GUNNISON RIVER TROUT

by Bill Fowler
Below Blue Mesa Reservoir the Gunnison is restrained in a long series of impoundments, then set free near the boundary of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. You can drive to the river here by taking East Portal Road from the Park. At East Portal you can camp and have foot access to a little less than a mile of water before the canyon cliffs block your downstream movement. The next car access to the river is 28 river miles downstream at Pleasure Park outside of Austin, Colorado, where the North Fork of the Gunnison and the Gunnison meet. You can bring a float tube or pontoon boat to cross the river and fish the far bank at East Portal, but you cannot float downstream. The river below East Portal is impassable and at one point completely disappears under the broken rubble of the surrounding cliffs.

Inside the Park six foot routes lead to the river: three along South Rim Road and three along North Rim Road. The Park Service issues a limited number of free permits for these routes to ensure a quality wilderness experience. The permits are available daily on a first-come, first-serve basis. These routes are not maintained trails. They are extremely steep with unstable footing and dangerous precipices. You must be in good physical condition to attempt the descent. The Gunnison Route into the canyon from the visitor's center drops 1,800 feet in .75 miles and it's considered the easiest trail in the Park. The solitude, scenery, and spectacular fishing make the hike worth the effort. No guided angling is permitted in the Park.

Below the National Park is the Gunnison Gorge, a public-use wilderness operated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The most comfortable and productive way to fish this stretch is to hire an outfitter with pack mules to take you and your gear into the Gorge for a 14-mile float down to the confluence of the North Fork of the Gunnison with the Gunnison. A three-day float provides time to absorb the beauty of the canyon and work the riffles and pockets. Call Larry Franks (970-323-0115) to pack your gear for a self-guided float trip. Call Gunnison River Expeditions or Black Canyon Anglers for a guided trip.

The Gunnison Gorge from the boundary of the National Park to the confluence with the Smith Fork was recently designated as one of the few BLM wilderness areas. Together with the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, this new designation protects about 18 miles of water from development.

There are four foot trails (Chukar, Duncan, Ute, and Bobcat trails) into the Gunnison River Gorge accessed from Peach Valley Road outside of Montrose. You need a four-wheel-drive vehicle just to get to the trailheads, but the hike down to the river is much easier than in the Park. There are campsites by the river both in the Park and on BLM land. Be sure to reserve your campsite before you start your hike.

The Gunnison Gorge was hit hard by whirling disease in the 1990s, but brown trout are filling in the gaps and the Colorado Division of Wildlife is stocking rainbow fingerlings in the river to maintain the fishery. The fishing may not be what it used to be, but it is still great.

Hank Holtze, who has owned Gunnison River Expeditions for more than 20 years, told me after the 2001 season, "The Gunnison Gorge fished better this year because the browns have gotten bigger and have taken the place of many of the rainbows in the river. We just had to start trying new tactics, such as fishing a lot of big streamers. The rainbows are still there; it just takes more time and experience to find them now."
I like a bigger, more easily seen fly with a smaller or more realistic dry 24 inches behind. A great example is my Green Drake hatch combination of a 12 Colorado Green Drake with a 14 Gunnison River Para-emerger behind it. For the last three years it has proven to be a great tandem for my eyes and the fish alike.

During the summer, dry and dropper rigs are effective for about 80 percent of the fishing on the Gunnison. Royal Wulffs, Stimulators, and Humpies have taken fish for years and show no signs of becoming outdated. Attach the dropper nymph to the bend of the dry-fly hook with an improved clinch knot and 18 to 36 inches of monofilament. Bead-heads such as Copper Johns, Pheasant Tails, Princes, Flashback Caddis, and Bloody Mari nymphs consistently take fish.
The Gunnison River upstream of Gunnison (shown above) is bordered by private property in many areas but it can be floated in rafts in June and July.

Early and late in the season, deep nymphing rigs are the most consistent way to catch fish. Pair a small bead-head nymph such as a caddis larva or Baetis imitation with an attractor nymph such as a Prince Nymph, 20 Incher, or Glo-Bug.

I have become a fanatical streamer fisherman in recent years and the Gunnison has excellent streamer fishing. I use my Swimming Prince for small streams or as a chaser streamer for double-streamer rigs. I cast the fly across and upstream for a short dead-drift and then twitch it slowly on the retrieve as it swings across down below.

Big trout love big sculpin streamers such as Nervous Minnows, Zoo Cougars, and Conehead Woolly Sculpins on fast sinking-tip or full-sinking lines. From a boat, cast these flies against the bank and swim them along the shore. On foot, work the riffles and the tailouts of deeper pools. Try to mix your retrieves and find what works best for you on each day; as conditions change, so should your tactics.
Gunnison Access

Nervous Minnow

Above Blue Mesa Reservoir three public areas offer foot access. Cooper's Ranch and the Neversink Picnic Area provide 3 miles of public water directly above Blue Mesa and often hold very large trout in the spring and fall when spawners migrate back and forth from the reservoir. The VanTuyl Easement near Gunnison has 1.5 miles of public water and some of the best Kokanee salmon pools on the river. Another 3-mile stretch of public water begins at the confluence of the East and Taylor rivers. You can park in the town of Almont or at the Almont Campground along Highway 135.

Fishing the Tributaries

The major tributaries of the Gunnison--the East, Taylor, and Lake Fork--are all productive trout fisheries, and there are more than 40 smaller streams and dozens of lakes in the area for anglers seeking a more secluded fishing experience. For details on the smaller waters and directions to access points on the larger waters mentioned above, consult Michael Shook's Fly Fishing Guide for the Gunnison Crested Butte Area, available at local fly shops or by calling 800-324-6898.
Taylor River trout in the catch-and-release area (shown above) grow fat on Mysis shrimp and midges. A record fish of 24 pounds was caught in recent years, and 5- and 10-pound trout such as the one shown below are common. The trout mostly feed on small midge patterns but also take dry flies, egg patterns, and large streamers at night.

Lake Fork. The Lake Fork forms in the mountains above Lake City, southwest of Gunnison, and runs into Blue Mesa Reservoir. This medium-size river produces some great dry-fly fishing. Golden Stoneflies hatch from late June through mid July. Yellow or orange Stimulators in size 8 to 12 generate explosive surface action, and similar-size Hare's-ear Nymphs or 20 Inchers bounced along the bottom get similar results. When the stoneflies taper off, caddisflies and a variety of mayflies make this a great dry-fly river throughout the entire summer.

East River. Some of the best dry-fly fishing in the Gunnison area is on the East River. Heavy Green Drake, Blue-winged Olive, PMD, caddis, and stonefly hatches occur throughout the summer. In addition to drys, small streamers are an exciting way to fish this river.

The problem with the East is limited public access, but there is a 1.5-mile stretch of public water near the Roaring Judy hatchery on the lower river. This is quality water and an excellent trout fishery throughout the summer and fall. Several local outfitters lease private water on the East, so there is an opportunity to fish in solitude if your budget permits.



The Taylor River. The Taylor is the largest tributary of the upper Gunnison and offers several different opportunities. The upper river above Taylor Reservoir is a high-mountain stream that meanders through alpine meadows and is accessible by a road going all the way to the headwaters. Small attractor drys with bead-head droppers provide steady action. If you walk 15 minutes from the pullouts before you fish, you will have better fishing than what you find by the road.

The lower river below Lottis Creek Campground is characterized by pocketwater and big riffles that hold aggressive trout in the swift currents. This stretch has a steep gradient and the slippery rocks and treacherous currents make wading difficult. In August the flows drop and the fishing improves. This is a tough area to fish, but the rewards are great. You have to wade aggressively, cast a short line into the pockets, and hold your line off the water. Long casts across the braided currents prevent a good drift.

Most Colorado anglers have heard of the massive fish in the catch-and-release area directly below Taylor Reservoir. These large trout draw crowds. The catch-and-release section is only .6 miles long, but I have counted as many as 56 anglers in this stretch at once. On most days between eight to 15 anglers will be fishing.

Due to the fishing pressure, these are the most difficult fish in the Gunnison area. Long 5- and 6-weight rods with dark fly lines work best. I use a 15- to 20-foot fluorocarbon leader tapered to 5X or 6X tippet. Most fly fishers use a two-fly nymph rig with a 16-18 Mysis shrimp imitation and a 18-24 midge or Baetis imitation. Use small, dark strike indicators. Several small split-shot spooks fewer fish than one large split-shot. This area will try your nerve and test your skill, as you may fish for six hours without a bump and then hook three fish in a row that average 5 pounds or more!
The Early Season

Good fishing on the upper Gunnison starts in February or March when the ice comes off the river. In these winter conditions you must nymph the slow-water lies methodically. The fish stack tightly together and you must search to find the pods. When you do find a fish, keep casting in the same spot and you will often produce another half-dozen just like it. Green Drake Para-Drake


By April the river warms enough for midges and an occasional Blue-winged Olive hatch, but the best fishing is still subsurface until the spring runoff subsides in May or June. As the water clears and begins to drop, caddis, Golden Stones, and other smaller stonefly species begin to hatch, creating the first good dry-fly fishing of the year. Elk-hair Caddis (#14-16) and yellow, orange, or olive Stimulators (#8-14) with small beadhead droppers work best.

When the water warms and reaches 48 to 52 degrees F., the annual Green Drake hatch begins and progresses upstream from Blue Mesa for about six weeks. This is the main event on the Gunnison. The hatch usually comes off in the late morning or early afternoon and often lasts about an hour but may go as long as three hours on cool, overcast days. I fish a dry and an emerger through the early hatch, switch to two adults during the heart of the hatch, and finish with a drowned cripple suspended below a dry fly.
The upper Gunnison along Highway 135 near the town of Almont (shown above) offers excellent public access and good dry-fly fishing below the confluence of the East and Taylor rivers.

Pale Morning Duns (PMDs), Red Quills, and other mayflies hatch in sparse numbers all summer after the Green Drakes. You will also find caddis on the water every day from early May through October.

Kokanee Salmon

In early August the river hosts from 50,000 to 150,000 Kokanee salmon making their annual run from Blue Mesa Reservoir back to the Roaring Judy fish hatchery on the East River where they were produced.

These fish run from 1 to 3 pounds and fight well on 4-, 5-, or 6-weight outfits. When the fish are fresh and silver they can be difficult to catch, but the fight is worth the struggle.

After several days in the river, the salmon darken and become much more aggressive. Drifting nymphs and streamers through pods of sexually mature fish draws many strikes. Contrary to popular belief, there is no reason to snag these fish--they will chew your flies to pieces. Kokanee must be released unharmed from August 1 to October 31.

In late September the salmon begin dropping their eggs and this starts the best trout fishing of the year. Every fish in the river looks for eggs. A Glo-Bug with a Baetis nymph dropper draws strikes all day long in the riffles and pools below holding or spawning salmon. In fact, the trout get so greedy for eggs that I have caught the same fish three times in one outing. Later in the season when the salmon die, flesh flies catch trout and the river becomes like "little Alaska" in the Colorado Rockies.

During fall, Blue-winged Olive hatches provide good dry-fly fishing from early September through November. The water is low and clear and the fish are picky on top. I fish Befus BWO Para-emergers, quill-body parachutes, and floating Blue-winged Olive nymphs with 6X tippets and light 2- to 4-weight rods.