Best Lake Fork Of The Gunnison River Fly Fishing

Southwest of Gunnison and north of Lake City, the fly fishing on the Lake Fork Of The Gunnison River is highlighted by its brown trout and rainbow trout. Draining the northeastern San Juan mountains, the entire 29 mile section down to the Blue Mesa Reservoir is open to fly fishing. In addition, the section downstream of Red Bridge is popular for its Fall Kokanee salmon where local fisherman use the banks or wade. The Kokanee are stocked into the Lake Fork River at Red Bridge to provide fall snagging opportunities.

There are regulations on the Lake Fork Of The Gunnison River above Red Bridge. In that upstream zone, only artificial flies and lures are permitted. Also, only two brown trout are permitted and must be 16 inches or longer.

Overall, there are 14 miles of public access from the shore or waiding divided among five separate access zones. There are also easements across public land which are well signed. The best Lake Fork Of The Gunnison River fly fishing is during the late Spring may-fly hatch and the early summer caddis-fly hatch.

The nearest airport is Gunnison-Crested Butte airport (GUC). The access to the upper half of the river is from SR149, which runs parallel to the river all the way up through Lake City to the San Cristobal Dam. THere is some access to the lower half off CR25 which runs down to the Blue Mesa dam.

Overall, Lake Fork Of The Gunnison River is the 17th most popular fly fishing river of all 37 fly fishing spots in Colorado. Several of the better fly fishing rivers are nearby Lake Fork Of The Gunnison River including Taylor River and Gunnison River.