Colorado Quality Waters: Lake Fork of the Gunnison

General Information: Flowing from High Bridge Gulch downstream to Blue Mesa Reservoir, this stretch of the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River offers anglers excellent opportunities to catch both rainbow and brown trout. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service, these scenic reaches are open for bank and wade fishing only, providing a quiet, low-impact angling experience. With its clear water, deep pools and striking backdrops, the Lake Fork rewards those willing to explore its accessible public sections — a hidden gem for trout enthusiasts seeking solitude and classic Colorado river fishing.

Location: Gunnison and Hinsdale Counties | 38.308093, -107.224257
Size: 25 miles of bankline and wading access
Management: BLM, NPS
Area CPW Office and Phone #: Gunnison, Colo. | (970) 641-7060
Fishing: Cold Water

To access this area for fishing, individuals aged 16 or older must possess a valid license. These can be obtained through CPW authorized sales agents, via phone (1-800-244-5613), or online at CPWShop. 

Fishing regulations vary by section:

• Except from the BLM boundary below the Gate Campground to the confluence with Cherry Creek, fishing is by artificial flies and lures only. Anglers may keep two brown trout, 16 inches or longer, while all rainbow trout must be released immediately.
  
• From the BLM boundary below The Gate Campground to the confluence with Cherry Creek, the bag and possession limit for trout is two fish.

Biologist Spotlight

As one of Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s (CPW) newest area aquatic biologists, Giulio Del Piccolo has brought with him a new wave of energy and curiosity to the agency’s Gunnison field office. A graduate of Colorado State University, Del Piccolo joined CPW full-time in early 2025 after a seasonal stint with the Aquatic Research Branch in Montrose. Now stationed in Gunnison, he oversees a landscape defined by clear mountain streams and some of the state’s most desirable trout waters.

A new focus of Del Piccolo’s work has been the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River, a scenic 25-mile stretch known for its high-quality fishing and healthy aquatic habitat. “It doesn’t get a lot of pressure, but the folks who fish it really enjoy it,” he says. “So, it’s an important one for us to keep an eye on.”

CPW is currently stocking whirling disease–resistant rainbow trout in the Lake Fork to rebuild a once-strong wild rainbow population that declined decades ago. “We’re hoping to bring those rainbow trout numbers back up,” Del Piccolo says. “Things are trending in a good direction, but we’ll probably continue that stocking effort until we have a really robust population going again.”

To track this progress, Del Piccolo and his crew conduct electrofishing surveys using a specialized throw-troding technique — a procedure that allows biologists to sample deeper or more complex habitats than traditional methods can reach. “We collect, measure, and mark fish on the first day, then return the second day to estimate total abundance based on recaptures,” he explains. “It gives us really solid data to guide any future management decisions.”

This section of the Lake Fork also reflects decades of collaborative conservation, including habitat improvements funded by the Bureau of Reclamation and implemented by the Colorado Division of Wildlife (now Colorado Parks and Wildlife) in the 1990s. The Bureau of Land Management and Trout Unlimited were also key partners in the project, helping source boulders and trees for in-stream habitat structures and assisting with re-vegetation efforts along the banks. Large boulders strategically placed in the river remain visible today and continue to create ideal holding water for trout. “What we did there was really about creating depth and slower water,” Del Piccolo says. “Those deeper pockets give fish a place to rest in slower current and dart out into faster water to feed.”

These partnerships remain central to Del Piccolo’s work. He regularly collaborates with local TU chapters and biologists on fish passage and sediment-reduction projects throughout the Gunnison Basin, including efforts on Tomichi Creek and Spring Creek. “They’re really continuing to promote high-quality fishing in the Gunnison Basin,” he says. “They’re such a great partner to have.”

Challenges still persist — from gill lice outbreaks to lingering impacts of whirling disease — but Del Piccolo is optimistic about the river’s trajectory and hopes to see a more balanced trout population in the years ahead. “Before whirling disease, some rivers in Colorado were rainbow-dominated,” he says. “I don’t know that we’ll ever get back to that, but a 50–50 mix of browns and rainbows would be a great goal.”

For Del Piccolo, the best part of the job is the daily sense of discovery. “Every day, I get a chance to learn something new about our local rivers and fish populations,” he says. “There’s always an element of discovery — you never know exactly what’s out there, and I find that kind of infinitely fascinating.”

Photos and story by Ryan Jones. Ryan is a visual coordinator for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.