Story By Tanya Marcketti
Featured Photo by Benjamin Brown
When fishing with children in Colorado, you want a place where the kids can have fun while fishing. For kids, catching fish is much more fun than just the activity itself, so look for fishing spots where children can have some success, even if it is a small one. In addition, fishing with children is more fun when there are other activities for the kids in case they get easily bored and want to do something else. Children often enjoy fishing from the shore or a dock because they can always explore if the fish aren't biting.
With this in mind, here are some of best places to fish with kids in the Colorado Front Range around Denver.
One of the best places to fish with children in the Denver metro area is Bear Creek 
Reservoir in Bear Creek Lake Park at the junction of 470 and Morrison Road in Lakewood. Bear Creek Reservoir is stocked May through September with rainbow trout, saugeye, small mouth bass, and yellow perch. Small mouth bass are particularly abundant, making Bear Creek Reservoir a great place for fishing with children in Colorado, since they can have easy success catching fish. It is also a quick trip from the south and west sides of Denver, allowing for short fishing trip with kids.
Children can fish from the shore, dock, or boat if you have one (limited to 10HP at Bear Creek Reservoir). The cost is $5 for a day pass or $45 for an annual pass. Children can also swim in the park, so if fishing with the children doesn't work out, they have other activities at hand.
If you live on the Northeast side of Denver, Barr Lake State Park is an easy trip for going fishing with children in Colorado. Barr Lake State Park is stocked with channel catfish, smallmouth and largemouth bass, rainbow trout, walleye, bluegill, wiper and tiger muskie. Children enjoy fishing from the shore or the dock; you can also launch b
oats on the north side of Barr Lake (limited to 10HP). The southern half of the lake is a wildlife refuge and boating and fishing are not permitted there. A daily pass is $6 or an annual pass is $60.
Located off I-70 in Evergreen, Evergreen Lake is a great place to go fishing with children in Colorado. Not only is it scenic, it is free to fish from the shore or to boat in Evergreen Lake. Only electric engines are allowed, no gas powered engines. You can also rent small boats from the lake house. The lake is stocked monthly in the summer and is great place for kids to catch some fish. There is a scenic trail around the lake for children to burn off energy when not fishing.
For a daytrip out of Denver to go fishing with your children, Georgetown Lake makes a great adventure. Easily accessible off of I-70 in Georgetown, children can fish for free from the shore or from a boat here. Only non-motorized fishing boats allowed.
Frequently stocked, Georgetown Lake has a number of rainbow and brown trout for children to catch. Make a day to remember and fish in the morning and then take your kid to the Georgetown Energy Museum to teach them how the reservoir not only is for fishing but for powering the town. Or take your child on the Georgetown loop railroad for a memorable fishing day.
Lakes aren't the only places to take children fishing in Colorado. Rivers also offer great opportunities for fishing with kids. A good river for fishing with children is South Boulder Creek in Eldorado State Park. You can teach your kids to fly fish here, or they can just do regular fishing at some of the fishing holes along the creek. Even if the kids don't catch fish here, they will love exploring along the river. Fees are $7 daily or $60 for an annual pass.
Things to Remember when Fishing with Kids in Colorado.
Adults must have a fishing license to fish in Colorado. Annual license for Colorado residents is $26. Children under age 16 can fish without a license. Click here for more information on license and fishing regulations. Colorado has a license-free fishing the first full weekend in June 2010. Anyone can fish without a license on this weekend.
If you want to check fishing reports and conditions at various fishing places throughout Colorado the best resource is the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
Have fun fishing with your children this summer in Colorado!
Benjamin Brown is a Front Range photographer from Boulder County. You can find out more about his work at
www.fireskyphoto.com.
"Outdoor Parents, Outdoor Kids - A Guide to Getting Your Kids Active in the Great Outdoors" by award-winning author Eugene Buchanan extends parents a helping hand, or set of training wheels, i
n getting their kids active outside. Included are informative and entertaining look at biking, camping, swimming, paddling, fishing, skiing, hiking, climbing and other outdoor pursuits. Proceeds from the soft cover book, available in stores this April, benefit the Outdoor Foundation’s efforts to grow youth participation in the outdoors.
About Eugene Buchanan: A former reporter for the Denver Business Journal and 14-year editor-in-chief of Paddler magazine, Eugene Buchanan has written about the outdoors for more than 25 years, from covering the X Games for ESPN.com to working for NBC at the Beijing Olympics. With freelance articles published in the New York Times, Men's Journal, Sports Afield, Outside, National Geographic Adventure, Forbes Life and other publications, the Fellow member of the Explorer’s Club spearheaded the Outdoor Industry Association’s Outdoor Idols campaign, honoring teens’ accomplishments in the outdoors. His first book, Brothers on the Bashkaus, was released by Fulcrum Publishing in 2007.
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