Fishing in Colorado
Trout fishing in Colorado
The statewide trout limit, named-water exceptions, brook trout, protected cutthroat, legal lines, and the rules to check before keeping a fish.
The statewide default
Four fish means four across the whole group
The daily bag
The default is four total across trout, Arctic char, grayling, salmon other than kokanee, and mountain whitefish. Four rainbows plus four browns would be over that shared daily limit.
The possession limit
The default is eight total in possession. Fish in the field, in transport, at home, frozen, smoked, canned, or otherwise stored still count until they are eaten.
The small brook trout exception
The statewide rule allows 10 additional brook trout that are 8 inches long or shorter. A named water can still set a different brook trout rule.
The exact water
The lake or river can change the answer
Special limits
A named water may lower the count, add a minimum or protected size, combine species in one limit, or require a fish to be released.
Special methods
Some waters allow artificial flies and lures only. Bait, added scent, hooks, and seasonal closures can also have a local rule.
Gold Medal does not replace the rule book
Gold Medal and Quality Water labels describe the fishery. They do not tell you the legal limit or method, so read the water's special listing too.
Fish identification
Know which trout is in your hand
Rainbow trout
Look for dark spots on a lighter body and often a pink or reddish stripe along the side.
Brown trout
Brown trout usually have a golden-brown or olive body, larger dark spots, and red spots with pale halos.
Brook trout
Brook trout have light marks on a dark back and orange lower fins with a white leading edge.
Cutthroat trout
The red slash under the jaw is the clue. Greenback cutthroat trout are protected and must be returned. Many named waters also require release of other cutthroat, so check before keeping one.
Lines and hooks
A second rod does not mean a second limit
The ordinary rule is one personally attended line with no more than three common hooks. A second-rod stamp allows a second rod, hand line, or tip-up, but it does not add another bag limit.
Take this with you
Before you keep a trout
- ✓ You can identify the fish and know which shared limit it belongs to.
- ✓ You searched the exact water in the current Fishing Brochure.
- ✓ Your bait, lure, scent, hooks, and number of lines fit that water's rule.
- ✓ You know the daily, possession, size, and release rules for that fish.
Official sources and review
Check the current rule before you act
These links go to the agencies that control this part of the trip. Use the exact page, license, listing, map, order, or confirmation for your situation.
Use this carefully: The four-fish and eight-fish totals are statewide defaults. Named waters can set different limits, protected sizes, methods, or closures. Check the current Fishing Brochure before fishing or keeping a trout.
Keep going
More about fishing in Colorado
Kokanee and snagging
Ordinary kokanee angling, the narrow snagging exception, statewide limits, fish identification, and the named-water rules that control the season.
Licenses and limits
Who should check for a Colorado fishing license, how statewide limits work, and why the exact water listing matters before you keep a fish.
Where to fish
How to use the CPW Fishing Atlas, find public access, and check the bank, streambed, parking, and land-manager rules for a Colorado fishing spot.
Rules for the exact water
How to read Colorado's special fishing regulations for a named lake or river stretch, including methods, closures, limits, and release rules.
Boats and Clean, Drain, Dry
The Colorado checks for boat registration, aquatic nuisance species stamps, inspections, launches, and cleaning gear between waters.