Area Facts and Details

• The world’s largest flat-topped mountain is Colorado’s Grand Mesa, located east of Grand Junction. The top extends for 53 square miles.

• Colorado is the only state in history, to turn down the Olympics. In 1976 the Winter Olympics were planned to be held in Denver. 62% of all state Voters choose at almost the last minute not to host the Olympics, because of the cost, pollution and population boom it would have on the State Of Colorado, and the City of Denver.

• The highest paved road in North America is the Road to Mt. Evans off of I-70 from Idaho Springs. The Road climbs up to 14,258 Ft. above sea level. The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad continues to provide year round train service operating a historical train with rolling stock indigenous to the line. The line was constructed primarily to haul mine ores, both gold and silver, from the San Juan Mountains.

• The United States federal government owns more than 1/3 of the land in Colorado. Scenic Colorado is home to four national parks: Mesa Verde, Rocky Mountain, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Great Sand Dunes. The latter includes Star Dune, which at 750 feet is the tallest dune in North America. Colorado contains 75% of the land area of the U.S. with an altitude over 10,000 feet.

• The 13th step of the state capital building in Denver is exactly 1 mile high above sea level.

• Colorado’s highest point is the peak of Mount Elbert, which is 14,433 feet in elevation. The state includes 54 “fourteeners,” or mountains more than 14,000 feet high. Coloradans love a good brew, and this is demonstrated in their having more microbreweries per capita than any other state in the Union, according to the state’s official tourism website.

Trip Itinerary

Gear Checklist

The best way to stay comfortable on any active adventure is going lightweight. Wearing the right versatile layers will insure a system with great ventilation and maximum protection in any conditions. The items on this list are just suggestions, however traveling with these items will give you the best chance for comfort and protection while in Colorado against any and all conditions. Your local Backwoods employee would be glad to help determine which product is right for you!

Gear and Clothing
✓ Fleece jacket or wool sweater
✓ Fleece pants
✓ Synthetic or wool long underwear – tops and bottoms
✓ Wading jacket
✓ Wood / synthetic warm socks
✓ Warm hat or balaclava
✓ Sun hat
✓ Gloves – fingerless and regular
✓ Comfortable shoes for house
✓ Comfortable clothes for non-fishing times
✓ Sunscreen
✓ Lip balm
✓ Personal toiletries

Fishing Equipment
✓ Rod and reel – 4 or 5 weight rod with reel that balances well with rod (a back-up rod if you have one). Reel should have a decent drag, preferably disc drag (the water is fast and fish can get downstream in a hurry).
✓ Lines and leaders – Weight forward floating line that matches the rod weight is ideal (this is for windy conditions). A selection of leaders from 4x to 6x are necessary. We prefer 9 ft leaders, but a couple of 7.5 footers will be handy for chunking lead. Tippets in sizes 4x to 7x are the norm for spring conditions.
✓ Waders and boots – the type of wader is not as important as the condition the waders are in. However, we strongly discourage neoprene waders for this time of year. The daytime temps can easily reach 60 or 65 degrees. Also, neoprene waders restrict movement and are heavy. Felt soled or sticky rubber boots are a must for grip on slick rocks.

Flies
✓ 12-Humpy yellow sz 12
✓ 6-Hoppers sz 10-14
✓ 12-Blue Winged Olive sz 18-22
✓ 12-Adams sz 18-22
✓ 6-Adult Midges blk/olive sz 22-28
✓ 6-Elk hair caddis olive sz 18
✓ 12-Pheasant tail sz 16-20
✓ 12-Copper John green/chartreuse/copper sz 18-22
✓ 6-BWO emerger sz 20-22
✓ 12-Wooly Bugger olive/black sz 6-12
✓ 6-Tung Teaser sz 12-16

Accessories
✓ Strike indicators
✓ Split shot (bb and smaller)
✓ Nippers
✓ Forceps
✓ Knot tying tools
✓ Leader straightener
✓ Floatant
✓ Flies
✓ Landing net
✓ Polarized sunglasses