Gore Creek Fly Fishing Report
Gold Medal waterGore Creek at Vail. Guides and local shops report an ideal wade-fishing window of roughly 50–150 cfs (FlyGuysNLies). Live gauge data below updates automatically.
What's swimming in Gore Creek
No CPW fishery survey or body-of-water page exists for Gore Creek. The species detail below comes from a 1999 USGS study, dated but genuinely site-by-site, plus a local fly shop.
- USGS electrofishing at four Gore Creek sites found all four trout species (Cutthroat, Brook, Rainbow and Brown) present at every site, with rainbow and brown generally most abundant (USGS Fact Sheet FS-186-99).
- Brown Trout dominated the lowest sampling site, possibly reflecting fish moving up from the Eagle River; mottled sculpin, a native cold-water species, were abundant at every site (USGS Fact Sheet FS-186-99).
- About 25% of trout exceeded 12 inches at the two downstream sites inside the Gold Medal reach, versus 10% upstream (USGS Fact Sheet FS-186-99).
- The Gold Medal reach runs from the Red Sandstone Creek confluence downstream to the Eagle River confluence: flies and lures only, 2-fish bag with a 16-inch minimum (CPW special regulations). A Vail fly shop separately reports Brook, Cutthroat, Rainbow and Brown Trout throughout the creek, including the Gold Medal stretch in West Vail (secondary source) (Vail Valley Anglers).
Rivers and creeks that flow into Gore Creek
3 hold fish on Colorado Parks and Wildlife's records, listed from the headwaters down. Open one for where to fish and its rules.
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Black Gore Creek Brook trout
Where to fish
National forest stretch
About 7 miles up the creek · About a mile by the Vail - Frisco Recreation Path from Forest Road 49.1, high-clearance, open May 21 to Nov 22
About it
It joins Gore Creek about 4 miles E of Vail. It flows year-round.
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Pitkin Creek Cutthroat trout
Where to fish
National forest stretch
About half a mile up the creek · About a quarter mile by the Pitkin Trail from the Pitkin Trailhead
About it
It joins Gore Creek about 3 miles E of Vail. It flows year-round.
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Booth Creek Cutthroat trout
Where to fish
National forest stretch
About a mile up the creek · About half a mile by the Booth Lake Trail from its trailhead
About it
It joins Gore Creek about 2 miles E of Vail. It flows year-round.
Show 7 more named tributaries (no CPW fish data)
These also flow straight into Gore Creek. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has no fish data for them; some may still hold fish.
- Deluge Creek
- Bighorn Creek
- Mill Creek
- Spraddle Creek
- Middle Creek
- Red Sandstone Creek
- Buffehr Creek
Species and special rules are Colorado Parks and Wildlife's. Statewide rules apply everywhere. Before you fish, check land ownership, CPW's current regulations and its temporary closures for drought and low water.
How we pick these
Species are CPW's records from its Fishing Atlas. A creek missing from this list may still hold fish; CPW simply has no record for it. The list runs in the order each one joins Gore Creek, from the headwaters down, and "joins" names the nearest town to where it does on the same side of the mountains: a Census place, or a town with its own post office. Flow is how USGS maps each channel, not a live reading.
Special rules are the ones CPW writes for each creek in its Fishing Atlas. Rules CPW writes for the river itself, such as closures around a creek's mouth, are not repeated on the creek, and no directions lead into water CPW closes all year.
A national forest stretch is one that both the Forest Service's and BLM's ownership maps show as national forest for at least half a mile of the creek, with a road on the Forest Service's motor vehicle map within 500 feet; directions go to that road. Where a line names a trail, the Forest Service trail comes within 500 feet of the creek instead, and directions go to its trailhead; from where the trail enters the forest, the whole way is national forest in both maps. Maps can be wrong and road seasons change. Away from CPW access points, check land ownership before you fish.
Getting to Gore Creek
No official public access point could be confirmed for Gore Creek. A direct query against CPW's own Fishing Atlas mapping data returned zero access-point features for the Vail corridor, and the Town of Vail's own GIS hub has no parks, recreation or river-access layer. We're publishing only the confirmed regulation boundary below rather than a guessed access list.
- Gold MedalRed Sandstone Creek confluence to the Eagle River confluence -- artificial flies and lures only, trout bag/possession/minimum 2 fish at 16 inches (CPW special regulations).
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What’s hatching on Gore Creek
9 insects, from the published hatch charts of 3 fly shops, guides and fishing sites. Tap an insect to see where its dates come from. Every river, month by month →
Hoppers & terrestrialsApr – Sep · hook #8–185 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Catch and The Hatch “Ant patterns”: Apr – Sep (months only) · #14-18
- The Catch and The Hatch “Beetles”: May – Sep (months only) · #14-18
- The Catch and The Hatch “Hoppers”: Jun – Sep (months only) · #8-16
- The Catch and The Hatch “Flying Ants”: Aug – Sep (months only) · #14-18
- FlyGuysNLies “Terrestrials / Hoppers”: Aug (months only) · Hippy Stomper #12-14
CaddisMay – Oct · hook #10–202 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Catch and The Hatch “Caddis”: May – Oct (months only) · #10-20
- FlyGuysNLies “Caddis”: May – Oct (months only)
StonefliesMay – Sep · hook #8–161 source
Where these dates come from:
- The Catch and The Hatch “Stonefly adults (general)”: May – Sep (months only) · #8-16
Golden StonefliesJun – Aug · hook #8–142 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Catch and The Hatch “Golden Stone”: Jun – Aug (months only) · #8-14
- FlyGuysNLies “Golden Stonefly”: Jul (months only)
Pale Morning Duns (PMD)Jun – Sep · hook #14–202 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Catch and The Hatch “Pale Morning Dun”: Jun – Sep (months only) · #14-20
- FlyGuysNLies “Pale Morning Dun”: Jul (months only)
Yellow SalliesJun – Aug · hook #12–182 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Catch and The Hatch “Yellow Sally Stonefly”: Jun – Aug (months only) · #12-18
- FlyGuysNLies “Yellow Sally”: Jul (months only)
Blue-Winged Olives (BWO)Sep – Apr · hook #16–243 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Catch and The Hatch “Blue Wing Olive”: Sep – Apr (months only) · #16-24
- FlyGuysNLies “Blue-Winged Olive”: Apr (months only)
- FlyGuysNLies “Blue-Winged Olive”: Sep (months only)
Green DrakesNo dates published1 source
Where these dates come from:
- FlyGuysNLies “Green Drake”: no dates given
MidgesAll year · hook #16–243 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Catch and The Hatch (Gore Creek main section, Colorado River Basin) “Midges”: Jan – Dec (months only) · #16-24
- FlyGuysNLies (Gore Creek, Vail Valley) “Midges”: Dec – Feb (months only) · #18-22
- Vail Valley Anglers “Midges”: no dates given · #18-24 (Red Demon 18-22, Parachute Adams 18-24, Sprout midge 20-22)
Some sources list only months, not days, so treat the dates as a guide and check conditions before you go.
10 fly pairings from real fishing reports
Browse 50 public pairings across the library. A Free account unlocks 5 more of your choice.
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Fly shops on Gore Creek
Gore Creek fly fishing questions
What is a good flow (cfs) to fish Gore Creek?
Guides and local shops report an ideal wade-fishing window of roughly 50–150 cfs on Gore Creek (FlyGuysNLies). TroutTips shows the live current reading against this range so you can check before you go.
Is Gore Creek designated Gold Medal water?
Yes, at least part of Gore Creek carries Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Gold Medal water designation.
What flies work on Gore Creek?
TroutTips tracks 10 fly pairings reported specifically on Gore Creek, each tied to a season and a real source. See the Fly Pairings section on this page for the full list.
Are there fly shops near Gore Creek?
Yes, Cutthroat Anglers, Breckenridge Outfitters, Vail Valley Anglers, Fly Fishing Outfitters (Avon), Fly Fishing Outfitters (Vail), Gore Creek Fly Fisherman, Eagle River Anglers, Minturn Anglers (Minturn), Minturn Anglers (Vail) guide this river. See the Nearby Fly Shops section on this page for details.