Rocky Mountain National Park

by Rob R
(Texas)

I was in the park Sep 1st - 9th and fished Fall River, Moraine Park (Big Thompson), Glacier Basin (Glacier Creek) and Wild Basin (N St Vrain). I caught what is considered the park grand slam which includes cutthroats, browns, brookies and rainbows. The water conditions were clear and somewhat low for this time of the year. I did make it over the divide to the west side of the park to check out the Colorado River headwaters but it was very low and slow running. I did manage to catch a brook trout before calling it quits. I also took a short hike to Tonahutu creek but did not fish it.

I can't say that I would go back to the park for future trips. It's just too crowded. I used to live in Denver during the nineties and I remembered why I never took many trips to Estes Park and RMNP. Too many tourists for my liking. The fishing was fine otherwise.

There is public water and private water outside the park. Sometimes it's hard to tell if you are on private because it's not always clearly marked. Right now the stream access law in CO is the landowner owns the streambed and wading the private streambed is trespass. If you are floating over it, you are generally ok. Right now there is a federal court case which hasn't been decided, "HIll vs Warsewa" which may change the stream access law to favor the fisherman or it may not, so who knows.

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.