Fly Fishing  

 If you’ve come to Aspen, Colorado for fishing, Aspen Meadows Resorts is the place to be. Renowned for its Gold Medal waters, Aspen’s Roaring Fork Valley provides some of the finest fly fishing in the country. One of the best spots, the Roaring Fork River, runs adjacent to Aspen Meadows Resort and is just steps from our outstanding Aspen hotel.

Our Colorado resort is also ideally located for your Aspen fishing excursion to some of the best Aspen fishing spots available. From the Frying Plan to the Colorado to the Crystal rivers, you’ll have your choice of small, intimate streams to brawling runs to anything in between.

Plus, one of Colorado's premiere trout fisheries, the Roaring Fork River's headwaters, runs from the top of Independence Pass and flows for seventy miles down through the Roaring Fork Valley. Because of this great length, the river offers a variety of water types for the angler. From the tight canyon pocket water of the upper river to the exceptional float fishing stretches of the lower river, there is always new water to explore.

And, if you need guidance while exploring Aspen’s endless fly fishing possibilities, let the Taylor Creek Fly Shop help. With one shop right in Aspen and a shop located less than 30 minutes from Aspen on the banks of the Frying Pan River in Basalt, Taylor Creek Fly Shop is western Colorado's oldest guide service and specialty fly fishing shop. Whether you’re an experienced angler or attempting the sport for the first time, these local guides will ensure a memorable Aspen fishing experience and countless fish tales. Check out the river reports from Taylor Creek for the latest Aspen fishing information.

Let Aspen Meadows Resort be your Aspen fly fishing headquarters. It doesn’t get any more convenient!

Aspen Fishing – Winter Information

 The Frying Pan and Roaring Fork rivers both feature remarkably consistent winter activity and, in some instances, offer opportunities not present during the more traditional trout fishing seasons. Not only are the numbers of fish taken greater during the winter, the average size of these trout is also considerably larger than during the summer months, especially on the Frying Pan below Ruedi Dam. During the early 1980's a lake dwelling shrimp was stocked by Colorado's Division of Wildlife in order to provide a year-round food source for Kokanee salmon in Ruedi. While the planting of these small lacustrine crustaceans had little if any effect on the fish in the lake, a subsequent retrofitting of the dam's release mechanism has had tremendous influence on the trout population in the river below the reservoir. The addition of power-generating turbines has allowed these Mysis shrimp to be released from the cold depths of the lake uninjured and in one piece. This phenomenon occurs year -round, but especially when lake levels are low during the late fall and winter months. The shrimp, which can be as large as a size 12, are present in numbers that defy the imagination and provide a food source to the rainbows, browns and brookies below the reservoir that allows for growth to sizes usually not associated with trout streams in this country. Trout in excess of 10 pounds are taken regularly and last winter one rainbow actually weighed slightly more than 23 pounds! Uncrowded conditions and low flows provide the opportunity to actually sight fish to what may well be the largest trout most anglers will see in a lifetime.

Daily midge hatches also occur on both rivers in our valley as well as on the Colorado below Glenwood Springs. Slower runs and pools can produce consistent dry fly fishing on overcast days on all area streams. Many local anglers prefer the winter fishing in this temperate part of the Rockies to any other time of the year. Join a guide from Taylor Creek to find out why.

Aspen Fishing – Spring Information

It is at this time the trout move from the deep glides and pools of winter to the riffles and pockets they favor. One can feel a rejuvenated level of activity in all living things. It is a sacred time on our streams and one that is cherished by those who know these rivers well. Baetis mayflies are the first hatch of spring on all area waters. We normally start seeing these size 18-20 grayish-olive insects about the middle of March and they continue well into June. They blanket the water on cloudy spring days in numbers that defy the imagination. The trout rise readily to them in quiet tailouts and pools. This is the time that we resume floating the Fork and Colorado casting streamers and nymphs into pockets along the banks.

On the upper Frying Pan below Ruedi Dam the urge to spawn moves the large shrimp-eating rainbows out of the deeper holds of winter and encourages them to spread out through the top several miles of river. One can approach the most innocent looking riffle only to have it explode as ten pounds of spooked rainbow trout leaves for parts unknown. It is a time for sight fishing these behemoths and carefully stalking water that might well have been ignored during winter months. Mysis shrimp patterns and midge larvae are the flies of choice for these fish. In the late spring, we also start to see caddis hatches especially on the Roaring Fork and Colorado rivers.

The "Mother's Day" hatch is without a doubt one of the heaviest of the entire year. These size 14-16 gray caddis are present in numbers that cause one to breathe carefully to avoid inhaling more than just a small mouthful. One must be ready to go on a moment's notice when these insects start to emerge. The hatch moves up river very rapidly and, with the possibility of occasionally discolored water, it is imperative to be in the right place at the right time. Nymph fishermen consider this time of year perhaps the best in terms of numbers of fish. Attractor patterns and stonefly imitations along with glow-bugs account for the most fish although during hatches the appropriate matching nymph will be most effective. Spring is often an inconsistent time for many western trout destinations because of runoff. With the tailrace situation of the Frying Pan, however, there is always an option to waiting for summer flows. In fact, some of the best opportunities of the year occur during springtime on the Pan. It is truly a unique year-round fishery.

Aspen Fishing – Summer Information

The fertile waters of the Frying Pan, Roaring Fork and Colorado rivers offer tremendous hatches of Green Drakes, Pale Morning Duns, Blue-Winged Olives, and many different caddis during the summer season. Timing and location will dictate which insects you see when, but you can be sure that on any given day there is quality fishing with dry flies on local streams. Should we encounter high and discolored water on our rivers, it will occur early in the summer from the middle of May to the middle of June some years. Years with low snowpack will not experience high water conditions for nearly this long. About the third week of June we start to see green Drakes on the Fork. This hatch starts in Glenwood Springs and progresses upstream to Aspen over a period of about 3-4 weeks.

On the Roaring Fork the Drake emergence tends to be heaviest in the evening. Although a cloudy, rainy day will also produce good hatches. Drake hatches on the Pan are more of a mid-day phenomenon. The hatch starts mid to late July and in some years will still be present well into September in the waters just below Ruedi. There are some local anglers who fish nothing but Drakes for 6-8 weeks simply by moving with the hatch. PMD's start in July and are present until late August. There are some years that this is the most important hatch of the summer. They emerge during the middle part of the day on our waters, with best activity during cloud cover, and are often present in great numbers right alongside the Drakes. Some fish will be selective to one insect and some to the other. It is truly a horrible situation to have to deal with!

Caddis are present all summer, especially during the evenings. They vary from size 10 to size 20 depending on timing and location. There is not a summer day that goes by when fish are not rising to caddis somewhere on area waters. Summer is also one of our prime times to float the Fork and the Colorado. Casting into the banks with big dries or streamers provides some of the most exciting and visual fishing of the year. The float fishing places a premium on making quick accurate casts and has often been compared to pass shooting rapidly flying ducks. You have one chance at each pocket and then it’s gone. The hopper fishing on the big rivers brings even the largest trout to the surface and is a favorite of many anglers. Summer is also prime time for exploring the miles of high-country streams in search of cutthroats and brookies. While these fish may lack a little something in size compared to those in the lower valley, they more than make up for this in numbers and lack of sophistication. They present a great chance for the young fly fisherman to perfect his skills and are found inhabiting some of the most spectacular Aspen mountain scenery anywhere. With the variety of water available within 20 miles of Basalt and the incredible insect life present in area streams, it is easy to see why those who favor dry fly fishing consider our special part of the Rockies to be truly an enchanted place to fish.

Aspen Fishing – Fall Information

There is a certain feel about the change of seasons that inspires a heightened level of activity in all living things and nowhere is this more evident than on the fabled trout streams of Western Colorado. Our mountain weather is absolutely glorious and most of the traffic of the summer season has ended. The aspens, cottonwoods and oaks of the high country have been cloaked in the spectacular hues of autumn and provide a breathtaking backdrop for some of the finest Aspen fishing of the year. Hatches continue well into November providing some of the best dry fly fishing that we see, and the browns and brookies don their spawning colors and become aggressive.

On the Frying Pan we often see the Green Drake hatch continuing well into September in the waters immediately below Ruedi Dam. It is primarily a mid-day emergence and these size 12 mayflies bring even the largest trout to the surface. There are large rust caddis in the evening and the fall hatches of Baetis mayflies begin to become the insect of choice for the feeding trout. These size 18-20 insects are most prevalent on cloudy days and will last until close to Thanksgiving. Early fall is hopper season on the Roaring Fork and Colorado rivers. Casting foam or deer hair patterns into bankside pockets can provide some of the most visual and exciting angling of the season. The fall is prime time for float fishing on the big rivers with these hopper patterns or throwing streamers into pockets along the bank. Browns act foolishly as they chase down Autumn Splendors or Wooly Buggers cast close to cover. The takes are showy and even the fish that just follow the fly to the side of the boat provide a great deal of excitement. Blue-Winged Olive hatches also occur and fish can be found rising selectively to these mayflies in the slower tailouts and slicks of both rivers. The smaller streams of the high country also fish well in the fall. They are low and clear and the majority of the fishing is sight fishing with dries. The cool and crisp mornings lead the way for delightful daytime temperatures and the scenery is unparalleled. The golds and burnt orange of the foliage rise to snow-capped peaks framed by the brilliant blue of a Colorado sky and there is not another person in sight. For many of us the fall season is one of the best reasons to call this corner of the Rockies our home.