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Public Access

Vail, Colorado, and the surrounding area may seem like a haven for the rich and famous, but there are plenty of public access areas, campgrounds, and fast-food joints for the rest of us.

Green Stimulator

When you first get to the area, visit a local fly shop and buy the Eagle River Public Access Map ($6.95), which details the river's public access areas (about half the river), including the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land and the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) fishing access leases and boat ramps.

The Eagle River is a patchwork of public, private, and what I call "de facto" public and private water. I call some sections "de facto" public because, while the river there is privately owned, the owners don't mind if you fish it, or they don't regulate access. Some local golf courses, timeshare properties with river frontage, and other angler-friendly properties are examples. These areas are not marked on maps, but the local guides know where they are. Do not go on private property unless you know you are welcome. If you are unsure, fish somewhere else.

The "de facto" private land is public land that is difficult to access because adjacent landowners sometimes cause trouble for anglers and others trying to use the land. Local fly shops can identify these spots for you. My advice is to avoid trouble in all instances and go somewhere else if you anticipate a conflict. There is plenty of good water around.
The water below Wolcott (shown above) has both public and private water and excellent fishing. A guided float trip in spring and early summer will help you see the whole river and access lightly fished waters.

You can float the Eagle River from Avon down to the confluence of the Colorado River, when there's enough water (late May-July), but don't try it without an experienced oarsman and a white-water self-bailing raft. The Eagle has fast white-water chutes, boulder gardens, and Class II to IV rapids. Do not attempt to float the Eagle with a fiberglass drift boat or a one-man pontoon boat.

The Best Fishing
Areas of the upper Eagle River (above Gore Creek) were once nearly barren of trout due to mine pollution. The sources of contamination have been cleaned up, but heavy metals and other pollutants still remain in the river. While this stretch is slowly healing, the best trout fishing is downstream, from Gore Creek to the Colorado River near Gypsum.

From Gore Creek down to Avon, the river is mostly a brown-trout fishery, with a small number of rainbows and a few cutthroats, cuttbows, and brook trout (mostly near small tributaries). Between the towns of Avon and Wolcott, browns and rainbows are an even mix, and downstream from there, it's rainbow city.

It's interesting that the highest concentrations of brown trout are close to the mine contamination in lower Gore Creek and the upper Eagle. Rainbows are more prevalent away from the Superfund site, in upper Gore Creek, and the lower Eagle. Maybe it's because brown trout have a higher resistance to pollutants than rainbow trout.

The average Eagle trout is 12 to 14 inches long, but you can regularly hook bigger fish in the prime feeding stations. Trout up to 16 inches are common, and you may see the occasional 18-incher, but that's about as big as they get. I think these are the perfect trout--perfectly sized, perfectly spotted, strong, and each one as beautiful as the mountainous backdrop.

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