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Roaring Fork River Fishing Information
Headwaters Section - near Aspen, CO
One of the most consistently productive waters in Colorado, the Roaring fork holds a large amount of brown, rainbow, cutthroat, brook trout and whitefish depending on where you fish. The lower sections contain mainly browns and rainbows while the upper reaches by Aspen and it’s tributaries hold cutties and brook. Whitefish are also plentiful in this river though are hit and miss. Usually when you find one you’ll find 100. You can float and wade a lot of this river and many public access points are made available to anglers. When the water is low you can wade most of the river. You can float the river through late spring into early fall before the flows make it difficult to get over the rocks.
For Colorado it’s a pretty large river and breaking it up into smaller sections as you fish it will help you find the trout. There are so many fish in this river and it’s a great place for beginners. Don’t worry when the water gets off color, the fish don’t seem to mind and can see right through the murky water for even the smallest flies. I catch a lot of fish up here in the spring and it’s a great place to spend a weekend. Glenwood springs, Carbondale and Aspen are all along the river and there are many shops, restaurants and more to keep you busy. If you prefer to get away into the wilderness some, try the service roads or up the frying pan road to get to some camping and out of the cities. Much of this river runs through towns and homes in the valley, though once you are on the water, all the civilization drops away as you chase the hard-fighting and often eager trout of the Roaring fork river.
Upper Section
The upper section holds smaller fish, but a lot of them. Many tributaries are up here around Aspen and the river is more braided creating a more small stream fishing environment. This is a fun place to explore and there is plenty of access. Lot of whitefish in this area too.
Middle Section
This is the most scenic part of the river and upstream and downstream of carbondale is the middle section. The frying pan and crystal river come into the roaring fork here making the river larger and more floatable. You can typically float from this section all the way to the Colorado river confluence and below.
Lower Section
The lower section has more private water, but you can float over it and as you get near Glenwood and the confluence there are a few parks that give public access and eager fish. Though this receives more pressure the fishing can still be good. This section gets hot in the late summer and care should be taken to revive fish well and play them quickly so you don’t kill them by exhausting them.
Fish: Many Medium-Sized Fish
Popularity: High
Difficulty: Medium
Accessibility: Easy
Best Techniques: Dries & Nymphs
Best Seasons: Spring - Fall
River Type: Medium Freestone
Fish Types: Rainbow Trout, Cutbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Whitefish
Dog Friendly: Yes but Leashed
Located in the Colorado River Basin near Aspen, CO
Fishable Seasons & Current Weather
The best seasons to fish this river are Spring - Fall. See the current weather reports for the next 5-6 days listed below for the nearest city.
Knowing what flies to use is only have the battle. You have to know when the insects are active on the water and when it's likely the trout are feeding on them. Refer to our hatch charts below to understand when the insect categories and some of the possible hatches on the river.
Midge Hatches
Midges hatch year round, but their importance is from September through winter into April. During the warmer months, the trout often focus on larger insects as they are more active on the water like mayflies, caddis and stoneflies.
Aside from Blue wing olives, mayflies are active most commonly from May to August in Colorado. There are many different mayfly hatches found on most rivers and the most common are listed below.
Blue Wing Olive: September throut winter to April
Colors: Green/Olive
Sizes: #16-24
Pale Morning Dun: June to Mid September
Colors: White, Yellow
Sizes: #14 - #20
Green Drakes: June to August
Colors: Olive/Green
Sizes: #8 - #14
Caddis Hatches
Caddis hatch starting early in May and continue to the end of October.
Colors: Olive, Green, Yellow, Tan, Orange, Brown and Black.
Sizes: #10 - #20
Stonefly Hatches
We have some great stonefly hatches in Colorado and while not all rivers carry all species of salmonflies, you can often fish stonefly adult patterns with confidence from May to September. Start off in bigger sizes and get smaller till September hits (size 8 - 16)
Golden Stone: June to August
Colors: Yellow, Tan
Sizes: #8 - #14
Yellow Sally Stonefly: Mid June to August
Colors: Yellow, Tan
Sizes: #12 - #18
Terrestrial Activity
Terrestrials don't hatch since they are out of the water, but they can have importance starting in Mid April and ending in September.
These are the the top flies we sell for this river. Use the hatch chart above to know what flies you will want to have in your fly box during your adventure on the river and then select the flies here 30 days before your trip to get them at a great price. All of our flies are hand tied to each order to ensure quality and to keep our prices low for you.
Click on a fly below to select a size and color for purchase.
Our fly assortments make fly selection easy. We take our entomology knowledge and years of fly fishing experience on these rivers to bring you the right fly patterns, including the correct colors, sizes and quantities to set you up for success. A good selection of flies will prepare you properly for anything the trout may be eating on the river and our fly assortments are specifically curated to maximize your success. Take a look at the assortments we provide below and add one to your box today. Use coupon code AST50 for $50 off and free shipping on these as well, just to help make fly fishing a little more affordable!
Click on any of the pictures to see what flies, colors and sizes we recommend in each assortment.
View our access map for the Roaring Fork River and learn public and private access points as well as other notable features around fly fishing this river. We include headwater and confluence data and in an effort to not "hotspot" river access points that are better than others, we list every access point available. This serves two purposes. First, it keeps us from hotspotting, which is just showing the best spots and bringing unwanted and harmful attention to the specific access point. The second reason is while we want to help you catch fish and find great places to explore, we don't want to spell it all out for you. If you get it all spelled out, we're doing the exploring, not you. Missing out on the journey of exploring places to fly fish is one of the more enjoyable aspects of fly fishing. While not everyone has time to go explore everything in person, we provide some of the top level data to help you know if something is worth your time, then pass it off to you to explore and find your own adventure. Now enjoy the info, if you're on this page then this river is worth exploring! Go out and find some memories.
Roaring Fork River Tips & Resources
Use these epic resources to get ready for your adventure. Whether you're planning your trip, learning your insects, improving your fishing with expert tips or getting detailed resources from the USGS streamflows or DoW, we got you covered to help you find the river and find the success you want.
