2021-12-07 16:36:41
Load up your tackle box and picnic basket to create lasting family memories. The fishing is great at these spots, but they made the list because they offer much more. Colorado Parks & Wildlife provides a wealth of information about fishing with your little ones. Take a look at their suggestions for making the most of the family fishing experience and their interactive map of the top 101-ish places to take a kid fishing. Everyone 16 and up must have a fishing license. One-day and five-day passes can also be purchased. cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/Pages/Fishing.aspx LATHROP STATE PARK Nestled in the shadow of the Spanish Peaks in Walsenburg, this park offers a gentle climate and a youth fishing pond for kids 15 and under — as well as two lakes for all ages. WONDERLAND LAKE Ringed by an easy hiking loop, this north Boulder gem is just the right speed. The lake is a popular paragliding spot and you can watch the gliders launch from the top of Wonderland Hill. CORN LAKE Just outside Grand Junction, the lake is stocked with rainbow trout and offers a bike trail and picnic tables, as well as hiking, wildlife watching and educational activities in the nearby Colorado River Wildlife Area. ST. VRAIN STATE PARK This Firestone site’s Sandpiper and Mallard ponds win best spots for kids thanks to proximity to the parking lot and restrooms. There are easy hiking trails and camping for making a night of it. ORDWAY RESERVOIR Just north of Ordway in southeast Colorado, this little gem is a peaceful spot for hooking some rainbows. For those with boats or Jet Skis, two nearby spots — Lake Meredith and Lake Henry — are a stone’s throw away. PA-CO-CHU-PUK PONDS AT RIDGWAY STATE PARK The park’s two rainbow-trout-stocked ponds are close to a fish-cleaning station. There’s also a swim beach and summer programs for kids, including archery, hawk quests and more. AKRON POND This northeastern site keeps things cool with shady areas, sheltered picnic tables and regularly stocked trout in the summer months, as well as good-sized bass and catfish so everyone comes away a winner. GYPSUM PONDS Close to I-70 and the town of Gypsum, the ponds are easy to access and stocked with rainbow and cutthroat trout. You might also see deer, great blue herons, owls, bald eagles and redtail hawks. FOR MORE SERIOUS FISHERS COLORADO.com/WesternCOFlyFishingHotSpots COLORADO.com/GreatPlacestoFishInColorado 329 MILES Number of miles of Gold Medal streams providing angling opportunities for large trout. These waters are managed by Colorado Parks & Wildlife to ensure populations of big fish and big smiles for anglers.
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