Fly Fishing Boulder - The St. Vrain Watershed - Fly Fishing Destinations

Fly Fishing Boulder - The St. Vrain Watershed

The "Front Range" is a north-south running chain of foothills on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains. Extending from Colorado Springs to Wyoming, the front Range cities and towns lie in close proximity to unspoiled wilderness areas just to their west. Pikes peak and Long's Peak are nearby in the mountainous areas just to the west of the Front Range. Throughout the year, cold water flows east from headwaters in the Rocky Mountains making Boulder, Fort Collins and other front range cities great fly fishing headquarters.

Fly Fishing Boulder means that you'll be headed west into the Indian Peaks Wilderness area to find cold water fly fishing and trout streams. A copy of DeLorme's Colorado Atlas and Gazetteer will help immensely in planning for the following destinations near boulder.

South St. Vrain Creek

The St. Vrain has three branches, the North, the Middle and the South. The South St. Vrain starts at the Isabelle glacier, upstream of Long Lake, and flows eastward in several sections. THe three sections of the South St. Vrain are interrupted by two lakes: Long Lake, at 10520 feet, and Brainard Lake at 10,300 feet. Above Long Lake is a stretch of creek with widths of up to 20 feet making casting reasonable. Just below Long Lake is another section of the creek about 3/4 of a mile long, eventually leading into Brainard Lake. Below Brainard lake lies another 6 miles of stream before running into private property. Expect to catch cutthroat, rainbows, brown trout and brook trout.

Brainard Lake & Long Lake.

These two lakes like west of boulder through the old mining town of Ward, CO about 45 minutes into the the mountains. The road is good and parking is available within a half mile or so of Brainard Lake. From here you can hike to the lake as well as hike up or down stream on the South St. Vrain, described above. Brainard Lake lies at an altitude of about 10,300 feet, and Long Lake at about 10520 feet. If fishing at Brainard lake, it is a short walk from the nearest road and so bring a flashlight fish through the evening rise for a rewarding dry fly hatch.

Middle St. Vrain Creek is also close to Ward. The banks of this section of the creek are covered in moss and wildflowers. Aspens and old growth evergreens line the banks as well. Due to the thickness of the vegetation, streamside hiking can be slow. An 8 foot or smaller fly rod essential. You'll find mostly brown trout here.

Fly Fishing Boulder can be a rewarding day of fishing if you plan your day well. Plan for mountain weather in the higher elevations, and stop back at one of the local brewpubs after your day of fishing. Get lots of rest because tomorrow you can Flyfish Boulder all over again!

Keywords: