Information is provided by Colorado Parks & Wildlife employees and local fishing enthusiasts. Keep in mind that fishing conditions change on a constant basis. Much can change in a week from the time this fishing conditions report is produced.
Metro Denver Area
Aurora Reservoir
The water temperature is 51 degrees. Trout fishing has been rated as fair to good. Anglers have had success using PowerBait from the east and west end of the dam. Boaters have been trolling with pop gear and crawlers. Walleye fishing has been rated as slow to fair. There have been a few reports of anglers having success from shore using swim baits, and boaters using jigs and swim baits. There have been a few reports of smallmouth being caught off the points using jigs and swim baits.
Chatfield Reservoir
The water temperature is 59 degrees and the lake is full. The smallmouth bite has been strong, but anglers have been mostly pulling in smaller fish.
Quincy Reservoir
The water temperature is 55 degrees. Fishing for trout has been rated as slow to fair. Anglers have had success using spoons, spinners, and flies. Bass fishing has been inconsistent due to recent weather patterns. There have been a few reports of soft plastics, jigs, and swim baits providing bites. There have also been a few reports of smallmouth being caught from the dam using jigs.
Northeast Colorado
Cheesman Canyon
The water temperature is 43 degrees and flows below Cheesman Reservoir are at 175 cubic feet per second. Anglers have had success using small emerger patterns with all of the caddis and scud activity towards the top of the canyon. Lower flows gives anglers the ability to do some sight fishing.
Deckers
The water temperature is 39 degrees and flows are at 226 cfs. Anglers have had success using a stonefly pattern as a lead, followed by a small midge pattern. If the temperatures warm back up, you can expect trout to rise and feed on BWO’s.
Dream Stream
Conditions have been good, considering the time of the year. The inflows are currently at about 53 cfs, so look for the City of Aurora to keep the flows between 80 and 120 cfs as Spinney Reservoir continues to fill the remaining 15 feet. There is plenty of snow in the high country, and things will improve with warmer weather. Nighttime lows are still too cold to thaw the snow fields. Anglers willing to work hard and cover water, however, are catching some great fish in South Park. There are plenty of opportunities to catch trout with surface offerings in the slower pools and tailouts. It’s hard to go wrong with a Matt’s Midge in the 22 to 26 size range, or a Parachute Adams to fool these “risers”. During the non-hatch periods, red midge larva, Pheasant Tails, Manhattan Midges, Buckskins, and Jujubaetis nymphed under a strike indicator have been effective. Don’t rule out fishing streamers or fishing leeches either, as they are producing some excellent fish as well.
Eleven Mile Canyon
The water temperature is 44 degrees, with flows at about 82 cfs. Anglers have had success using caddis and BWO imitations. The BWO activity has been excellent with the recent cloudy weather.
Eleven Mile Reservoir
Trout fishing has been rated as good. Last Saturday afternoon, a switch got flipped and the fishing turned on all over the lake. Boat and shore anglers were having an excellent time. Some anglers reported catching over 30 fish, not including stockers. Anglers were having success using a variety of baits. The big trout have been in the 6 to 9 pound range. Arnies, Dynamac, Needlefish, Kastmasters, and Tasmanian Devils are still the go-to patterns. Trolling both deep and shallow has produced some big fish. Kokanee salmon fishing has been rated as good. The bite has turned on recently. Two year olds are running from 15 to 17 inches, and four year olds are running from 22 inches and up. It’s still too early to say the bite is on, but not too early to say the fishing is on. The most productive spots right now are from the marina to Goose Island. Pink has been the go-to color so far. Down rigger or lead core is a must. Most fish being caught are very deep, 30 to 40 feet down, with some even being caught from 50 to 60 feet down. If it is calm, you can successfully jig off the side of your boat like you were ice fishing. Use the same lures you would if you were ice fishing, like big Krocodiles or Kastmasters tipped with meal worm. No consistency yet, since the bite just started, but they’ve been caught throughout the day. The nastier the weather, the better the bite. Fishing for northern pike has been rated as fair. Although there has been some action, it is not on par with trout or salmon. Larger fish have been spotted in the shallows and are lethargic. The water temperature needs to rise just a little more for ideal conditions. Try working all of the coves in shallow water to get a bite. If the sun is bright and the water is calm, you will see the fish just hanging around the shallows. Sight fishing can be tough, due to the water clarity and fish being easily spooked.
North Sterling
The lake temperature is 68 degrees, and is full. Walleye and large perch have been caught off the south ramp parking lot, Darby Point, Elks Bay, up both arms, and Balanced Rock. Jigs with worms, crank baits, and plain worms have all been producing bites. Crappie have come out in the marina and Elks Bay as well as Balanced Rock and from anglers trolling the dam. Trout have come out along the dam as well. There have been some wiper caught off Darby Points and up the Darby arm. Catfish have come out at the inlet.
Spinney Reservoir
Fishing has been rated as excellent. There have been trout in the 20 to 24 inch range being caught. Anglers have had success from the North and South boat ramps using channel scuds, chironomids, and egg patterns. Anglers have also had success from shore using dynamic lures, kastmasters, and tube jigs.
Southeast Colorado
Adobe Creek Reservoir
Fishing for crappie has been rated as fair to good, with anglers having success using minnows and jigs. Fishing for saugeye has been rated as fair to good, with anglers having success using a variety of lures. There have been occasional reports of wiper and large mouth being caught, with anglers having success fishing from boats rather than the shore.
Arkansas River
Upper River: BWO’s are the main menu item right now, but caddis larva and pupa are becoming increasingly available and important. In the afternoons, be prepared for BWO hatches; we’ve had excellent reports on the river above Buena Vista. Sporadic adult stoneflies have been found along the banks at Hayden Meadows, so large attractor dry flies should be in your kit if you’re headed there. Nymphing slow, consistent pools and runs early and mid-day in the upper basin can be productive, with fish moving into faster riffles to feed when nymphs are drifting, primarily in the afternoons. Be thorough in your approach, and adjust your weight and depth often to locate fish.
Middle River: Cooler weather will be slowing the melt during the latter part of this week, reducing the tributary flows and clearing up the Arkansas River. This will provide a window of opportunity for anglers in the Browns Canyon/Milk Run area – quite possible to see resumption of caddis and BWO activity. Fish will gravitate to edgewater pockets, so dry-dropper fishing should be effective. This is a great opportunity to get on the Arkansas River one more time before runoff commences in earnest.
Lower River: Warm weather over the weekend and early this week increased snowmelt in the tributaries, raising the river level and murking up the water. However, those tributaries appear to have stabilized now and the river’s clarity is showing improvement. With much cooler weather forecast for the rest of the week, expect those tributaries to decline and the river to return to good conditions. The flows will be higher than last weekend, but visibility should be good and many fish will be taking up opportunistic feeding lies along the edges of the current. Pocket water fishing with dry-dropper combos ought to be quite productive – think attractor dries and nymphs, stonefly nymphs, adult craneflies, and some last BWO mayfly emergers. Streamers should also be effective.
John Martin Reservoir
Fishing on the reservoir side has slowed down over the last week. There have been a few reports of anglers catching some smaller sized crappie and white bass. There have also been a few reports of anglers catching some decent sized walleye.
North Gateway Park
There have been a few reports of bass being caught, but the recent weather has slowed down the bite. There have also been a few reports of crappie and catfish, but recent reports have predominantly been for trout.
Trinidad Lake
The lake is at 990 surface acres. Fishing from the south shore has been slow due to how stained the water is. There have been trout in the 12 to 15 inch range caught off of worms and PowerBait. Reilly Canyon, where the river comes in, has been slow due to stained water from recent rains. There have been a few reports of catfish and bass being caught. Boaters have been catching mostly trout and walleye, but in small numbers. Perch fishing has started to pick up, and boaters have found success using jigs tipped with worms.
Northwest Colorado
Blue River
The water temperature is 39 degrees with flows at 203 cfs at Silverthorne. Look for fish in the slower riffles and along the banks as the sun peaks. Anglers have had success using mysis, egg, and beatis patterns.
Fryingpan River
The water temperature is 40 degrees with flows at 249 cfs below Reudi Reservoir. The toilet bowl continues to fish well and anglers have had success using mysis patterns and midge patterns in red or black.
Vega Reservoir
The lake is currently full. Fishing has been good, with anglers reporting catching some nice rainbows in the 16 to 18 inch range using PowerBait, worms, and Panther Martins.
Southwest Colorado
Navajo Reservoir
The water temperature is 54 degrees. Fishing at Navajo Reservoir has been rated as fair to good. Anglers have had success catching crappie using jigs in both white and green. Fishing for smallmouth has picked up, with fish in the 3 to 4 pound range being caught. Anglers have had success using crankbaits for bass, especially crawdad imitations. Pike fishing has also picked up over the last few weeks.
Taylor Park
The reservoir is completely ice free as of May 10. Lake trout have been hitting on both lures trolling, and jigging with sucker meat, as well as fishing from the bank with sucker meat. Lure color seems to vary from day to day, but rainbow, blue, silver, and frog patterns have all worked well. So far, there have been reports of fish in the 10 to 20 pound range being caught. Rainbows have been biting from both the bank on worms, as well as trolling with lures and pop gear. Pike fishing has been off to a slow start, but there have been reports coming in of them biting on sucker meat from both the bank and from boat. There have yet to be reports of browns being caught, but we expect the bite to pick up any day.
Statewide
Rivers and Creeks
As we head into the spring season, anglers can expect to be fighting the crowds for a spot on the river. Rainbow, cutthroats and cutbow trout are all into their spawn, so be cautious of redds while wading on the rivers and creeks. Redds are easily distinguishable with their lighter color, ranging anywhere from 2 to 5 diameters in size. As the temperatures continue to rise, anglers can anticipate the BWO hatches to start coming in stronger. For patterns, try sticking to BWO’s, Stoneflies, Caddis, Juju Beatis, RS2’s, Parachute Adams, and Pheasant Tails. Anglers should look for ideal times to be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
