The rivers of Colorado are vast and numerous with veins of water snaking throughout the state. Most of these rivers qualify as “cold water” which means they hold trout, and with so much water under this qualification, it is guaranteed to entice a whole slew of angling enthusiasts. Because this great state holds so much water, let’s go ahead and talk about the best rivers to find trout, as you can spend a life time trying to fish them all. Some of these rivers hold gold medal status cementing that they have trophy trout that others don’t, but between the South Platte, Blue, and Colorado rivers you are guaranteed to enjoy the serenity that comes with each.
The Blue River should be near the top of every tailwater anglers list due to the ease of access to most of this river and the large fish that inhabit these waters. This river begins with an upper stretch of water running down main street Breckenridge, and stays mostly public before reaching Green Mountain Reservoir in Heeney where it continues privately until the Colorado River confluence.
The Colorado River is known for its beautiful scenery and it extreme length, but is no slouch when it comes to fishing and has great angling opportunity throughout. The section most prized by anglers is called the Upper C, and boy is the Upper C the place to be. This section runs from the Pumphouse boat ramp down to the State Bridge boat ramp and is the most popular fly fishing stretch in the lower forty-eight. The reason for this is because its high fish count per mile as well as the monstrous trout that hide in the deep runs this area is known for.
The last waterway we will touch on is a true local hotspot, the South Platte River. This river hosts great fishing from it headwaters located in Alma, CO, and hosts great trout fishing all the way into the greater Denver Area. No matter where you pull of the road and cast a fly you have shots at some of the largest hybrid trout in the state, but make sure you check your map, as there are stretches of private land sprinkled amongst this pristine area.