← All regulation guides
United States · CO
Colorado
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW)
Rules change by area and can change mid-season. We explain what the rules mean and always link you to the official source — we never copy a limit table and call it current.
Licences — what you need
- • A fishing licence is required statewide; anyone entering a State Wildlife Area or State Trust Land also needs a habitat stamp or qualifying licence in hand.
- • Licences are sold on an April-to-March licence year, which catches out visitors expecting a calendar year.
How the rules are organized
- • Rules are organized by individual water in the fishing brochure — Colorado manages water by water, with special-regulation stretches marked for major rivers.
- • Gold Medal waters and wild trout waters carry their own gear and harvest rules within the general framework.
Good to know — common mistakes
- • Artificial flies and lures only — and often barbless — on most quality trout stretches; bait water and fly water can alternate by section on the same river.
- • Live fish as bait are prohibited in most waters west of the Continental Divide and above set elevations.
- • Ice fishing is huge and shelter/line rules vary by lake — some trophy lakes allow only limited lines and no shelters left overnight.
- • Many famous tailwaters (South Platte, Fryingpan, Blue River) have section-specific rules posted at access points that override the general brochure defaults.
Official links
Fishing locations covered in this guide
This page is a plain-language summary, not the law. Regulations change — including in-season by official notice — and if anything here disagrees with the official source, the official source governs.
AnglerPlan is an information service, not a regulator. If anything here disagrees with an official source, the official source wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.