05-01-2002, 04:30 PM
You're fairly close to some very good fishing. There's the South Platte through South Park and Antero, Spinney, and Eleven Mile reservoirs on that stream. The section between Spinney and Eleven Mile has tight restrictions on how you can fish and I believe is no kill, but the fishing is known to be nearly unbelievable. Northern pike are causing havoc to the trout, but large trout are still being pulled out of the reservoirs. <br><br>A quick trip to the Deckers area would put you on one of Colorado's premier trout streams. Restrictions change depending on the stretch, so make sure you take your Colorado fishing regs. with you.<br><br>Rainbow Falls is a pay-to-fish facility, but one of the nicest I've ever seen. It has a series of small lakes in a relatively natural setting. I'm sure there's short sections of stream-like fishing between the lakes. It's located between Woodland Park and Deckers.<br><br>I've caught small trout out of Fountain Creek between Manitou and the cutoff to Pike's Peak. The stream is very small and brushy, and between the East and Westbound lanes of traffic, but I find it challenging and fun to catch fish in areas where few people think there are fish. You can even run into a 12"+ "lunker" once in a while!!<br><br>You're also not too far from the Arkansas. Access is limited downstream from Canon City, but fishing at times can be surprisingly successful. Upstream of Canon City, is more open with a multitude of putoffs and large deep holes. You just have to keep the rafters from snagging your line.<br><br>I use ultralight spinning gear (5.5', 7', or 8.5' rod, depending on the size of the water and amount of brush) and 2 lb. line. I switch among crawlers, a single Fireball, and ultralight spinners with no or very little weight.<br><br>