Colorado Gear Guides

What Colorado water in particular asks for: altitude, cold tailwaters, a violent runoff, and a lot of public access with uneven boundaries.

What actually matters here

Colorado is not one fishing situation. It is cold stable tailwaters that fish in January, freestones that are unfishable for weeks each spring, high country that is only open for a few months, and a lot of public access where the boundary between public and private is neither obvious nor forgiving.

That variety is the reason gear advice for Colorado has to start with which river and which month. The rod that suits the Fryingpan in February is the wrong rod for the Arkansas in June, and the layering that keeps you fishing in a canyon in winter is unnecessary weight in August.

Two things are close to universal here, though. Altitude makes sun protection a real consideration rather than a nicety, and a great deal of the best water is cold enough year-round that being warm is what determines how long you can fish.

What to look for

A plan for cold water, because the best-known Colorado water is cold in every month.
Sun protection that works at altitude, which is harsher than the temperature suggests.
Kit that suits the specific season you are going in, rather than an average of the year.
A way to check flows and regulations per reach, since both vary by section rather than by river.

When you do not need this

You do not need separate setups for tailwaters and freestones to begin with. One sensible outfit covers both while you work out which you actually prefer.

We do not claim to have personally tested gear in this category. Specifications, prices and availability change and are the retailer's to state: check current details with the retailer or manufacturer before buying. How we decide.

Guides that cover this

Any Colorado river, any season

Colorado fly fishing gear checklist

Everything worth having in the car and on your person for a Colorado day, what each item is actually for, and what changes by season.

13 min read

Colorado rivers, season by season

Colorado fly box: what to carry by season

A working fly selection for Colorado water through the year, organised by what the river is doing rather than by a hatch calendar that cannot be promised.

14 min read

Tailwaters, any season

What a Colorado tailwater day asks of your gear

Cold, clear, technical water fished year-round. What that means for rod weight, tippet, indicators and staying warm enough to keep fishing.

10 min read

Freestones, spring and early summer

Fishing a freestone through runoff and after it

High, cold, coloured water turns most of your usual kit into the wrong choice. What changes, what to carry, and when to stay home instead.

9 min read

South Platte, all three sections

What to pack for the South Platte

Three very different stretches of the same river, and what each one asks you to bring. Technical tailwater, open meadow water and a roadside canyon.

11 min read

Other categories

Gear is the third question. Which river, and what it is doing, decide most of it first: start with the river guides or the skills.