The best habitats for trout species are Gold Medal Waters. These waters usually have special trout regulations, with the exception of national regulations. State parks and national parks are also available for fishing, but some may have specific regulations. Visit their websites to learn more about their fishing rules. The statewide daily trout limit for Colorado waters for a combination of all available trout species and their hybrids is four fish per day and another ten brown trout if they are less than eight inches long. Specific rules applicable to fishing waters may include different restrictions on trout or completely prohibit fishing for certain trout species. With more than 6,000 miles of spectacular rivers and streams and more than 2,000 reservoirs and lakes, Colorado is home to more than 35 species of fish, including trophy-sized rainbow trout, brown trout, largemouth perch, yellow perch, and perched pike. These are picturesque waters and the rich biodiversity is one of the reasons why Colorado is definitely a place to go if you want to fish with your family and friends. Check out the Colorado Parks and Wildlife 2022 Fishing Guide for a complete list of specially regulated trout waters. The state`s record for rainbow trout — Colorado`s main species — remains the 19-pound, 34-inch trout from 2003. It came from the Morrow Point Reservoir in Gunnison`s Black Canyon. From the Dillon Dam at Silverthorne, 34 miles north, to the confluence of the Colorado River at Kremmling, you`ll find the trout-rich waters of this river.
A trophy fish is a fish over 12-13.” My guide Andy caught a brookie in a medium-sized stream of about 16″ last spring and I caught a 3 pound about years ago. Because sustainability is a goal of preserving Colorado`s fishing waters, the state has also set a daily limit on regulated species such as trout, char, grayling, pikeperch and other species. Here are some critical daily limits to keep in mind when fishing across the state: They are native to waters west of the Rocky Mountains, but have been introduced to waters on every continent due to their popularity in sport fishing. Rainbow trout weigh about 4 to 11 pounds on average, but can grow into real monsters. They are predators. The national daily trout ownership limit is four fish, all of which are one species or combination of species equal to four. However, many different sites in the state have specific regulations regarding how many trout you are allowed to keep. Examples include Upper and Lower Agnes Lakes in Jackson County, where you`re only allowed to keep two trout a day. If you fish at Arapaho Creek in Grand County, you can only own two trout a day. The Aurora Reservoir in Arapahoe County has a limit of two trout. Other waters have regulations that say you can`t keep trout caught from them.
This includes the portion of the Blue River from the Green Mountain Reservoir Dam to the river`s confluence with the Colorado River. The lower Colorado River is best fished with a drifting boat. Colorado is home to a large population of brown and rainbow trout. Check with local outfitters to see what`s hatching, but nymph and streamer fishing is usually the most productive way to latch on to these big fish. On September 5, Canadian angler Sean Konrad erased the IGFA rainbow world record with a 48-pound rainbow from Lake Diefenbaker in Saskatchewan, surpassing a 2-year-old record set by his twin brother. Colorado regulations state that you can fish trout day or night year-round, using any method considered legal, unless certain waters have other regulations. Trout that inhabit Colorado`s lakes, ponds, and streams include cutthroat trout, lake trout, brown trout, brown trout, and rainbow trout. Regulations enforced by the Colorado Division of Wildlife cover many aspects of trout fishing in the state.
The daily pocket limit in Colorado for all trout species, including brown, cutthroat, sea, splake, rainbow, tiger, walleye, cut and stream species combined, is four fish. Ten other brown trout, each measuring less than eight inches, can be harvested per day. Whether you prefer rainbow fishing in cold-water streams, fighting pike in your local reservoir, or lake trout fishing through a hole in the ice, Colorado offers excellent fishing opportunities for all types of anglers. However, before you start fishing in Centennial State, you need to familiarize yourself with the state`s fishing laws. In this article, we`ll walk you through everything you need to know about Colorado`s fishing regulations, door limits, and licensing requirements. And anything that weighs eighteen inches or more is “big.” Trout grown over twenty inches that we call a whiskey, and wild twice-four inch trout are names – according to Troutbitten`s tradition, you have the right to name this fish. The Fryingpan River produces a few entries each year, many of which are around 22 inches. The Blue River is also home to large brown trout fed at Mysis, some of which squeeze 20 inches. However, don`t expect to find them in large numbers. Like most other states, Colorado imposes a number of fishing restrictions on anglers.
This indicates the number of fish that can be legally caught and kept. Some of the most notable limitations are: 2. The bag possession and possession limit and minimum size for trout is 2 fish, 16 inches long. One. Fishing is done only with artificial flies and bait. Colorado trout regulations designate many areas as cutthroat conservation and recreational fishing waters. You can fish for trout in these streams and lakes, but your bait must be either artificial bait or artificial flies. Also, you can`t keep the cutthroat trout you can catch. Instead, their immediate and safe discharge into these waters is mandatory. The idea behind this release is to create a displacement fishery in which larger fish are found.
The cutthroat (Oncorhynchus clarki) deserves to be a state fish because it is the only trout native to Colorado (native). In this article, we will cover the 2022 fishing regulations for Colorado waters, trout limit, and provide you with a link to Colorado fishing reports. Adult rainbow trout and rainbow trout vary in size. They can grow up to 45 inches long, but are usually much smaller. They can weigh more than 50 pounds (22 kilograms), but a more typical weight is 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms). In Colorado, there is no minimum length for trout in most of the state`s waters. However, some waters require a minimum length for different types of trout. A typical example is in the section of the Blue River that runs through the Blue River Wildlife Sanctuary, trout must be at least 16 inches long to be a keeper. Sometimes individual species of trout are subject to special regulations on the minimum length. In Grand Lake, Grand County, if you keep the maximum number of lake trout – four – can only exceed a length of 36 inches.