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Suited to Fishing - the Taylor River
by Karen Christopherson |
Click
Here to read
more "Fish
Tails" |
If you're near Gunnison, and looking for a mountain river to flyfish in, look no
further than the Taylor River. It's a perfect fit between good mountain fishing and a
Colorado experience.
The Taylor starts up in the high country, traveling
south past several 14'ers. It runs into
Taylor Reservoir, which has a beautiful setting overlooking the Collegiate Peaks. There are seven
14'ers looming off to the east. From here,
the river travels west eventually meeting up with the East and merging with the Gunnison.
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Taylor Reservoir in May - terrific views of the Collegiate Peaks |
Fishing the Taylor about the reservoir is a
high-mountain experience. There are numerous feeder creeks and
beaver ponds where one can get away from it all. If one area is
too crowded or not fishing well, move on to another. Some of the
beaver ponds hold incredible amounts of brookies.
That portion of the river below the dam travels through a canyon of granite walls and
is filled
with lodgepole pine. The river contains some large boulders, fallen from the walls above.
The tailwaters right below the dam are renown for big trout (some of the largest
rainbows in Colorado) who are hard to catch
and like mysis shrimp. It can get a little crowded here. But, travel downstream, past the few miles
of private property, and you are in fishing heaven. Efforts in recent years have
really improved this part of the fishery.
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Below the dam |
How to get there?
From Gunnison, travel north on state hwy 135. At Almont, take the right fork, on USFS
Road 742. It is 18 miles to the dam at Taylor Reservoir. There is private property
(well marked) the last few miles before the public tailwaters of Taylor Reservoir. Access is
available along most of the river, at campgrounds and turnouts.
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There are some awfully large rainbows in
the tailwater! |
Some history:
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Gold was discovered in Taylor Park in 1859, but it wasn't until 1878 that a small settlement was formed at Tin Cup.
The town of Tin Cup lies about 6 miles southeast of Taylor Reservoir. This was a mining town
during the late 1800's. It was incorporated as Virginia City in 1879. However, much confusion arose as there
were also towns named Virginia City in Montana and Nevada - mail was being delivered to the wrong state!
In 1881, a town meeting was held and the name was changed to Tin Cup.
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| The Roberts (at Harmel's Ranch) told me that the mule trains used to bring ore down the Taylor River
canyon en route to the train in Gunnison.
They would stay overnite at Harmel's old ranch. |
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Almont is named after a famous Kentucky race horse. This stallion sired a horse owned by Samual Fisher.
The railroad was complete to his ranch in 1881 and a town sprang up, named for the father of Mr. Fisher's horse.
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The Taylor River and Taylor Park are named after Jim Taylor, one of the first men to discover gold in the area.
Taylor Reservoir and Dam are named for U.S. Representative Edward Taylor, who lived in Glenwood Springs and
helped get the reservoir built by a Congressional bill. The dam was constructed between 1935 and 1937.
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Rules:
Public access is prohibited from the top of Taylor Dam to 325 yards downstream. From
325 yards downstream to the upper boundary of "Sam's" private property (about 0.4 miles):
artificial flies or lures only and all fish must be returned to the water immediately. On the
rest of the river, the regular DOW rules apply.
Where to stay?
There are a few resorts offering cabins near Almont. There are lots of campgrounds in the
area along the river both downstream and upstream from the reservoir.
Resources
 Buy
an ebook on CD: Fifty Colorado Tailwaters: A Fly
Fisher's Guide
Click here for info or to purchase. Includes the Taylor
tailwater
 Click
here to buy topo maps for this area. You need maps 131, 132 for the Taylor River from above Taylor Res. to Gunnison.
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Click
here to buy an Angling Guide for the
Gunnison/Crested Butte Area by Michael Shook |
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