Experience the Aspen Valley: Fly Fishing on the Roaring Fork

The Ute Indians were among the earliest recorded people to inhabit the area around Glenwood Springs. They named the Roaring Fork"Thunder River" with good reason. The Roaring Fork is a boisterous river. Even from a distance its current is audible. the headwaters near Independence Pass to the confluence with the Colorado the Roaring-Fork is a free-flowing river, making it unique. Few rivers in the state are completely free of dams, though the Fork does have many irrigation diversions. It's one of the few floatable rivers in the state. From its beginnings to the Colorado River the Fork is only about 70 miles long. It has big fish, too.

If you're not accustomed to fishing large streams, the Fork can intimidate you. Its current is strong.The water is often slightly off-color, hiding deep holes. Footing can be tricky on its rocky bottom. One thing in its favor is that the river fishes well nearly all year.

Rainbows and browns are the predominant species in the Roaring Fork. The upper stretches havesmall brookies: According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, they average 12 to 18 inches. Frommy experience this is no bureaucratic exaggeration. In the river upstream of Glenwood Springs to around Carbondale you'll find many whitefish and suckers. They also readily take a fly and fight well.

The Headwaters
From its headwaters a mile north of Independence Pass downstream to Aspen, the Roaring Fork runs through the White River National Forest. Not until it is within 3 miles of Aspen does the stream cross private land, with the exception of a few private holdings within the forest. The headwaters section upstream from Aspen is managed to allow a regular limit of trout with no restrictions on method. The river is small and holds lots of pan-sized brookies, along with rainbows.

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