Did you know? Free fishing across Colorado this weekend, June 1-2, 2019 – no license required, however all other rules and regulations apply.

Conditions Report - Statewide

Statewide Conditions 

The recent weather patterns have been bittersweet when it comes to conditions on rivers and streams statewide. The cooler weather has slowed runoff a bit giving anglers a few extra days of prime flows to take advantage of. Streams on the Front Range are still flowing at optimal levels providing for exception opportunities for anglers to get out and do some nymphing and even some dry fly fishing. The disadvantage to the recent weather patterns is localized heavy amounts of rain that can quickly increase flows on certain streams and rivers. With that being said there are some streams and rivers throughout the state flowing much higher than average. In those instances the fish have likely pushed out of the main river channel and onto the edges that are flowing slower and with slightly better visibility. This extra moisture will surely get the substrate stirred up which can flush some of the larger insects and worms into the flow and the trout will surely be feeding heavily. The best way to target these edges is either by nymphing something relatively large and flashy that will catch the attention of feeding fish or larger streamers that make the calories expended worth the meal for the fish.
Colorado Fishing Atlas

Conditions Report - Northeast Colorado

Eleven Mile State Park

As of 5/30/2019, water temperatures are being reported around 48 degrees. Trout fishing is very good currently with fish of all sizes being caught both from shore and from boats. Kokanee fishing is currently fair but is slowly improving as the water continues to warm. Pike fishing is still lacking but is improving as the water warms, look for the fish to be using newly emerging vegetation as an ambush location and good place to target large pike.
Eleven Mile State Park

Deckers and Cheeseman Canyon

As of 5/31/2019, flows out of Cheesman Reservoir are still being kept relatively low which is keeping fishing conditions good for angling.. Anglers have been having some success on caddis dry flies as well as some success on other mayfly dry patterns. A majority of the success comes from nymphing smaller mayfly patterns or stonefly patterns such as pheasant tails or prince nymphs. There have also been a few reports of larger fish being caught on streamers. Flows: 218 CFS (5/31/2019)
Deckers and Cheeseman Canyon

Antero Reservoir

As of 5/30/2019, fishing has remained consistent since the lake opened to boating. The water temperatures are in the high 40’s to low 50’s. With the warmer water temperatures the fish are becoming more active. There have been a lot of reports of nice browns being caught as well as a few real quality cutbows. Anglers are having the most success fishing the deeper sections of this shallow reservoir.
Antero Reservoir 

North Sterling State Park

As of 5/27/2019, Water temp is about 56 degrees. Fishing report - Carp and Drum are fair, Walleye and Crappie fishing is Good/Great with limits being caught routinely. Walleye are being caught on worms, leeches and jigs on a slow retrieval. Crappie are being caught on small jigs and minnows. The Reservoir is OPEN to BOATING. The Inlet is ON and the Outlet is OFF.
North Sterling State Park 

Jackson Lake

As of 5/23/2019, several large wiper and walleye have been caught along the shoreline on the west side of the lake. Small wiper have are still being caught off the dam. Boaters have had intermittent success on the eastern portion of the lake for Walleye and Wiper. Water clarity is improving, but is only about 1 foot. The water temperature is approximately 58 degrees. As of 1:00pm 5/22/2019, the inlet is flowing minimally. The outlet is not flowing. Boat inspections are available (8:00am to 6:00pm Monday-Thursday) and (7:00am to 9:00pm Friday-Sunday).
Jackson Lake State Park

Barr Lake State Park

As of 5/28/2019, water temperatures are in the high 50’s but fishing has remained slow. Anglers are having some very limited success catching a few walleye and wiper. Water clarity is still considered good for this reservoir at 5 to 6 feet. Weeds are starting to grow in the shallower sections of the reservoir which can make the fishing tough but gives anglers a starting point when trying to find the fish.
Barr Lake

Tarryall Reservoir

As of 5/30/2019, fishing has been very good the last few days for trout. The most productive baits have been PowerBait or artificial salmon eggs. Anglers have reported quick limits of fish being caught. Anglers fishing with lures have had the most success using small blue and silver Kastmasters. 
Tarryall Reservoir

Spinney Mountain Reservoir

As of 5/30/2019, water temperatures are still hovering in the high 40’s with inconsistent weather patterns keeping things relatively cool. Fishing has been tough as the strong South Park winds have stirred up the reservoir and decreased water clarity. Anglers fishing with jerk baits are still having some success as the fish key in on the vibrations of more aggressive lures when the water is stained. Pike fishing has slowed slightly over the last week but anglers are still able to catch a few using larger jerk baits or swimbaits.
Spinney Mountain Reservoir

Conditions Report - Southeast Colorado

Arkansas River- Below Pueblo Reservoir

As of 5/31/2019, flows have stabilized and are in a range that can be very conducive to fishing. Anglers are having success targeting trout by nymphing San Juan worms, egg patterns, and larger stonefly patterns. Anglers fishing with spin casting gear are having luck with in-line spinner baits or small jerk baits. Flows: 412 CFS (5/31/2019)
Arkansas River at Pueblo Reservoir 

Lake Pueblo

As of 5/30/2019, water temperatures are finally reaching 60 degrees which has really turned the fishing on. Bass are being caught on a wide variety of presentations such as more aggressive crankbaits or lipless crankbaits. Other anglers targeting bass with more finesse techniques are also having success. Walleye fisherman are having the best success using live bait rigs along underwater points in the 15 to 25 foot of water range. Other anglers are also having luck using slip bobbers with leeches, minnows, or nightcrawlers as bait. Be sure to check the 2019 Fishing Brochure for updates on new Pueblo Specific Regulations for 2019. Boat Ramp/Inspection Station hours are currently 5:00am to 11:00pm. 
Lake Pueblo

Arkansas River Buena Vista to Canon City

As of 5/30/2019, water temperatures are getting to 50 degrees. Flows are still low compared to what they normally are this time of year, which is extending the fishing window for anglers. Anglers have been having the most success using caddis, blue wing olive, or dry dropper rigs. Streamers seem to be the most productive way of catching fish currently. Runoff is expected to kick into gear with the next warm weather spell so get after while the conditions allow. Flows: 690 CFS (5/30/2019) 
Arkansas River – Near Salida 

Trinidad Lake State Park

As of 5/28/2019, the lake is at 778 surface acres with a surface elevation of 6188.83. Water temperature is sitting in the high 50’s. Boaters are having excellent success catching trout. Trolling with worms or spinners seems to be the go to rig. Reports of walleye being caught in 15 to 20 feet of water. Water clarity is slightly off color due to recent snow melt and rain. The boat ramp is open, inspection hours are from 8:00am to 4:00pm daily. If there is not an inspector at the ramp, please call the ranger cell phone numbers at 719-859-0480 or 719-989-7194 or the visitor center at 719-846-6951 from 8:00am to 4:00pm.
Trinidad Lake

Adobe Creek Reservoir

As of 5/27/2019, fishing for crappies is good; Anglers have been having success using jigs, small crankbaits and minnows. Fishing for other species has been slow. The low water boat ramp is usable.
Adobe Creek Reservoir

John Martin Reservoir

As of 5/29/2019, the lake is about 20 feet low. The recent stretch of consistent weather has the fishing picking up with anglers reporting days of catching over 30 white bass with ease. Crappie and saugeye have been a bit tougher to come by.
John Martin Reservoir

Conditions Report - Metro Denver Area

Aurora Reservoir

This 762-acre impoundment is located off of E. Quincy Avenue, two miles east of E-470. Open to boating. Electric trolling motors only. As of 5/28/2019, trout fishing is slow to fair with a handful of some good reports. Best area has been off the dam using PowerBait from a slip rig. Boaters are reporting fair to good success on trout trolling with lures and fishing with crawlers off the bottom in 20-25’ of water. Trout, walleye, and perch action has been slow to fair at this point. For more information call 303-326-8425. Park hours May 5:30am-9:00pm. Restricted to electric motors only.
Aurora Reservoir

Cherry Creek

This 881-acre impoundment is located in Cherry Creek State Park, in Aurora. There are two entrances to the park, the east entrance off S. Dayton St. and the west entrance off S. Parker Rd. As of 5/30/2019, water temperatures are slowly getting back into the low 60’s with the recent stretch of slightly warmer water. Anglers targeting trout are reporting success using nightcrawlers or PowerBait. Anglers fishing for walleye are having success jigging blade baits on underwater points throughout the reservoir.
Cherry Creek Reservoir

Chatfield Reservoir

This 1,356 acre impoundment is located in Chatfield State Park. As of 5/30/2019, water temperatures are in the high 50’s to low 60’s. The recent stabilization of the weather has improved the fishing. Anglers targeting smallmouth are having success on tube jigs and swimbaits along rocky shorelines. Walleye anglers have been reporting a lot of success using live bait rigs along the underwater roadbeds. Jigging with paddletails has also produced some good walleye action and some slightly larger fish. Trout fishing has been fair with most fish being caught on nightcrawlers floated about a foot off bottom.
Chatfield Reservoir

Quincy Reservoir

As of 5/28/2019 Bass fishing has started to pick up again. Reports of bass starting to spawn. A few reports of smallmouth bass being caught off the dam using jigs. Restricted to artificial flies and lures only. Some reports of perch being caught using jigs. Only watercraft capable of being launched by hand permitted. Vehicles and trailers are not permitted in the water. For more information call 303-326-8424. Park Hours May 5:30am-9:00pm.
Quincy Reservoir

Conditions Report - Northwest Colorado

Blue River

As of 5/31/2019, the flows have stabilized near 400cfs, which is above average for this time of year. Although flows are above average some anglers have still been able to get into some nice fish. Mysis shrimp patterns are still probably the go to however egg patterns, or San Juan worms have also produced some sporadic success. There have also been a few reports of some anglers having success using streamers. Flows: 403 CFS (5/31/2019) 
Blue River - Silverthorne 

Colorado River

As of 5/31/2019, with runoff season slowly beginning, fishing on the Colorado River has been tough. The only few reports of success are coming from anglers using spoons, or jerk baits fished in the current. Fly anglers are also having some success nymphing large flashy flies such as flashback pheasant tails or stonefly imitations. Flows: 1300 CFS (5/31/2019) 
Colorado River - Near Kremmling 

Vega Reservoir

As of 5/25/2019 fishing is good with anglers reporting catching some nice rainbows and cutthroats in the 12 to 16 inch range. The Island and Early Settlers boat ramps are open at this time. Oak Point Boat ramp will remain closed this summer due to a silting problem at the bottom of the ramp. All boats must be inspected prior to launching. The ANS inspection station and entrance gate open at 7:00am and close at 8:30pm daily. If you have a valid pre-inspection receipt and seal then you may launch prior to 8:00 am.
Vega State Park

Lake Granby

As of 5/27/2019, water temperatures are at 47 degrees. Casting lures shallow near the shorelines during lowlight periods is producing some really good brown trout action. Lake Trout have been caught all over the reservoir in a wide variety of depths with some being extremely shallow and other fish being caught on deep structure. Jigging is still probably one of the best techniques for targeting lakers in these deep mountain reservoirs.
Lake Granby

Lake John

As of 5/30/2019, fishing is a little slower than normal for this time of year as the water temperature is taking a while warming up since ice off. Yesterday the water was at 49.2 degrees. People are still catching fish here and the average size is nicer this year compared to last year. As the water temperatures continue to climb the fishing activity continues to increase as well. The fish do appear to be in more shallow waters right now. There is a slew of items working well right now including salmon egg peach PowerBait, gold Kastmaster, wooley buggers, Rapala’s and black and yellow lures are a few to mention.
Lake John

Conditions Report - Southwest Colorado

Blue Mesa Reservoir 

As of 5/30/2019, the water level has started to stabilize as outflows through the dam have increased. There is still a large amount of floating debris present in the reservoir so anglers are encouraged to use caution when navigating on a boat. The reservoir is open for boating, boat inspection hours are 6:00am to 8:00pm 7 days a week, launching will be available at the Elk Creek Boat Ramp as well as the Lake Fork Boat Ramp. Fishing for trout has still been good casting jigs and jerk baits along shore, if you aren’t having success look a bit deeper as the fish are staying slightly deeper with rising water levels. Trolling for kokanee salmon has been consistent with fish spread at various depths. Lake trout fishing has been slow but the occasional large fish have been caught. For more information contact Curecanti National Recreation Area at 970-641-2337.
Blue Mesa Reservoir 

Crawford State Park

As of 5/25/2019, we have had many anglers, both shore fishing and fishing from boats. They have reported catching pike and largemouth bass. Remember that there is a lake specific limit on the bass. They must be 18 inches or larger to keep, and you can only keep ONE. Statewide limits pertain to all other species.
Crawford Reservoir

Taylor River - Below Taylor Park Reservoir

As of 5/31/2019, flows out of Taylor Park Reservoir are much higher than average for this time of year which is making the fishing on the tailwater section very difficult. Even though there are a number of large fish present in the tailwater the fishing is very tough when flows are increased. Flows: 665 CFS (5/31/2019)
Taylor River

Gunnison River - near Gunnison

As of 5/31/2019, flows have been steadily decreasing over the last week which will have the fish start spreading out again and making the fishing good. Anglers are still having the most success using nymphs in the slower deeper pools. Other anglers have had some limited success fishing the small pockets of slack water behind larger rocks. Look for flows to increase as the Gunnison Basin has well above average snowpack. Flows: 1640 CFS (5/31/2019)
Gunnison River

Taylor Park Reservoir

As of 5/30/2019, the lake is open to boating with ANS Inspectors present 8:00am to 6:00pm daily. Fishing has been slow to start the season. The lake was recently stocked with rainbow trout which generally shuts down the fishing for large lake trout and northern pike for a couple days. Water levels are still low but with a lot of snowpack on the surrounding peaks water levels are expected to rise quickly!
Taylor Park Reservoir

Ridgway Reservoir

As of 5/29/2019, fishing in the reservoir for trout is good, productive lures and baits are worms, artificial salmon eggs, in-line spinners, and Rapalas. Larger fish have been caught trolling in deeper water. The fishing ponds at Pa-Co-Chue-Pak have been fishing well with small worms, PowerBait and egg imitations.
Ridgway Reservoir