Near Denver
The best rivers to fly fish near Denver
Denver is one of the best places in the country to be a fly angler. Some of Colorado’s finest trout water sits a short drive from downtown, from technical canyon tailwaters to open-meadow rivers full of big fish. Here are the ones worth the drive, each with a live read of what’s happening right now, so you know before you go.
The water near Denver
Numbered on the map, ordered by drive time from Denver.
Technical dry-fly tailwater below Cheesman Dam. Wild, selective trout on year-round midges.
High-altitude tailwater running right through town, off I-70. Small flies on light tippet.
Front Range home freestone with road access up the canyon. Wild trout in pocket water.
Open-meadow tailwater between Spinney and Elevenmile. Big rainbows and browns run up out of the reservoirs in spring and fall.
The South Platte dropping through a granite canyon in South Park. Wild trout in classic pocket water and pools.
A freestone running the length of the Vail Valley. Caddis carry the summer and tricos finish the year.