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The Conejos River is a 92 mile tributary of the Rio Grande River in South Central Colorado.
The first 2 miles of the Conejos are in the San Juan Wilderness. Most people bypass the one mile of canyon like water and focus on the mile of meandering meadow water. However, the canyon water holds more and larger fish. The upper Conejos flows into Platora Reservoir which runs for about 2 miles. The reservoir offers good fishing for trout but a boat is recommended.
After the reservoir the Conejos passes thru the small town of Platora which is private
and then begins the most popular section as it meanders thru a wonderful meadow area.
From Platora down to the South Fork the Conejos is a productive tailwater fishery with good amounts of public access. The forest road following this section only allows parking at designated pull outs. Many of these pullouts become taken by mid-morning, so you will want to start your day here early. These fish are educated and you need a convincing presentation to be effective. I found a #12 soft hackle fly to be effective. Downstream of here there is some canyon water known as the Pinnacles. Larger trout in the 20 inch range can be found there although you should be prepared for rugged terrain and difficult wading. Unfortunately I didn't have time to fish that area.
The next area of the Conejos with lots of good fishing is the 4 mile section below Menkhaven Resort. There is a 25' lease for public fishing on both sides of the bank. There are a number of public pullouts along the road and you will often see other cars parked here. The river is considerably larger here but I found wading near the shoreline was still pretty easy. There are a good number of brown and rainbow trout here and they a can be of good size.
The Conejos further below this area continues to offer good fishing but most of the
access requires membership in the Colorado Anglers Club, of which I am not a member.
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