Author Joel Evans plays a rainbow caught on a weighted double nymph setup. Remnants of winter's snow greet the spring angler on the Roaring Fork River in western Colorado. Get there early -- before the summer crowds arrive and the spring runoff begins -- for some of the best fishing of the entire year. (Photo courtesy of Joel Evans)

Free and independent just like the mountain pass where the river begins, the Roaring Fork begins as a snowmelt trickle at the top of Independence Pass in the Colorado Rockies near Aspen. The river gains and flows northwesterly until it joins the Colorado River at Glenwood Springs, some 65 miles later.

More than a century ago, gold-seeking miners came by foot and by horse. Soon to follow the miners by wagon and by railroad were the businessmen, homesteaders and drifters, all searching for wealth, looking to work in the Roaring Fork Valley. Today summer tourists and winter skiers scantly remember those hard beginnings.

Although development in the valley has been fast and hectic ever since the ski area came about after World War II, the Roaring Fork River remains vibrant and the centerpiece of one of Colorado's most prized locations. The quality of the fishery in the Roaring Fork River is evidence that a river can survive, and even flourish, amidst such development.

Evidence of a quality freestone river lies in its strong insect population, the clear water of spring and fall, the scouring but cleansing effect of a spring runoff, the natural bends and deep holes, interspersed with riffles and protected pocket water, cutbanks on the outside of the bends, with cottonwoods and evergreens in the riparian zones, and brush along the banks.

A cycle of drought in the western United States has affected most of Colorado's rivers. Although the average water flow has decreased in the past several years because of reduced snowpack, it seems to not have significantly affected the fishery. Lower flows tend to concentrate the fish in the summer season, giving better access to the trout's hiding place. That, of course, is a two-way street as fishermen have to use lighter lines and be even sneakier when the water is low and clear.

I believe this is just one of nature's ways of strengthening the gene pool of the trout, for only the biggest and best survive the hard times of low flows and increased fishing pressure. And I'm happy to report they are surviving well. Having fished this river for four decades, the fish numbers are there and the catching is excellent. Fish are vibrant in color and even the small ones are plump. You will discover colorful rainbows and browns of mostly 10 to 12 inches that fight with vigor. Cutthroats and brook trout are also around, as well as the mountain whitefish in the lower stretches near Glenwood Springs. Sprinkle in a high number of 15- to 20-inchers and then some old-timers that you can measure by the pound and there is no doubt the Roaring Fork is an outstanding river by anyone's measure.

The Fork, as it is referred to locally, can be divided into thirds. Not in terms of mileage, but rather as to character and its public access.

From its craggy headwaters at over 10,000 feet downstream to Aspen, the Fork crashes through boulder fields and slot canyons as it gains size from numerous feeder creeks and springs. This section is mostly public access within the White River National Forest. Go here for a solitary experience to catch small brook and rainbow trout in very small pocket water.

Near Aspen and downstream to Basalt, the valley floor levels, and the water is somewhat gentler. But realize that level and gentle are relative terms. The river remains a fast-flowing stream, one that is difficult to wade, especially at higher flows. The pocket-water pockets grow in stature and long, deep runs begin to appear, with an occasional deep pool at the bottom end of a riffle or swirled around a large, protective rock. This section is public access down to the Upper Woody Creek bridge, then a mixture of public and private water from the bridge down to Basalt.

At Basalt, the Fork changes character somewhat due to the addition of the Frying Pan River. The Pan, being a tailwater river, adds not only volume, but usually also adds very clear water. Here the valley floor opens, causing the Fork to slow somewhat, having less pocket water and more deep runs and long, wide bends. From Basalt downstream to Glenwood Springs, the farther downstream you go, the slower the river becomes and the less public access there is. However, at Carbondale, the Crystal River, a free-flowing tributary, adds more volume, and the section from Carbondale to Glenwood Springs is an excellent section to float.