There’s a reason why the mysis shrimp tailwaters (Frying Pan River, Taylor River, Blue River) in Colorado are sometimes best fished when it’s freezing cold outside: the fishing is unreal no matter the weather. The water spilling out of the dams is generally a healthy temperature, the fish are healthy year-round from gorging on shrimp, and those shrimp make them hungry beasts every day of the year. The extreme frigid side of this is captured in “Lonely & Cold.”
From the filmmaker:
“3 days, 2 notorious tailwaters, 1 solo mission. For reasons mostly unknown, there’s something extremely captivating to me about fishing in the winter. Empty rivers, silent valley’s and thermoses full of hot coffee are a few that do come to mind however. Luckily, in addition to dealing with wind chills as low as -10°, frostbitten finger tips, and having to break ice off your guides every other cast, there are definitely trouts to be had in the cold short days. Apparently if you mix the right amount of stupidity with the correct amount of stubbornness and even less luck, you can actually bring a few fish to the net.”
To check out more from Tatrofish Films, please click here.
–
More on this fly fishing destination:
Denver is almost the starting point for the world-class fly fishing that Colorado is known for. Running through downtown Denver is the South Platte River – a prized tailwater that serves trout and carp anglers in and near Denver and also provides extraordinary fishing in more mountainous locations southwest of Denver. Access spots such as Deckers and the gorgeous Cheesman Canyon tend to draw many anglers, while there is also highly regarded private water along the South Platte.
Further south, the Arkansas River offers a great deal of public access in diverse settings as well as opportunities for both walk and wade and float trips. And just west of the Arkansas flows the Gunnison River – famed for its gorgeous Gunnison Gorge and for spectacular float trips and salmonfly hatches.
Among many, two other rivers that attract raft and drift boat action are the Colorado and Roaring Fork Rivers. Meeting the Colorado in Glenwood Springs, the Roaring Fork offers easy access in its smaller sections closer to Aspen and opportunities for wading and floating as the river widens through the Roaring Fork Valley. Float trips on the Colorado River take anglers through seemingly endless miles of trophy trout water and through much of the state that is otherwise hard to access by foot.
The Taylor, Frying Pan, and Blue Rivers are tailwaters that offer anglers a unique opportunity to catch exceptionally strong (and often magnificently colorful) trout that reach often unbelievable sizes. Due to the constant supply of food and nutrients by way of mysis shrimp that flow through the spillways of the dams on the rivers, these trout are often both big and beautiful.
Rocky Mountain National Park includes everything from the Big Thompson River to several creeks and lakes in a setting that often promise both great scenery and run-ins with big game animals. And throughout the rest of most of the state, anglers can choose from some of the best rivers on earth, including the Yampa, San Juan, San Miguel, Cimarron, Animas, Rio Grande, Eagle and more. And for something different, lakes, reservoirs, and a range of backcountry waters provide additional opportunities.