Each day, the stars come out a little bit earlier, there is a slight chill in the mornings, and the leaves appear a little yellower than they did last week. This means that tubing Boulder Creek is coming to an end and that unfinished alpine climbs may need to wait until next summer. However, as fall approaches, new opportunities arise and that slight chill starts to feel pretty good as you run, bike, or fish the Front Range. Over the next couple of weeks, the water levels along the Front Range will start to fall, yet there is plenty of time left for an amazing fishing season in Boulder.

Photo Credit: Bill Belvins

Rivers and streams dart from the foothills and flow into town like veins pulsing with blood. Though most of these are small creeks, there is fantastic fishing very close to Boulder. Some of the best places close to home are Eldorado Canyon (about 30 minutes south of downtown), Left Hand Canyon (about 30 minutes north of downtown), and of course, Boulder Creek, which runs straight through town.

With a fishing license, you can fish along the entire length of Boulder Creek and likely catch browns, rainbows, and sometimes brook trout within a ten minute walk in either direction of the CU campus. Fishing in town is all catch and release; however, you are allowed to keep your catch from farther up the creek, in the Roosevelt National Forest, closer to Nederland.

By kevin (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The average size of trout along the Creek is about eight inches and the fishing is best just outside of town. I recommend checking out Castle Rock, also a popular climbing destination, which is about 20 minutes up the Canyon, but is well worth the drive for the secluded pools and picturesque surroundings.

Though the days are shorter and the summer season is quickly coming to an end, there are still plenty of hours left to get outside, relax, and catch a fish or two.

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