The Gunnison River and its tributaries create one of the most diverse trout fisheries in the world. In one day you can cast dry flies to native cutthroats on a remote mountain stream and then float the Gunnison for rainbows and browns. You can sight-fish to 10-pound trout in the catch-and-release waters of the Taylor River or scramble down into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and have the whole river to yourself. Whatever your preferences, you're likely to find something you like in the Gunnison Basin.

During the 1930s through the late 1950s, the Gunnison was revered as one of the greatest trout fisheries in the country. The famed Willow Fly hatch brought the rich and famous from the far reaches of the world to experience the gluttony of trout feeding on giant stoneflies. But with the building of Blue Mesa Reservoir and the subsequent building of Morrow Point and Crystal reservoirs below, the famed Willow Fly hatch died and so did the reputation of the river.

The Gunnison River near the city of Gunnison (and upstream) is a freestone River with heavy spring hatches and productive tributaries. Downstream in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (above) near Montrose, the river flows through all public land but is much less accessible. You cannot hire a guide in the Park and you must be in excellent physical condition to get to and from the river.

Happily, Mark Twain's old saying, "News of my death has been greatly exaggerated," applies equally well to the Gunnison. The water that exists today is a quality fishery that holds its own with any wild freestone river in the West. Recent Colorado Division of Wildlife studies found the river has three times the biomass required to qualify for Gold Medal status--the highest designation of quality trout water in the state.

The 18-mile reach of the Gunnison above Blue Mesa Reservoir is nearly half public and half private land, allowing for decent public access, as well as some sanctuary areas where the fish experience light fishing pressure. From the reservoir to the confluence with the North Fork of the Gunnison, the river is nearly all public property.