Buying a Fishing Property

When looking for a ranch, most recreation oriented individuals want a property that has both fishing and hunting opportunities on it.   And while just about any mountain property of 35 acres or more will have some type of hunting, finding a property with fishing potential is a little more difficult, and usually more expensive.

While Colorado is home to 35 species of fish, both warm water and cold water, most recreational properties in the mountains with fishing will have trout.

The only native trout to Colorado is the Cutthroat.  There are three subspecies of the Cutthroat, found mostly in remote, high country streams.  Other species such as the Brown and Rainbow have found a home in Colorado and have become the predominate fish in most of the rivers, streams and lakes..

There are abundant fishing opportunities in the state with over 6,000 miles of streams. 168 miles of Gold Medal Water and over 2,000 lakes.

So how do you decide what is best for your personal requirements?

The first criteria will be money.  If you want private access to the “Big Water” such as the Colorado, Taylor, Arkansas, or North Platte rivers, you should expect to pay a significant premium for this property.  The demand is very high for these properties, and while they provide some incredible fishing, there are plenty of secondary stream and rivers that provide excellent fishing as well.

These secondary rivers and stream such as the Huerfano, Troublesome, and Muddy to name a few, when managed properly, hold some very large fish. The private properties that border these streams and rivers are much more reasonably priced.

These secondary waterways can provide excellent fishing, but the quality can vary significantly from property to property. Over the years, mining and livestock grazing have, in some cases altered the structure and flow is such a manner that they no longer provide the quality fishery that it once was. It is important to know how to identify the best properties with respect to the quality of the fishery.

This is where a skilled and knowledgeable ranch broker can really help you.

 We at Beacon Mountain Farm & Ranch know where these hidden gems are located and which ones are on the market and we have years of experience fishing many of these waters, Secondly, we can assist you in getting a professional assessment of the fishery.  Finally, if there is a need for a restoration project we have a network of affiliates that can provide that as well.