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St Vrain Creek Fishing Information
Middle Fork - near Lyons, CO
The St. Vrain is a smaller creek that runs into the front range town of Lyons. Most of the fishable water for trout starts in Lyons and then heads upstream. The water is mixed private and public so access takes some exploring, but there is ample places to fish if you take a look at the map. You can catch brook trout in the upper reaches as well as cutthroat. As the water moves downstream you’ll begin to see browns and rainbows take dominance. This is a river where you never know what you’ll get as you fish. In addition, there are some designated wild trout waters on the North Fork that provide anglers with an opportunity to catch exclusively wild trout. Extra care on landing and releasing these fish is important. Barbless lures and catch and release quickly and safely. Refer to our catch and release resources below.
The St. Vrain is an excellent river that is close and will allow you to catch some small fish that are in some of the more beautiful locations in the front range.
North Fork Section
The North fork is partially in Rocky Mountain National Park and accessible in the Wild Basin area. This area is fun but requires a pass for RMNP. Down below you can access the wild trout waters below hwy 7 with a hike. You can also fish the lesser known tailwater called button rock on the north fork that can be fished year round if the flows are managed. Flows can get low on this area and the fish count is lower than desired but still a fun place to hike and fish when you get the time. The North fork is also accessible from off hwy 36 as you get out of lyons in a few places, though it is limited.
Middle Fork Section
The Middle fork and south fork come together along hwy 7 and from the confluence downstream into the town of lyons there is decent fishing and access. You can also access this from the peak to peak hwy for a while as well. There are a few pull offs and the fishing is tight quartered with more willows and branches to find than beginners will appreciate. A good place for solitude nearby with little pressure. The town section in Lyons is loaded with fish and fun, but you have to compete with the noise of a town which some don’t like. I do best here in the late evening after I’ve had a few beers at the local oskar blues restaraunt and pub!
South Fork Section
The South Fork is accessible off the peak to peak hwy and the brainard lake road. The fish are small but fun in this section and there are some good trailheads to access some of the water and some high mountain lakes all in the same day making it a fun adventure.
Fish: Few Small-Sized Fish
Popularity: Medium
Difficulty: Easy
Accessibility: Easy
Best Techniques: Dries & Nymphs
Best Seasons: Spring - Fall
River Type: Small Freestone
Fish Types: Rainbow Trout, Cutbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
Dog Friendly: Yes but Leashed
Located in the South Platte River Basin near Lyons, 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
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 St Vrain Creek 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.
St Vrain Creek 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.
