It’s looking like I’ll be taking a trip out to stay with my girlfriend’s sister and brother in law in Boulder next summer. We will be staying a week. They’re pretty into hiking and camping but not fishing,

I’d like to get into some fishing while I’m there but I have no idea where to start. I’m guessing it’s mainly trout fishing that’s popular around there?

Anybody ever been? Where would you start? Book a trip with a guide? Would you ship some gear out there?

Help me get started here…

I’ll try to talk to one of my buddys that lives outside of Denver. He isn’t a huge angler but has tried to get me out there to do some trout fishing. Has shown me photos of some huge fish. That said, he is very well off, so I wouldn’t doubt he is fishing some private club like Renosky’s. He owns some property near Estes Park, where I think is where he fishes at.

I pack gear in my luggage when fishing anywhere I have to fly to. It is heavier gear. I have a medium action travel rod that works well. It was pretty cheap but has caught some decent fish, Fiblink. Also a few surf rods, but not what you want in CO. I make sure when packing that I put my tackle boxes under clothes, then my rods. I wrap rods in a towel and bubble wrap. I have a section of an old pool noodle that I cut length wise that fits in the corners of my luggage to help pad the ends of the rods. My company always ships me stuff, so I have a ton of shipping padding stuff. When I have my bag packed, I fill the remaining with shipping padding pouches. I’ve flown gear 7-8 times now and haven’t had a problem. Those airline luggage guys will toss your luggage around too, so you have to do your best to try to protect.

This is the most valuable tool I found when I was planning a trip out there with my son 5 years ago.  It shows you pretty much every public water way in the state, what species of fish is in it, and the regulations on different waters: https://ndismaps.nrel.colostate.edu/index.html?app=FishingAtlas
 
Our trip was for trout.  He fly fished.  I used spinners all week, and a few unscented soft plastics to drift.  From your posts here, sounds like you mainly spin fish.  Any rod you use here for smallmouth or trout will suffice out there.  Many of the best creeks and rivers prohibit the use of live bait or plastics with scent in or on them. 
 
Near Boulder, we fished Boulder Creek our first day there since it was close to where we stayed for the week.  We didn't fish right in town, but you can.  Boulder Canyon Road is about 15 miles long from Boulder up to Nederland, and there are several pull offs to stop and fish, which is what we did.  We found lots of small wild browns in the 8-12” range and a few cut throats. 
 
The Big Thompson River in Estes Park where it flows out of Estes Lake is easy fishing and we caught a lot of browns and rainbows there, about an hour from Boulder.  Lots of pull offs as you drive it downstream along Highway 34 towards the town of Drake and lots of wild browns.  
 
We did not fish any of the St. Vrain forks near Boulder, but you can read up on fishing those.  
 
We also fished the Dream Stream section of the South Platte for two days, and spent time on the Colorado, Blue, and Middle Fork South Platte Rivers.  Each of those is a good drive from Boulder, but the South Platte and Colorado (near Hot Sulphur Springs) are definitely worth the drive if you have a whole day to fish.  The Blue is very technical water and micro midges, nymphs, and mysis shrimp flies are the way to go from my reading on it.  We got skunked on it.  We got our biggest fish on the South Platte, but did not get big numbers.  The Colorado was good for numbers and quality of fish. 

This is great info. Thanks.

Yea most of my gear is either light panfish style spinning rigs or 7’ medium fast bass spinning rigs. I’ve never fly fished. I have some trout spinners and spoons but I don’t do a ton of trout fishing. I’ll have to spend some time using that stuff next spring if that’s what I’m likely to get into out there.

Might be time to look at those travel rods too. I’m gonna be down in Denton TX for a few days at the end of October and I was gonna try to get some fishing in if possible.

I do a fair amount fishing when we ride bike trails. A travel rod would come in handy for that too. Those Fiblink rods don’t look too bad.

There seems to be a good bit more options available now on travel rods.  I have actually bought three of the Fiblink medium action 7' rods (I have two of their 9' surf rods too, biggest that fit in my medium suitcase).  One maybe 4 years ago that worked great on a trip to FL.  Then took it to FL again and left it at one of my brother's properties.  I bought a replacement for it that has seen a few trips.  Then bought my Dad one when we went on vacation this year.  It had enough backbone to handle a 22" redfish.  Not sure if it would do much for a 5' tarpon or anything, but doubt many CO trout are going to outpull a 22" red.  The biggest thing that I do not like is the reel seat nut.  It is right were I hold the rod, so would be nice to have a grip there...  If I were using the thing for more than a week at a time, it would probably bother me much more than it does for travel trips.  With the other options out there, you may want to keep that in consideration.  For $40, it is a pretty tough and sensitive rod.  Does what I need it to do.

MyWar
This is great info. Thanks.

Yea most of my gear is either light panfish style spinning rigs or 7’ medium fast bass spinning rigs. I’ve never fly fished. I have some trout spinners and spoons but I don’t do a ton of trout fishing. I’ll have to spend some time using that stuff next spring if that’s what I’m likely to get into out there.

Rooster Tails in brown and white and a black Panther Martin with gold blade were good producers on Boulder, Big Thompson and Colorado. Trout densities in many of those waters are ridiculous and they’re not all that difficult to catch.

Use at least a fluoro leader if your main line isn’t fluoro.

snagr
Near Boulder, we fished Boulder Creek our first day there since it was close to where we stayed for the week.  We didn't fish right in town, but you can.  Boulder Canyon Road is about 15 miles long from Boulder up to Nederland, and there are several pull offs to stop and fish, which is what we did.  We found lots of small wild browns in the 8-12” range and a few cut throats. 
 
The Big Thompson River in Estes Park where it flows out of Estes Lake is easy fishing and we caught a lot of browns and rainbows there, about an hour from Boulder.  Lots of pull offs as you drive it downstream along Highway 34 towards the town of Drake and lots of wild browns.  
 
We did not fish any of the St. Vrain forks near Boulder, but you can read up on fishing those.  
 
We also fished the Dream Stream section of the South Platte for two days, and spent time on the Colorado, Blue, and Middle Fork South Platte Rivers.  Each of those is a good drive from Boulder, but the South Platte and Colorado (near Hot Sulphur Springs) are definitely worth the drive if you have a whole day to fish.  The Blue is very technical water and micro midges, nymphs, and mysis shrimp flies are the way to go from my reading on it.  We got skunked on it.  We got our biggest fish on the South Platte, but did not get big numbers.  The Colorado was good for numbers and quality of fish. 

So is it mainly rivers and streams or are the lakes out there worth fishing? Did you bring wading gear or can you do any wet wading?We will be planning a trip during the warmer months, but if it’s trout water I would imagine its colder than the SWPA rivers in the summer.

I’m also guessing that the water out there gets pretty heavy pressure? I’m getting the impression that outdoor activities are extremely popular, but maybe all the new age Instagram hippies in Boulder just go glamping all the time and never actually fish?

Just looking at the area on Google maps, there seems to be water everywhere. Lots of creeks, ponds and reservoirs… might be hard to narrow some of it down. They actually live in Longmont which is about a 1/2 hr outside of Boulder. St Vrain looks pretty close so maybe put that one on the list if it’s nearby.

Big Thompson is where my buddy fishes.  He has two properties in the area.  One is a mile or so from the river.  He doesn't fish much, but like Snagr said, is loaded with big fish that are easy to catch.  Probably a place to consider.  
 
I think the pressure has much to do with what you noted about water everywhere.  1.5 hours from downtown Denver, you have hundreds of options.  
 
He tried to get me to move out there in my later 20s.  I figured if I was going to move that far away, it would have to have a beach.  I probably would have had a blast out there though. 
 
 
 
 

MyWar


So is it mainly rivers and streams or are the lakes out there worth fishing? Did you bring wading gear or can you do any wet wading?We will be planning a trip during the warmer months, but if it’s trout water I would imagine its colder than the SWPA rivers in the summer.

I’m also guessing that the water out there gets pretty heavy pressure? I’m getting the impression that outdoor activities are extremely popular, but maybe all the new age Instagram hippies in Boulder just go glamping all the time and never actually fish?

Just looking at the area on Google maps, there seems to be water everywhere. Lots of creeks, ponds and reservoirs… might be hard to narrow some of it down. They actually live in Longmont which is about a 1/2 hr outside of Boulder. St Vrain looks pretty close so maybe put that one on the list if it’s nearby.

We didn't fish any of the lakes, though fishing in them is popular.  It was a special 13th birthday trip for my son so we fished where and how he wanted to fish.  I seem to recall that one of the reservoirs near Longmont gets stocked with wipers, or at least used to.  Seems they have a pretty broad wiper program out there.  Seems to be lots of pike fishing opportunities in the lakes and reservoirs too.  
 
I wet waded a little bit, but I was the only fool I saw doing that.  I also wet wade for steelhead into mid October here sometimes so I might not be the best person to ask about that.  Most of the streams and rivers where you'd fish are influenced by dam releases from reservoirs and lakes where ice lingers through early to mid May and night time temps are often in the 50's and 60's.  I didn't measure water temps, but it felt like nothing was much above 60 degrees.  Having said that, most wading we did was in ankle to thigh deep water, so if you're feeling froggy give wet wading a shot to limit luggage (we drove so we brought lots of stuff).  
 
We didn't fish anywhere I'd consider crowded, but that's all relative I suppose when you're used to fishing PA for steelhead and trout.  I don't think we saw another angler on Boulder Creek.  Some people at the Big T near the dam (it's right near a main entrance to Rocky Mt National Park so lots of people around there) and none when we drove downstream.  Some on the Colorado and South Platte, but fish densities are so high and there's so much water that nobody goes near anybody else.  Seems like everybody is outside doing something they enjoy though.  Lots of bikes on roads everywhere.  Lots of vehicles parked at trail heads.  Couple groups climbing at different spots along Boulder Creek.  
 
My buddy I stayed with out there said if you find a creek above 6500' in elevation that there will be trout in it.  20 years ago I fished a nondescript creek near Winter Park when I was out there for a few days and hammered 8-12" wild brook trout.