An angling trip in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is a majestic journey into the backcountry of Western Colorado. The trip involves a strenuous adventure, incredible Colorado landscapes, and some of the best Gunnison River fly fishing someone can experience.
The place is a chasm with dangers galore, irritants abound, and some of the most beautiful trout you’ll ever see.
This is Gunnison River fly fishing at its finest.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Slackwater earns a commission for the referral if you decide to make a purchase through the links, but your price stays the same. Even if you click through to buy flies and you end up buying a fly rod, we earn a commission. We thank you for supporting Slackwater!
Trip Summary
Unlike fly fishing the Gunnison River upstream of Blue Mesa Reservoir, fishing in the Black Canyon requires precise planning, the right gear, and high levels of fitness.
Check out our gear packing list at the bottom of this report.
The national park is located in southwest Colorado below Blue Mesa Reservoir (near Gunnison) and above the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area. It is an excellent place to explore angling opportunities close to Crested Butte and Gunnison, Colorado.
To get from Crested Butte to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, head south on Hwy 135 to the town of Gunnison. Then, take Hwy 50 west past Blue Mesa Reservoir. You’ll then have the choice to arrive at the north rim of the canyon off of Hwy 92 or the south rim from Hwy 50.
The Gunnison Gorge Conservation Area is located downstream of the national park and is where people can access the river with a raft. Float fishing in Gunnison Gorge generally takes place over a 14-mile stretch of water that is accessed downstream of the National Park.
The section of the Black Canyon we visited contains many Class 5 rapids, which should only be navigated by expert kayakers and not with a raft. Wade fishing is the only way to target trout in the canyon.
There is no guided fly fishing in the national park, making the canyon an ideal location for getting away from the busier rivers in Colorado.
The Black Canyon is known for its steep canyon walls, hiking, climbing, poison ivy, and prolific trout fishing.
The National Park was formed in 1999 and contains beautiful Precambrian rock walls. One of the most famous views is the Painted Wall, which can be seen from the canyon’s rim or within the canyon.
Obtaining a Wilderness Use Permit is required to spend time in the canyon. Permits are available at the ranger stations throughout the park and are necessary for camping, climbing and fishing in the park.
Hiking (Climbing) Into the Black Canyon
Getting to the bottom of the canyon and navigating the river requires careful planning and high levels of fitness. The route to the bottom is not a trail but, instead, a downclimb through boulders, sharp rocks, and poison ivy forests. We’d liken it more to a “route” than a trail.
Although we entered from the S.O.B. Draw route, it is possible to drive to the bottom of the canyon via the East Portal. It’s important to note that the road to the East Portal is closed from November to April each year.
Within the canyon, there are no fires allowed to help maintain the pristine nature of the this natural wonder.
The National Park entrance from the south rim is best accessed from Montrose, Colorado. The north rim, where the SOB Draw route is located, is best accessed from Crawford, CO, near the North Rim Ranger Station.
We traveled from Crested Butte to the Black Canyon’s north rim early one morning, which is approximately a 2.5-hour drive. Hwy 92 along the north rim was scenic and slow, sometimes requiring a roadside stop to take in the views.
Fly fishing in the canyon is outstanding, with plenty of opportunities to catch large rainbows and browns. The Gunnison River within the canyon is a tailwater. This means it’s flows are determined by a dam release upstream from the Crystal Dam.
Trip Details
In July 2022, my friends and I spent two days and nights camping and fly fishing the Gunnison River in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
This adventure –- and let me note, the word “adventure” sometimes gets thrown around lightly –- was indeed a special adventure and a test of stamina worthy of sharing with friends and within this trip report.
The SOB Draw Route From the North Rim
The way to the bottom of the canyon is hardly a hike but, instead, a route you must downclimb. It is 1.5 miles long with 2,500 feet of descent, making it a grueling expedition.
We descended the SOB Draw route near the North Rim Ranger Station, which we learned in advance many consider being “middle-of-the-road” in difficulty for Black Canyon standards. We also heard this route had some decent campsites at the canyon floor – an absolute must if you plan on staying a while.
There isn’t a ton of public beta about the downclimb into the canyon. Further, there isn’t much public information on what to expect from a fishing perspective.
So, I asked a few friends who had been down there and prepared with the limited information I could find.
The book Fly Fishing the Gunnison Country by Doug Dillingham provided the introductory beta we needed to begin making plans. I highly recommend Doug’s book for the serious angler looking for the best knowledge on fly fishing in Gunnison County.
Fly Fishing Gear
I packed the fly fishing necessities and traditional lightweight backpacking items.
See my packing list below.
A 9′ Centric 5-wt from Scott Fly Rods and a 9′ R8 6-wt from Sage were packed in their respective rod tubes. Although I brought two rods, I primarily used the Centric.
In addition to a large backpack, I brought the Patagonia Guidewater Sling 15L pack for day trips. Patagonia traditionally makes superb gear however I wouldn’t recommend this sling pack.
The main compartment of this pack is a little too big for most applications, and it is easy to leave unzippered. A hip pack would have been better..
The route took us 2 ½ hours, traveling slowly with 50 lb packs.
Surprisingly, my sleeping bag was the piece of gear I didn’t use. The exact temperature on the canyon floor was unknown; however, it was too hot to use any insulation overnight.
For two nights, I slept with no shirt, no sleeping bag, and no tent fly. It. Was. HOT.
To combat the heat, we brought a GRAYL Water Purifier. This water bottle/filter combo is a crucial piece of gear I now always carry on the river.
This water bottle filters untreated river water quickly and is convenient to use and store. Most water filtration systems are bulky and time-intensive. But not the Grayl, as it is a bottle and filter all in one.
It’s possible to make the trip with less gear, but I would’ve regretted leaving a couple of items behind: waders and wading boots.
The Canyon Environment
The poison ivy forests were bountiful this time of year and, quite frankly, unavoidable. While wet wading would have been ideal, waders and boots gave me confidence when navigating through thick patches of the plant.
As such, we found the need to wear waders this time of year was absolutely crucial.
Although I wore pants and waders for most of the trip to help keep a rash off my bottom half, touching the plant with my hands, arms, and sometimes face was substantially inevitable, given the terrain we navigated.
Fortunately, we had the insight to bring some dedicated poison ivy soap made by TecNu that we used liberally over those two days. The soap seemed to keep most irritation symptoms at bay.
In addition to the heat, poison ivy, and grueling downclimb, prepare to scramble up and down the river among fields of sharp rock. No trails, no paths. Just a remote and badass wilderness.
With that said, I would not recommend this trip to folks without high levels of fitness and excellent route-finding skills.
A fall, a twisted ankle, or just getting turned around could have quickly happened to any of us. As such, we recommend traveling with a companion.
Fly Fishing in the Black Canyon
Ok. Enough said about the route and environment. What about the trout and the river?!
The trout fishing in the Black Canyon is, well, f!$&ing absurdly good. The lack of pressure these fish get, along with an abundance of bug life, kept these trout enthusiastically feeding all day.
Fishing in the Black Canyon was one of my fondest experiences of angling in Colorado.
Gunnison River Fly Fishing Tactics
We visited the Black Canyon a couple of weeks past the prime-time salmon fly hatch the Gunnison River is known for, so the game was primarily nymphing the bottom columns with heavier perdigons.
Purple and brown perdigons in size 14 seemed to work best. We dropped the nymphs three to five feet below an indicator or a size 10-12 chubby.
I tried single dry flies occasionally but rarely had any takes, so I quickly switched back to nymphing with a dry dropper setup.
I liked the dry dropper rig for this location specifically due to the crystal-clear nature of the water. Opposed to a bobber, a large dry fly suspending a nymph will often land more gently on the water’s surface, which can improve your chances of not spooking a fish.
Over the two days, we all landed plenty of fat, colorful, healthy brown and rainbow trout, several of which were in the 17 to 19-inch range.
We didn’t get any 20+ inchers that we had heard about, but the quality and aesthetics of the ones we did catch were more than enough to keep us smiling.
Fly fishing in Colorado is special, to say the least. But fishing the Gunnison River in this canyon was heavenly. Pure joy, pure fun.
Other flies that we brought that worked well for nymphing deep in the Black Canyon:
- Jigged Rubberlegs Nymph (especially around or during the salmon fly hatch)
- Jigged CDC Pheasant Tail (Size 14-16)
- HDA Fav Jig Fly (Size 14-16)
- Tungsten 20 Incher (size 10-14) (also good near or around the salmon fly hatch)
Gunnison River Fly Recommendations
Seeing as these fish rarely see pressure, we didn’t see a need to over-complicate the inventory of flies in our box. For a July trip, at flows around 650 cfs, we recommend packing your box with plenty of jig nymph patterns in the sizes 14-16 with a few 18’s for good measure.
- Perdigons (purple and brown)
- Tungsten Bead Pheasant Tails
- Duracell Jig
- Hare’s Ear Jigs
In the softer pockets of water, we attempted throwing a variety of dry flies with minimal success. This could be because the dry-fly hatches can be so prolific in the canyon that the trout see no need to take a chance on something that appears phony.
Either way, for a nice dry dropper rig that lands gently on the surface, we recommend the following flies:
- Dave’s Hopper (Size 8-12)
- Chubby Chernobyl (Size 8-12)
- Stimulator (Size 10-14)
- Yellow Sallies (Size 10-14)
- Henry’s Fork Foam Stone Dry Fly (Size 6-10)
Wading Techniques
The Gunnison River, which flows through the Black Canyon, felt like a significant body of water, even though it was only running at 650 CFS. It might have been the 3,000-foot towering canyon walls that gave some “oomph” to the actual size of the river.
Or it could have been the Class V+ rapids and waterfalls in abundance that provided the sense of seriousness.
Regardless, the river felt like big water and demanded respect when wading.
For more information on the Gunnison River flows in the canyon, check out the USGS Stream Flow below Crystal Dam.
Because of the speed of the current and remoteness of this fishery, I opted to play it safe. As such, I cast from the shore or shallow water to avoid wading in the hazardous streamflows.
I found this approach to work just fine, as I could easily target fishy water from most locations that didn’t require much more than knee-deep wading.
If the flows were much higher, I could see it being a challenge to fish some of the pockets and runs in this section.
Fish were located in medium-speed riffles, deeper runs, and eddies throughout the river. Due to the river’s stream flow, it was challenging to cast across currents into back eddies on the opposite side of the river, so we mostly focused on the eddies close to us.
Black Canyon Backpacking Gear List
This is my suggested packing list for the canyon. There are a few items I brought originally that I would leave home next time. Therefore, those items have been excluded from the list.
Camping/Survival Gear
- 50 Liter Backpacking Pack
- Lightweight backpacking tent
- 30 Degree Sleeping Bag (did not use!)
- Backpackers pillow
- Big Agnes Inflatable Sleeping Pad
- Jet Boil Stove
- Grayl Water Filter
- Backpacker’s First Aid Kit
- TecNu Poison Ivy Soap
- Arcteryx Beta LT Rain Jacket
- Change of socks, underwear, t-shirt (necessary when sweating through your first set)
- Hiking Pants
- Ball Cap
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Salomon Speed Cross Trail Running/Hiking Shoes
- Bug Spray
- 2 Backpackers Dinners
- 2 Backpackers Breakfasts
- Granola Bars/Candy
- Small Jar Peanut Butter/Jelly + Tortillas
- Lighter
- Garmin InReach Satellite Communication Device
- Rechargeable headlamp
- Flask of Old Overholt Rye Whiskey
- Small battery to re-charge electronics
Fly Fishing Gear
- Patagonia Swiftcurrent Ultralight Waders
- Wading Boots
- 9′ 5-weight Scott Centric (I brought two rods but only needed one)
- Fly Boxes – One Nymph Box (mostly jig patterns), One Dry Box (mostly chubbies, hoppers, large mayfly patterns), One Junk Fly Box
- Tippet – 3x, 4x, 5x Fluorocarbon
- 9′ 5x Leaders
- High n Dry Liquid Floatant
- Bobber-Indicators
- Dorsey Indicators
- Fishpond Mid-Length Nomad Net (37″ net)
- Patagonia Guidewater Sling Pack
- Lanyard with nippers, forceps, and Catchum Release tool
Takeaways For Future Trips
Would I go back? Absolutely.
Would I do some things differently? No doubt.
While the fishing was on point for most of our trip, the sheer heat of mid-July was grueling enough to make us question whether a month or two later or earlier would have been a more balanced experience.
Next time, I’d like to try this trip in May or September, streamflows depending.
I’d also opt for bringing only one rod to decrease bulk and weight.
I brought a wading staff that I normally use when fly fishing places like the Taylor River. Knowing the Black Canyon was going to be rugged, I brought it along for stability when wading. However, it was rarely used and mostly just got in the way. When I was wading, I was in shallow, mellow water… hence I didn’t need the staff. When I was “hiking,” I was mostly scrambling, requiring both hands and both feet to get up and over boulders.
Therefore I’ll probably leave the wading staff home next time.
When traveling to the Black Canyon from Crested Butte next time, I’ll probably budget for an extra 30 minutes to enjoy some coffee on the north rim throughout the drive. The scenery was awesome, and it’s worth spending some extra time.
Further, while the hiking into the Black Canyon via SOB Draw route was a great way to get into the canyon, I’d probably opt for a different route next time to see something different.
Lastly, more than two nights in this magical place were needed. Extended amounts of time on the river are never a choice I regret, and neither would you.
More About Fly Fishing The Gunnison River
The Gunnison River is Colorado’s second-largest river and one of the primary watersheds feeding the Colorado River basin. It begins in Almont, Colorado, at the confluence of the East and Taylor River.
The river flows south-southwest for dozens of miles from Almont through Gunnison into Blue Mesa Reservoir and then down through Black Canyon.
Once the river meets the Black Canyon below Marrow Point and Cystal Dams, the river flows in a general north-northwest direction until it confluences with the Colorado River in Grand Junction.
In total, the Gunnison River is 180 miles long.
Fly fishing on the Gunnison River is exceptional from April through October each year, with plenty of float fishing and wade fishing opportunities from Almont to Blue Mesa Reservoir west of the Town of Gunnison.
Gold Medal Sections of the Gunnison River
There are two distinct gold medal sections of the Gunnison.
- The Lower Gunnison Basin: Starting below Blue Mesa Reservoir and ending in Delta, CO. This section is filled with large trout and amazing scenery, include that of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Gunnison Gorge.
- Upper Gunnison Basin: Beginning in Almont, Colorado and ending at Blue Mesa Reservoir, this upper Gunnison Basin is home to some of the best fly fishing in Colorado. It offers many miles of float and wade fly fishing, along with opportunities to catch some monster trout.
Other Places To Fish Near Gunnison
Fly fishing in Gunnison County will be on your finest angling experiences in Colorado. There are dozens of trout streams with hundreds of miles of public access.
Some of the best fly fishing in Gunnison County will be up-valley, near the quaint mountain town of Crested Butte.
Near Crested Butte, you have access to world-famous fisheries including the East River, the Taylor River, and several smaller trout streams such as Spring Creek, Cement Creek, Brush Creek, and the Slate River.
Learn more about the best places to fly fish in Crested Butte here.
Trout Fishing the Gunnison Gorge
Gunnison Gorge fishing opportunities begin directly below the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
Many people refer to the Gunnison Gorge as the “black canyon,” while it is not actually part of the Black Canyon NP. Instead, it is a continuation of the Black Canyon in a more mellow environment.
To get into the gorge (also known as the Gunny Gorge), involves a hike down the Chukar trail to the river. Many people float fish the gorge on commercial trips offered through outfitters in the area.
If you plan a non-commercial trip, you must carry all your belongings into the canyon. The route is rugged, and you often will want to hire a pack of burrows to help with the load.
Many people herrald a float fishing trip through the Gunnison Gorge as one of the best wilderness fishing trips in the world.
In Summary
Fly fishing the Gunnison River in the Black Canyon is one of the most magical angling experiences in Colorado.
From its breathtaking scenery to its prolific fishing environment, the Black Canyon takes the cake for one of the best places to fly fish in the state.
For a more relaxed fishing trip in the area, check out the wade or float fishing opportunities in the Upper Gunnison Basin near the Town of Gunnison and Crested Butte.
Thanks for reading.
About the Author
Dan Jones is the author and founder of the Slackwater project. When he’s not guiding clients on the bountiful trout streams near Crested Butte, Colorado, he’s fly fishing or spending time on the water with his family.
Dan loves anything river, including whitewater paddling, expedition rafting, skipping stones, or sipping beers at a riverside picnic.
For more information about fly fishing in the Black Canyon or for beta on angling near Crested Butte, please email info@slackwaterco.com.