The Alpine Lakes of Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park

Mitchell Lake

Colorado’s alpine lakes offer an excellent fishery for the traveling fly fisherman looking for new water to explore. Unlike my usual fly fishing in North Georgia, the high altitude lakes and ponds found along the continental divide just northwest of Denver do not receive much pressure and are filled with hungry trout. These trout have exquisite coloration and are some of the most photogenic fish on the planet. Rocky Mountain National Park is less than a two hour drive from Denver and has dozens of these small lakes and ponds to discover. Many of these waters are stocked annually with Brook and Cutthroat Trout. Stocking information can be found on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website if there is a particular trout you would like to find.

Betty and Bob lakes sit to the Southwest of the park. The drive to Rolling Pass is filled with anticipation as you follow the bumpy, and I cannot emphasize just how bumpy enough, gravel road up the mountain. At over 10,000ft in elevation the one to

Betty Lake Cutthroat Trout

two mile hike to the lakes can be quite a workout for individuals like myself who have not adjusted to the high altitude. The hike and the scenery are absolutely breath taking as you make your way down the King Lake Trail. Both Betty and Bob are stocked with Cutthroat Trout. The trout tend to roam in schools around the lakes during the summers, awaiting any hatch or feeding opportunity. Small is key to matching the hatch as majority of the insects in these ponds are quite small. The occasional hatch of larger mayflies can lead to an excellent dry fly bite, but going to a mayfly nymph imitation in the size 18-22 is a sure bet. The wind can pick up rather quickly on these lakes making dry fly patterns relatively useless. Look for rising and active fish around flats that break into deeper water to get bit. Probing flats with small streamer and wooly bugger patterns can also be productive and give you a shot at some of the larger fish in the lakes.

Moving over to the east side of the park, just west of Boulder, the Brainard Lake Recreational Area offers has a great fishery for Brook Trout. This area is more easily

Mitchell Lake Brook Trout

accessible than Betty and Bob, with newly paved roads leading to the park and well maintained trails to the lakes. The park is crowded on weekends throughout the summer, but the lakes get very little fishing pressure. The brookies of Mitchell lake are very aggressive and roam the perimeter of the pond looking for an easy meal. It is surprising how shallow and close to the bank these fish will get. Because of this they are easily spooked by approaching anglers. The best tactic for these fish is to wade 2-3 feet off the bank and make parallel cast downwind around any cover in the water. The creeks and streams entering the lake are guaranteed to stack fish. 

Weightless buggers and small streamers are perfect for targeting these cruising brook trout. Cutthroat can also be found in Mitchell but behave quite differently. Similar to Betty and Bob, cutties will school up around the drop offs just off the flats. Caddis dries and small nymphs are useful on these fish when the wind cooperates.  For a change in scenery, the creeks flowing from Blue and Mitchell Lake are loaded with small brook trout. During the summer months, a size 14-16 elk hair caddis will elicit violent surface takes from these trout in nearly every part of the stream.

For anyone trying to spend some quality time outdoors on a smaller budget this summer, the alpine lakes near Rocky Mountain National Park are a great place to start. Be sure to stay hydrated and watch for the quickly building storms that build in the summer time. The biggest tip is to bring a good camera as the landscape and colorful trout are sure to provide memories you will never want to forget. Learn more about Americas best fly fishing here.

Rolling Pass, Kings Trail