The remote Gunnison National Forest and West Elk Wilderness Areas are among the least-traveled areas of Colorado, and fishing pressure in the vast backcountry is almost nonexistent. The numerous ponds and streams that dot the landscape are home to wild populations of cutthroats, brookies and rainbows. The drainages surrounding Smith Fork Ranch hold some of the last known pure strains of the famed Colorado Cutthroat trout, and fishing for these beauties is a delightful experience.
Leave the ranch with your guide and a boxed lunch early in the morning, on foot or on horseback, and spend the day fishing in a pristine mountain valley where your companions will likely be the only other fisherman you see. While you fish, keep a watchful eye out for wildlife - eagles may be fishing the same waters you are.
"We had a fabulous holiday made even more so by the wonderful staff. Our day with Margot and Dave, riding and fishing was great fun! One can Cowboy Up in comfort at SFR." Tom & Ann Fries, Colorado