Welcome to the Gunny Gorge Giveaway, where one winner will receive an all-inclusive multi-day guided fly fishing trip with RIGS Fly Shop on the Gunnison River in Colorado. This stretch of the Gunnison River is one of Colorado’s most pristine and scenic areas to fish, thanks in part to conservation partners like Trout Unlimited. Enter below and learn more about Trout Unlimited’s efforts to protect this world-class fishery.
Just below the Black Canyon, the Gunnison River slows and deepens into a stretch known as the Gunnison Gorge. Here, clear water winds through desert cliffs, and wild trout still thrive. It’s one of Colorado’s most iconic fisheries and a place where local partners and volunteers have worked for years to keep the river healthy.
For decades, a push-up dam called the Relief Ditch sat within the Gorge. It blocked fish movement and required heavy equipment to reshape the channel every year. That cycle of disturbance chipped away at habitat and river stability. Local landowners, agencies, and conservation partners came together to change that. With planning and support from the Gunnison Gorge Anglers Trout Unlimited Chapter, they replaced the temporary dam with a permanent structure that delivers irrigation water efficiently while keeping the river connected. The new diversion allows fish to move freely, stabilizes the streambed, and reduces the need for in-stream work.
It’s a practical fix that made a lasting difference. Trout now have access to more habitat, and the surrounding reach is healthier and more resilient. The project also became a model for collaboration, showing that conservation and agriculture can work side by side.
The Gunnison Gorge Anglers continue to care for this canyon through riparian planting projects, cleanup days, and volunteer efforts that support the long-term health of the river. Their members partner with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management to monitor habitat and support one of the strongest trout populations in the state.
The Gorge is a reminder that wild places don’t stay that way by accident. They stay that way because people care enough to protect them, improve them, and pass them on.
Give back to the rivers that give us so much. Support Trout Unlimited today.
If you want to experience the Gunnison Gorge for yourself, enter the Gunny Gorge Giveaway!
