Fishing & Rafting

Fishing

Check with local guides and anglers in one of Creede’s fishing shops for more information.

Rio Grande River – Trout fishing at its best. Gold medal waters throughout! Float fish or wade fish.

Rio Grande Reservoir – 2000 acre reservoir with a rocky and steep shoreline. Good bait or lure fishing. Top of reservoir, at headwaters, offers good flyfishing. About 40 miles upriver from Creede.

Road Canyon Reservoir – Easily accessible and bordered by conifer and aspen forests. Bait and lure fishing for rainbows and cutthroats, brooks and browns. About 30 miles upriver from Creede.

Brown Lakes – Grassy meadow surrounded by Pine and Aspen forests. Rainbows, cutthroats, browns and brooks. Between Creede and Lake City, near summit of Spring Creek Pass.

Big Meadows Reservoir – On the South Fork of the Rio Grande River. Stocked with catchable rainbow trout and book trout. 12 miles west of South Fork on 160, on Forest Service Road 410.

Beaver Creek Reservoir –  South of South Fork; offers trout and kokanee salmon in a beautiful setting.

Clear Creek – Creek accessed from Hwy 149 between Creede and Lake City, above Freemon’s Ranch. Rainbows and Trout.

Deep Creek –  Accessed from Deep Creek Road near Mountain Views RV Resort. Small brooks.

Miners Creek – About 5 miles west of Creede. Turn north on Miners Creek Road. Small rainbows and cutthroats.

Rat Creek –  About 5 miles west of Creede. Turn north on Miners Creek Road and go right at the “y.” Fair size brooks at upper end.

Rafting

The stretch of the Rio Grande near Creede is “a pristine high country river with class II-III rapids and breathtaking scenery.  June is the best time for whitewater action, but no matter what time of the season, the river has its own character and each rafting trip is as rewarding as the first.” (~ Mountain Man Tours)

Mountain Man Tours offers the area’s only guided rafting trips down the Rio Grande River. Great for all ages and experience levels. “Mountain Man Tours, Inc was established in 1985 as the first Colorado rafting outfitter and guide service on the Upper Rio Grande. Our guided rafting adventures will take you to explore the river within the majestic river canyons and valleys near Creede and South Fork, Colorado, and the Famous Creede Caldera.  We know that you will find that we offer one of the finest rafting experiences in the world on one of the most beautiful rivers anywhere!”  www.mountainmantours.com

Kayaking

The Rio Grande is the perfect river for intermediate kayakers to learn to navigate small rapids! The area also offers tons of GREAT ponds and lakes for beginner kayakers and paddle boarders to get out on the water!