Lake City is unique in its proximity to large and small stream mountain waters -- famous and not-so famous. You can be on our waters with a one-minute walk from our store. Or, you can fish the well-known rivers, such as the Rio Grande and the Gunnnison, with just under an hour drive in either direction. By parking yourself in Lake City, you can position yourself at the center of the best fishing in the state.

In a hurry to fish? In Lake City, you can be on The Lake Fork of the Gunnison with a few steps from our store. This beautiful, riffled river runs through the town and provides us with over 28 miles of public access fishing. 

Although the river is not designated as "gold medal," recent studies have determined that her trout quantity are well above twice that neccessary for this designation. That's great for the fly fishers who want abundance without being in high traffic water. 

The Lake Fork, and she's called, holds several specifies of trout -- mainly Cutthroat, Rainbow, and Brown -- ranging from 10 to 20 inches; some even larger depending on location. Around mid-September, the Lake Fork receives a large run of Kokanee salmon coming in from Blue Mesa resevoir and going as high as Sherman.

Lake Fork access is diverse in it's location and ease of entry. We have fishing access right off of the only highway that reaches Lake City, as well as access that one must hike to reach that is well beyond any hint of civilization.  From meandering willow-filled park areas to canyon, deep-plunge pools, the Lake Fork offers easy and challenging fishing all in one beautiful body of water.

The Gunnison river is a little less than an hour north of Lake City. It's Colorado's classic trout stream with riffled waters, starting at the confluence of the East and the Taylor. This river creates Colorado's largest drainage and the state's wettest valley. The Gunnison flows 25 miles into Blue Mesa reservoir and is the starting point for the country's largest Kokannee salmon run, many of which come up in the Lake Fork.

The Rio Grande river has it's headwaters less than an hour south of Lake City. This mighty river and its tributaries offer a wide range of fishing opportunities. The Rio's so large that a web site of her own is needed to desribe the fishing opportunites. The Rio is well known for it's population of Rainbow, Brown, and Cuthroat, as well as its fine hatches of stoneflies and other aquatic insect life.

A brushy mountain stream, Henson Creek joins the Lake Fork of the Gunnison right in Lake City. Henson offers wonderful fly fishing as a fast-flowing, tumbly water wtih many a beaver pond up high and large, river-like stretches as she enters into Lake City. The creek is the last to warm up in the summer, but when she does, there's large Brooks and a good number of Rainbows, Cut, and Browns for those who care to wait and the skill to fish her. 

Cebolla (se voy ya) is Spanish for onion, but this small stream beauty is a sweet-smelling rose that offers over 18 miles of public access fishing and is well known for its abundant Brook trout that average in size from 9 to 12 inches... sometimes even 18 inches. Browns, Cutthroat and Rainbow also swim further downstream from its headwaters all the way down to where it enters Blue Mesa Resevoir. The Cebolla is well-known for its riffles and beaver ponds, and she has some beautiful deep holes.