RMNP Trip
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I am planning a trip for mid July to RMNP for 4 full days of fishing. Maybe one day with a guide.
Any recomendations on where to fish? I am not asking for anyones honeholes or best kept secrets. Just some leads on good water and tactics.Thanks
I have only fished there once, so I don’t have much in the way of tactics to recommend. You did mention the possibility of a guide for a day and I would recommend Kirk’s Fly Shop in Estes Park. My father-in-law and I used them last August and were pleased with our guide and the service. We fished small water in the park and everything caught was small. However, in a half-day trip I caught 3/4 of the Colorado slam. The only one I didn’t catch was a cutthroat. Good luck and enjoy your trip.
I have fished RMNP before. Kirk’s is a good shop. When I go, I don’t get a guide. I decided to self-guide and was pretty happy with the results. There is a fishing RMNP pamphlet you can pick up. I tells you what lakes hold fish. Some don’t have any fish in them. Out tactic was to find a lake on the list, hike in, fish and hike out. We had a great time at a couple lakes that were further in than a lot of people like to hike. Caught lots of small Brookies and some GB Cuts. Those far off lakes get less pressure. One was easy fishing, toss a griffiths gnat about 6 ft in front of a cruising fish, and they would hit it.
Lilly Lake: Get fished hard. Tough fishing, as they seem to be very selective. One day I was there, they were hitting lime green trudes, but would not touch a green EHC in the same size.
Here is some info: http://www.rmnp.com/RMNP-Things-FishingInThePark.HTML
Another good link: http://flyfisherman.com/rmnp/
We fished Dream lake one day. It’s only a mile up up off the Bear Lake trailhead. It gets fished hard also, but we had some luck there. Got lots of refusals, but also did well once we “matched the hatch”.
Our best flies were midges. I know you don’t think midges in CO but it works. The fish at Dream Lake were taking something very small and light colored off the surface. We went to #20 griffiths gnats and #20 parachute adams, and did well. 6-7x tippet may also be needed on some higher pressured lakes and finicky fish.
I talked to the owned of Kirk’s one day after fishing Dream Lake, he told me it was tough fishing, I replied not that tough using Arkansas Midge tactics!
Lake fishing was sight fishing. Watching cruising fish, and you would see a pattern of movement. That allowed us to “predict” where the fish would go, and lay a small fly out front and let them encounter it after it’s already sitting there.
Good Luck.
Thank you for all the replies so far! This is really helping to plan this trip.
Anyone else have a recomendation. We would consider fishing outside the Park as well.
I have fished outside the park a couple times.
The first was in the Big Thompson. I met up with a local Police Office who took me. We found a spot along the road close to the river and started fishing. We used Orange Stimulators and simply set them in pockets since the river is flowing very quick down the mountain where we were. I caught a lot of fish and it was fun.
The other time was on the Thompson on the edge of Estes Park. It get fished a lot there and I did not catch anything.
-wayne
Great time to be there, bring a 2 or 3 weight rod. Should see some great dry fly fishing for Colorado green backs! Western side of the park will be the best. Kirks is a great shop they will fill you in, contact them now. You have the big thompson coming out of Estes. and close to the North fork of the South Platte. Mostly private but great fish! On the west side of the park you will come out on I-70 you can fish
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