Eagle River

Effective Patterns: #12-18 Parchute PMD,#12-16 Royal Stimulator, #12-16 PMX, #16-18 Elk Hair Caddis, #16-20 Blue Winged Olive, #18-22 Parachute Adams, #10-16 20Inchers, #18-20 Copper John, #18-22 Pheasant Tail, #16-20 Prince Nymphs, #16-20 Zebra Midges, #16-22 Barr Emerger, #16-20 Z-Wing Caddis, #18-20 WD 40, #8-12 Wooly Bugger.

Located along the I-70 corridor, the Eagle River is another classic of Colorado.  The town of Eagle lies 20-25 minutes west of Vail.  With plenty of public river access this is a good point to start at.  While many people walk and wade fish, the Eagle River is best fished from a raft.  Floating the river allows anglers to fish private water where the fish have probably never seen most artificial flies.  With mainly browns and some rainbows, the Eagle River fishes like a typical Colorado River.  Great hatches during the summer and fall allow the dry fly fisherman to catch fish all day. 

As the Eagle travels through the mountains, it makes its way to the Colorado River. These two rivers meet near Dotsero. Because of the red sandstone that the Eagle River flows through, it does not take much to blow out this river. After rain showers the Eagle quickly becomes unfishable, although it clears up just as fast as it gets ruined. The Eagle River is a Colorado treat that is productive, and less pressured by anglers.