In Curecanti National Recreation Area, Kokanee Salmon, as well as Brown, Rainbow, Brook, and Cutthroat Trout can be caught using flies. Blue Mesa Reservoir is the largest Kokanee Salmon fishery in the United States. The fall spawning season is the best time to fish for Kokanee with flies.
WHERE TO GO
The Gunnison River provides excellent fly fishing with good chances for catching large trout. The Lake Fork of the Gunnison River (Gateview) is more challenging, but also provides excellent fish habitat and sizeable trout. While the reservoirs are best fished from boats using artificial lures, fly fishing can be good in areas where there is fresh water flowing in from tributaries or drainages.
Fly fishing in the small creeks provides the best opportunity to catch fish. Curecanti provides access to public lands for the numerous small creeks feeding Blue Mesa Reservoir. Curecanti Creek and Blue Creek (boat access only at Blue Creek) are tributaries of Morrow Point Reservoir; and Cimarron and Crystal Creek empty into Crystal Reservoir. Make sure that you check the property boundaries prior to fishing to ensure that you are not fishing on private land.