Blue River

The Blue River runs about 65 miles from Hoosier Pass through Breckenridge and Dillon Reservoir, then below Dillon through Silverthorne, on through Green Mountain Reservoir, and out to its confluence with the Colorado River at Kremmling. Three distinct fly-fishing fisheries: the upper river above Dillon Reservoir through Breckenridge (small, technical, and not particularly highly regarded), the Silverthorne tailwater below Dillon Dam (an unusual urban C&R tailwater running through the Outlets Mall), and the lower Blue below Green Mountain Reservoir (the river's most respected stretch and a Gold Medal fishery from the dam to the Colorado confluence).

The Silverthorne tailwater fishes year-round on stable cold releases from Dillon. The 'Outlets Mall' stretch is the most-photographed urban fly-fishing water in Colorado — concrete walls, parking-lot access, and big selective rainbows feeding on Mysis shrimp flushed from Dillon Reservoir. Mysis dominates the diet immediately below the dam; tiny midges and BWOs fill in the rest of the year. The technical fishing rivals Cheesman Canyon for difficulty — selective fish, heavy pressure, and constant Mysis competition. Below the C&R section the river continues as a public-fishing stretch for about 6 miles to Green Mountain Reservoir.

Below Green Mountain Reservoir the Blue becomes a different fishery — bigger, freestone-like flows, wild brown trout, and 14 miles of Gold Medal water down to the Colorado at Kremmling. The lower Blue fishes hopper-dropper through August-September and produces the river's biggest fish in fall on streamers. Wade access is BLM-managed below Green Mountain Dam; drift boats are common on the lower reaches. The lower Blue has a seasonal closure from September 15 through December 1 to protect spawning brown trout. Drive times: 90 min from Denver to Silverthorne, 2 hr from Denver to Green Mountain Reservoir. Elevation 7,500 ft (Kremmling) to 9,000 ft (Silverthorne). Hwy 9 follows the entire river.