Basalt is situated in close proximity to several of Colorado’s premier trout fishing streams. Though it’s hard to find a bad place to fish in the mountainous state, there are a few stretches of water that have been designated Gold Medal fisheries.
The Gold Medal designation is reserved only for those rivers that meet qualifications of sixty pounds of trout per acre and at least 12 fourteen inch or larger trout per acre. Out of hundreds of great fishing streams, the Gold Medal rivers are the best of the best. Wondering why Basalt is famous for it’s fly fishing?—no less than three of these Gold Medal waters are within close range, and two run right through town!
Basalt’s Nearest Gold Medal Rivers
Colorado River
A short drive from Basalt to Glenwood Springs will get you to great trout waters on the Colorado. At this point, the pocket waters, rifles and pools are flush with rainbows and sizeable browns, ranging from 13 to 20 inches. Guides and experienced anglers will tell you that the bows and browns here are among the toughest to catch in the state. So you better come prepared!
Roaring Fork River
The Roaring Fork is a tributary of the Colorado, and has as one of its tributaries the Frying Pan (also Gold Medal). It’s no wonder then that this mountain stream is ranked as one of Colorado’s finest trout waters. By the time it winds into Basalt, the Roaring Fork is joined by the Frying Pan and the volume of water increases significantly. The 28 mile distance between Basalt and the confluence with the Colorado at Glenwood Springs is the famed Gold Medal run. The Crystal River converges with the Fork near Carbondale and maintains the Gold medal moniker that started at Basalt.
Frying Pan River
Together with the designated 28 miles of Roaring Fork water, this is the longest, continuous Gold Medal run in Colorado. The introduction of a man-made dam in 1968 brought an unintended side effect when Mysis shrimp were introduced into the Reservoir to support a Kokanee salmon fishery that was never completed. The result – big boys, pigs, hogs, giants, or whatever you call them - the shrimp diet produces monster fish.
Sound like a great opportunity for avid anglers? With so many top quality rivers nearby, Basalt is always a great place to visit to get in on the trout action.