottom don't get any fish at all - something to look out for at high elevation).

Among the more popular fishing areas are many of Colorado's State Parks. The Colorado Division of Wildlife also has several state wildlife areas and leased state trust lands that offer excellent fishing. In some areas, the CDOW has been able to arrange fishing easements with the private property owners along some rivers, especially the Arkansas, Colorado and Rio Grande Rivers. Among the links at the bottom of this page you'll find access to information about the fishing situation in Colorado, including listings of some of the finest wild trout waters and gold medal fishing streams in America. Enjoy! ...and see you out there!