Altitude: 7,500 ft
Current Discharge: 40 ft3/sec*
Current Gage Height: 1 ft*
Filed Under: Fishing
* This USGS water data was last recorded at Oct 06, 2008 07:30:00 AM from Roaring Fork River Near Aspen, Co..
Above Aspen towards Independence Pass (North Star Access), the river is basically a small stream. As it runs through the town of Aspen towards Basalt (Rio Grande Trail, Old Snowmass Bridge, Woody Creek Access), the river picks up a few tributaries and becomes a medium-sized body of water that can be boated in early season.
The Roaring Fork offers some of the finest fly and lure fishing for trout in the United States. With large rainbow trout, brown trout, mountain whitefish, and a large variety of aquatic insect life the fishing is almost always great somewhere on the Roaring Fork.
The river bottom is notoriously slick, and a wading staff is highly recommended. Additionally the currents are stronger than they appear.
Hatches/Flies
- BWO - mid-March to late-May, September to mid-November
- Caddis - April, June to mid-September - #16,#18 Elk Hair
- Green Drake - mid-June to mid-September
- PMD - mid-June to mid-September
- Midge - January thru March
- Terrestrial - July thru October
Fishing Reports
- Taylor Creek Guides - Fishing Report
- RoaringFork.net - Fishing Report
- Fly Fishing Outfitters - Fishing Report
- Gorsuch Outfitters - Fishing Report
Access
Some of the best public access of this area are: the North Star access above Aspen where there is approximately 2 miles of fishing access, the Rio Grande Trail access with over 5 miles of access parallelling the bike path from Aspen to Woody Creek, Old Snowmass Bridge Access between Woody Creek and Basalt, and approximately 2 miles of access through the town of Basalt. As public access can change frequently, it is a good idea to check with a local guide shop for the latest information and maps of access points.
Directions
Take Interstate 70 to Glenwood Springs, then Highway 82 to Basalt. The Roaring Fork parallels Highway 82 most of the way from Carbondale to Aspen.
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