The purpose of this guide is to call attention to fishing in Central Colorado’s Upper Arkansas River Valley and South Park. Over the past 15 years or so, the Arkansas has emerged as one of Colorado’s top fisheries thanks to the management and development efforts of Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, Environmental Protection Agency Superfund cleanup projects in Lake County, lease and easement purchases of the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and contributions of numerous other public agencies and volunteers.

More than 100 miles of public access, central location in Colorado, high density of trout, year-round fishing climate, minimal catch and release regulations and light fishing pressure all combine to make the Arkansas special. South Park, with the meandering South Platte and its tributaries, numerous high lakes and streams, and reservoirs like Spinney Mountain and Elevenmile, has long been known for the quality of its fishing.

The Central Colorado Fishing Guide is a special edition of Arkansas Valley Publishing Co. All material in the guide is copyrighted 2006 by AVPC. Stories in this guide were written primarily by Greg Felt of ArkAnglers, Salida. Park County features were written by Gary Nichols, Park County Community Development director, and an avid angler. AVP’s newspaper staff members of The Mountain Mail, Salida, The Chaffee County Times, Buena Vista; and Park County Republican & Fairplay Flume, Bailey, produced this guide and contributed stories.

To get started, you can either read the introduction, use the navagation at the top right, or browse the article list.