Sport fishing is a popular activity at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, with clear lakes, rivers, and creeks inviting you to test your angling abilities. You might reel in suckers, sculpin, or one or more varieties of trout (brook, rainbow, brown, cutthroat).
Fishing the Colorado River in Rocky Mountain National Park / NPS file
All that is needed – besides the gear – is a valid Colorado fishing license and an understanding of park regulations concerning the sport. You may purchase a fishing license at various shops within Colorado, or order one online or by phone 800-244-5613. You are also obliged to purchase a $12.47 Habitat Stamp along with your license. Purchasers of a one-day or additional-day license are exempt from a Habitat Stamp fee with the first two of these licenses. A habitat fee is assessed when a third license of this type is purchased.
A Habitat Stamp is a conservation program in Colorado that provides funding for the Colorado Wildlife Habitat Protection Program (CWHP). It's required for anyone buying a hunting or fishing license in the state. The stamp's revenue supports projects focused on protecting wildlife habitat and enhancing public access to those areas.
You are only allowed to fish with a single hand-held rod or line. A Second-Rod Stamp (meaning you can fish with two rods in the water simultaneously) is not honored in park waters.
Some waters in Rocky Mountain National Park are closed entirely to fishing, while others are open only to catch-and-release or catch-and-keep.
Closed Waters - No Fishing Allowed
Bear Lake, including the inlet and outlet streams (extending 200 yards upstream and downstream from Bear Lake) | Hunters Creek above Wild Basin Ranger Station as posted |
Kettle Tarn | Lake Nanita Outlet, downstream 100 yards |
Shadow Mountain Reservoir below the spillway and to the southern park boundary, including Columbine Bay, is closed from October 1 through December 31. | South Fork of the Cache la Poudre River above Pingree Park |
Upper Columbine Creek above 9,000 feet, indicated by barrier structure on the creek. |
Catch-and-Keep Waters
All creeks/rivers not listed as Catch-and-Release or Closed are catch-and-keep waters.
Black Lake | Box Lake | Fourth lake | Glass Lake | Haynach Lake |
Jewel Lake | Lake Haiyaha | Lake Nanita (outlet closed) | Lake Solitude | Lake Verna |
Loch Vale | Lone Pine Lake | Mills Lake | Mirror Lake | Peacock Pool |
Pettingell Lake | Poudre Lake | Sky Pond | Spirit Lake | Sprague Lake |
Ten Lake Park Lakes | Thunder Lake |
Catch-and-Release Waters
These waters support populations of Colorado River cutthroat trout and are open to catch-and-release fishing only. Barbless hooks must be used to protect and maintain the fish populations found in waters designated as catch-and-release.
Adams Lake | Hidden Valley Creek and Beaver Ponds | Ouzel Lake |
Arrowhead Lake | Hunters Creek | Paradise Creek Drainage |
Bench Lake and Ptarmigan Creek above War Dance Falls | Hutcheson Lakes | Pear Lake and Creek |
Big Crystal Lake | Lake Husted | Roaring River |
Boundary Lake | Lake Louise | Sandbeach Lake and Creek |
Caddis Lake | Lawn Lake | Spruce Lake (the east and southeast portions of the lake and adjacent wetlands are closed year-round as a Boreal Toad protection area) |
Cony Creek above Calypso Cascades | Loomis Lake | Timber Lake and Creek |
Dream Lake | Lost Lake | Upper Hague Creek |
Fern Lake and Creek | North Fork of the Big Thompson River above Lost Falls | Upper Onahu Creek |
Fifth Lake | Odessa Lake | West Creek |
Forest Canyon above The Pool, Gorge Lakes (Rock Lake and Little Rock Lake) and Gorge Stream (from Arrowhead Lake to the confluence with the Big Thompson River) | Ouzel Creek above Ouzel Falls | Ypsilon Creek |
The park also has a possession and size limit for certain fish. To size your catch, measure fish from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail.
No person may have in their possession more than 18 trout, the combination of which must consist of either:
- 18 brook trout (8 can be any size, but the remaining 10 must be 8 inches or less).
- 16 brook trout (6 can be any size, but the remaining 10 must be 8 inches or less), plus 2 additional trout species 10 inches or more, which may include rainbow, brown, or cutthroat.
Fishing in catch-and-keep waters requires different capture methods than fishing in catch-and-release waters.
- The use of lead sinkers or other lead fishing materials is strongly discouraged.
- Children 12 years and younger may use worms or preserved fish eggs in all park waters open to fishing and not designated as catch-and-release.
- No bait or worms are allowed in catch-and-release waters.
- Only artificial flies or lures with one hook (single, double, or treble) with a common shank may be used in park waters. Fly fishers may use a two-hook system with one hook as an attractant. "Artificial flies or lures" means devices designed to attract fish and made entirely of, or a combination of, materials like wood, plastic, glass, hair, metal, feathers, or fiber.
For more detailed information including further regulations, ice fishing, watercraft, and instructions on disinfecting fishing gear, click on the fishing link at the top of the page.
