THE EAGLE NEAR VAIL AND Gypsum
The Eagle River starts it’s journey near the Continental Divide as a small, snow fed creek. It gains volume as it flows West over 60 miles before it dumps into the Colorado River near the town of Dotsero. The Eagle is considered a “Freestone” river which means it does not have any dams or reservoirs along it (think “free flowing”). The Eagle River from when Gore Creek joins it in the town of Vail, all the way to the confluence with the mighty Colorado River is considered Gold Medal water.
Without dams influencing the river’s water discharge, the Eagle sees a wide range in river flow. It can ice over throughout the winter before thawing and giving fishermen some great early season fishing. March and April offer spectacular midge and BWO hatches that feed the hungry, post winter fish. May and June usually see high flows and off-colored water as the snowmelt from the high country flows downstream. This time of year can see the river become unfishable in it’s lower stretches. Once runoff subsides, the Eagle offers some of the best dry fly fishing in the state.
We guide the Eagle River with commercial use permits from both Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Eagle County Open Spaces
