Whether the South Platte River ever can be sculpted into a sustainable trout stream where it flows through Denver’s south suburbs remains to be seen.
That potential has been offered among the recreational carrots dangled as part of an expansion of Chatfield Reservoir, complete with stream improvement and more reliable flows – similar to what has been achieved in Pueblo below Pueblo Reservoir.
Should such a blessed event actually occur, the Platte would assume a prominent position among a surprisingly long list of urban trout streams in Colorado – including several that provide a measurable boost to the local economy.
The invitation to twirl a line across the Roaring Fork in Aspen while listening to the strains of violins at the Aspen Music Festival long has been a lure to visitors at the state’s premier resort town.
This civilizing aspect of the Roaring Fork drifts downstream to Glenwood Springs, where a bike path parallels the river for a couple miles, affording easy angling access by wheel or foot. Take a brief stroll away from the river and you’ll find yourself in the middle of the famous Glenwood Hot Springs pool, sans waders, of course.
Purely by the gauge of participation, the most popular such fishery is the Blue River tailwater in Silverthorne, although much of this tally comes in the winter, when the river remains ice-free in the shadow of Dillon Dam. When you count frost-bitten noses, Silverthorne comes out well ahead.
Any list of prime municipal trout spots with public foot access must include the Animas in Durango and the Yampa through Steamboat Springs.
Through the common thread of the Arkansas River, Buena Vista, Salida and Cañon City offer considerable access to good fish, although these public parcels often come in bits and snatches. Hot Sulphur Springs earns a bow for the long expanse of its Pioneer Park.
A lesser accounting might include Boulder, Breckenridge, Idaho Springs and Vail, each of which gets an asterisk because the size and numbers of fish don’t quite measure up.
One notable location often slips through the radar, in part because it is a relative latecomer to this fishing-as-tourist-attraction thing. The rest is that folks from the Front Range often breeze through Pagosa Springs on their way to other destinations.
More’s the pity. With the exception of Silverthorne – which recently completed its own expansive stream improvement project and lobbied for restrictive regulations to protect its trout – no place has done more to boost its fishery than this town on the upper San Juan River.
Pagosa spent $250,000 on an improvement project that shaped relatively blank, uninteresting water into contours that sustain trout at every level of flow over the approximate 2 miles where the river flows directly through town.
Then it went a giant step further by each year purchasing 2,000 pounds of trout, many of them quite large, to hype the experience.
“If you provide fish, anglers will come and make it a revenue source,” said Mike McCormick who operates the Wolf Creek Anglers fly fishing shop, 970-264-1415, on Main Street and joins other merchants in contributing $200 to the stocking program.
Fishermen who avail themselves of the Pagosa offering can refresh their routine with a stop at the malt shop, a dip in the hot springs or lunch at a variety of restaurants, some directly overlooking the river.
McCormick confesses to spending his lunch hour on the town river, a glowing testament considering he has the opportunity to sample the region’s finest places. Another pleasant aspect is that the steaming inflow from the springs, more than 100 degrees, keeps the river open for miles during winter.
Public access is difficult elsewhere on the upper San Juan, except for the East Fork, where a Forest Service campground serves as launch site to miles of upstream adventures. Tumbling down from the Continental Divide, the East Fork is a lovely place, with brown trout at the bottom and cutthroat trout farther upstream.
But you’ll want a quick trip to the malt shop – you’ll have to do your fishing back in town.
