The following fishing and stocking report is produced by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. For further information, call 303-291-7534.
Denver metro
Arvada Reservoir: Fishing from boats is good, using Orange Power Bait and night crawlers or trolling assorted spoons and spinners.
Aurora Reservoir: Trout fishing is good for some. The most successful setup is using Power Bait on a slip rig with a 3- to 4-foot leader off the dam.
Barr Lake: Anglers continue to catch largemouth and smallmouth bass on a wide variety of baits and lures.
Bear Creek: Water is clear and fishing is fair to good using small beadhead nymphs, Adams dries and small Mepps spinners.
Bear Creek Reservoir: Fishing for stocker trout has slowed as the water warms.
Berkeley Lake: Best times are early morning or late evening using Power Bait, Nitro Bait and small night crawlers.
Centennial Park Lake: Trout fishing is still good in the morning along the north shore using Power Bait, salmon eggs, Tasmanian Devils or a Renegade fly and bubble.
Chatfield Ponds: Some nice largemouth bass are being caught on spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and plastic worms.
Chatfield Reservoir: Walleyes are biting on bottom bouncers with worms rigged on flashy crawler harnesses in 12 to 20 feet of water.
Cherry Creek Reservoir: Big largemouth bass are the main attraction. Anglers have been doing well on bass with spinnerbaits, dark-colored plastic worms and tomato-colored lizards.
Clear Creek (above Colorado 119): Fly-fishers do best with Hare’s Ears, Pheasant Tails or RS2 nymphs. For dries try ants and hoppers. Lure casters should use small Mepps or Panther Martin spinners.
Clear Lake: The north shore remains a hot spot with some nice fat stocker trout being caught on salmon eggs and Power Bait.
Evergreen Lake: Trout fishing is generally slow, though some are being caught on Power Bait and night crawlers early and late in the day.
Georgetown Lake: Trout of up to 14 inches continue to hit on pink and green Power Bait, salmon eggs and night crawlers. The west shoreline is most productive.
Gross Reservoir: Shorecasters have been catching 18-inch trout on Kastmasters, Dardevles and Tasmanian Devils.
Jim Baker Reservoir: Trout fishing is slow but small perch can be caught on ultralight tackle on Gulp Grubs or a small hook baited with a piece of night crawler.
Main Lake: Mornings and evenings use plastic worms, spinnerbaits or buzzbaits in the shallows for bass.
Quincy Reservoir: Fish the deeper water for bass early in the morning or late evening using soft plastics and top-water lures.
Rocky Mountain Lake: Trout fishing has slowed with the warmer weather but a few are still being caught on Power Bait, Nitro Bait, small night crawlers and salmon eggs.
Sloan’s Lake: Most of the fish in this lake are carp, with a few hard-to-find crappie.
Smith Reservoir: Nice largemouth bass can be caught on plastic worms or dark colored tube jigs retrieved very slowly.
South Platte River (Waterton Canyon): Water is clear and fishing is good for trout both in the flies and lures only section and the bait section downstream.
Standley Lake: Lake is full and anglers are catching a nice mix of walleyes, wiper and smallmouth bass.
Washington Park Lakes: Only a few catfish are being hooked on night crawlers fished in the evening.
Webster Lake: Turkey or chicken livers, shad side, night crawlers and stinkbaits all catch catfish.
Northeast
Barker Reservoir: Fishing for stocked trout is fairly good with Power or Nitro Bait, worms and salmon eggs.
Bellaire Lake: Anglers have made some nice catches of trout on the northwest side using No. 8-10 Hoppers and Halfbacks.
Big Creek Lakes: Fishing is good to very good. Grayling are biting on No. 20-22 Parachute Baetis, Ginger Quill Emergers and No. 18-20 Disco Midges fished in the surface film.
Big Thompson Ponds: Anglers are making nice catches of catfish in the back pond on stinkbaits.
Big Thompson River: Water is clear and fishing is good. Trout are feeding on small stoneflies, midges and caddis.
Boulder Reservoir: Boaters landing walleyes on brown or chartreuse jigs and bass on white jigs and minnows, mainly on the east side of the reservoir.
Boyd Lake: Lake is full, stocked with trout that can be caught mostly on bait cast from shore at the inlet channel.
Carter Reservoir: Walleye fishing remains good deep-trolling crawler harnesses or jigs tipped with crawlers.
Chambers Lake: Fishing at the three inlet streams is good. Cast a Panther Martin, Mepps Aglia or Vibrax spinner across the onrushing current and retrieve slowly.
Cowdrey Lake: Fishing for stocked trout is fair to good with bait of all kinds.
Douglas Reservoir: Anglers report catching some nice wipers on Rat-L-Traps, Rapalas and large No. 3-4 streamer flies.
Dowdy Lake (Red Feather): Fishing remains good for trout using Thomas Buoyants, Little Cleos and perch scaled-pattern Dardevles or Devledogs.
Dumont Lake: Fishing is exceptional. Stocked rainbow trout and small to medium-sized brook trout can be caught from shore using Adams, Wulff, Mosquitoes and Fox Variant dry flies.
East Delaney Lake: Midges, Mayflies and mosquitoes provide the main sources of trout food but leeches, shrimp and scuds also feature in the diet.
Estes Lake: Inlet is sometimes muddied by rain but the lake is generally clear and fishing is good using sonic-type lures such as Panther Martins, Vibrax and Stream-a-Lures.
Flatiron Reservoir: Fishing for 10- to 12-inch rainbows is very good with bait of all kinds.
Hidden Lakes: Some nice rainbows and cutbows of up to 3 pounds caught using Kastmasters and Little Cleos.
Hohnholz Lakes: Lake No. 2 has been stocked with catchable rainbows and will produce good catches for bait fishermen using Power Bait, Fireballs and night crawlers.
Horsetooth Reservoir: Walleyes are biting well in the shallows on minnow imitations and jigs baited with night crawlers off the bottom.
Jackson Reservoir: Fishing for catfish remains consistently good with stinkbaits, night crawlers, shad sides and chicken livers.
Joe Wright Reservoir: Grayling and trout are biting along the south shore at mid-lake on No. 20 midge emerger nymphs and small metal lures.
Jumbo Reservoir: Fishing is slow.
Lake John: Anglers using crayfish imitation bass plugs have been hammering big rainbow trout of 3 to 8 pounds.
Laramie River at Hohnholz State Wildlife Area: Fly-fishers are not doing as well as lure casters, but still catching some nice 2- to 3-pound brown trout on Hornbergs, Halfbacks and hellgrammites.
Lonetree Reservoir: Fishing for wipers is good using top-water plugs such as Skitter Pops, Pop-Rs, Chug Bugs and Spit-n-King.
Long Draw Reservoir: Fishing is good to very good, especially around the inlet, using No. 3-5 Rapalas, Thomas Roughriders, Little Tigers and Arrows.
Lon Hagler Reservoir: Anglers who want to go after tiger muskie should try the shallows along the northwest shore using a Suick, AC Plug, Muskie Ike or large Syclops lure on a wire leader.
Lost Lake (at Chambers): Fishing for recently stocked trout is good using bait or Hornbergs, Beadhead Woolly Buggers and small Dardevles in bright-colored patterns.
North Delaney Lake: Ants, beetles, hoppers and other terrestrials are the most effective flies during the day.
North Fork of the North Platte River: Anglers are having great results with hoppers, ants and other terrestrials in the heat of the day.
North Michigan Lake: Fishing is good for anglers casting or trolling black Woolly Buggers, Halfbacks and Hornbergs.
North Park streams: Fishing is good as summer hatches get into high gear and terrestrials add to the smorgasbord.
North Platte River: Anglers familiar with this stream can do well with streamers, Woolly Buggers, ants, hoppers and mosquitoes.
North Sterling Reservoir: Fishing remains generally slow.
Parvin Lake (Red Feather): Belly-boaters have the advantage over shorecasters because they can cast back to the shore.
Pinewood Reservoir: Fishing is good for recently stocked rainbow trout with Fisherman’s Cove a top producer.
Poudre River: Flow has dropped, water is clear and fishing well with bait of all kinds where permitted.
Seeley Lake: Trout fishing has been good with Power Bait and Fireballs.
Seymour Reservoir: Lake has been stocked with rainbow trout and fishing for them is very good with night crawlers, Power Bait and Nitro Bait.
South Delaney Lake: Midges are swarming on warm, sunny days and mosquitoes provide good evening fare for the big browns and cutbows that inhabit this lake.
St. Vrain River: Best results are with bait: night crawlers, Fireballs and Power Bait.
Teal and Tiago Lakes: Trout fishing is good using Thomas Buoyants, Cyclones, Devledogs and large Hornbergs.
Union Reservoir (Calkins): Fishing for catfish is very good on the north shore, at the inlet and north of the fishing pier.
Northwest
Blue River (below Green Mountain Reservoir): Start off with a Drake nymph in the morning and switch to a No. 14-16 Drake dry when the hatch begins.
Blue River (Dillon to Green Mountain Reservoir): Any No. 10-12 Green Drake pattern works but favorites include Lawson’s Standard Green Drake, Colorado Green Drake, Hair Wing Drake and Drake Cripples.
Colorado River (below Parshall): Fish are rising to Caddis, Pale Morning Duns, a few Yellow Sallies, hoppers, ants and other terrestrials.
Colorado River (Glenwood to Rifle): Recent float trips have yielded many big fish nymphing the banks with large attractor patterns such as Princes, various Stonefly patterns, San Juan Worms and Yellow Sallies.
Colorado River (near Granby): Fishing continues to be good in the upper river below Shadow Mountain Reservoir.
Fryingpan River: Dry-fly fishing remains spectacular with Baetis and Pale Morning Duns the main hatches.
Granby Reservoir: Worms remain the bait of choice with spinners and trolling rigs coming in second.
Grand Lake: Trolling Kastmasters or jigging tubes with shiners and suckers is still the most effective method of catching lake trout.
Green Mountain Reservoir: Medium-sized lake trout are being caught in 40-foot depths on night crawlers and salmon eggs.
Green River: Trout fishing remains very good with Woolly Buggers, beadhead nymphs, stonefly nymphs, and midge imitations.
Harvey Gap Reservoir: Boaters are still catching rainbow trout on a variety of lures including sinking Rapalas and Mepps Roostertails.
Pearl Lake: Rainbow colored lures and dark colored Panther Martins are catching quite a few trout but deep nymphing remains the best method.
Rifle Gap Reservoir: Several walleyes of 6 to 10 pounds have been caught in recent weeks, mostly on worm harnesses or crankbaits fished near the dam.
Roaring Fork River: Fishing very well from Aspen all the way downriver to Glenwood Springs.
Shadow Mountain Reservoir: Mealworms, waxworms, night crawlers and Power Bait work best on trout.
Stagecoach Reservoir: Some bigger pike are starting to get caught now that runoff is slowing and the water temperature rising.
Steamboat Lake: Bait fishermen have been catching trout in sandy areas on worms or yellow, green and orange Power Bait.
White River: Fly-fishers are enjoying great action with Prince Nymphs and Copper Johns in the heat of the day.
Williams Fork Reservoir: Best areas for pike are around Three Rocks and in the fingers.
Williams Fork River: Use No. 18 Elkhair Caddis, BWOs, Blue Duns, Zebra Midges, Serendipity nymphs and Joe’s Hoppers.
Willow Creek Reservoir: Orange or chartreuse Power Bait works best for rainbows while trolled Arnies and Needlefish are the most effective kokanee lures.
Wolford Reservoir: Fishing is very good for kokanee salmon using Wedding Rings and green Arnies near the dam.
Yampa River (Hayden through Craig): Anglers are beginning to enjoy good catches of smallmouth bass, mostly on Panther Martin spinners.
Yampa River (Stagecoach through Steamboat): Fishing conditions are ideal with overlapping hatches of Yellow Sallies, Pale Morning Duns, Caddis, midges and Green Drakes.
Southeast
Adobe Creek Reservoir (Blue Lake): Fishing for catfish remains fair, with some blue and channel cats caught on night crawlers, shrimp and cut carp or shad.
Arkansas River No. 3 (through Pueblo): Frequent stocking of this stretch of river (again last week) makes for excellent fishing.
Arkansas River (Buena Vista to Salida): Stonefly imitations work best in the morning, PMDs in the afternoons and Caddis in the evening.
Arkansas River (Salida to Cañon City): Golden Stones, Yellow Sallies, Pale Morning Duns, Caddis and hoppers providing great dry-fly fishing.
Bonny Reservoir: Catfish continue to bite well in the shallows but fishing for other species has slowed with hot weather.
Elevenmile Reservoir: Trolling for trout and salmon is very good throughout the day using Needlefish, Tasmanian Devils, Kastmasters, Arnies, Super Dupers and Rapalas.
Hale and Hopper Ponds: Trout fishing has declined but bass fishing is excellent.
Horseshoe Reservoir: Some big tiger muskies have been caught on top-water plugs and other warm-water species such as bass, saugers and catfish are biting well.
Jefferson Lake: Fishing is good for rainbow trout, splake and small mackinaw.
John Martin Reservoir: Catfish being caught on all the usual baits in the reservoir coves and the spillway below the dam.
Nee Gronda Reservoir: Fishing for wipers is slow but anglers continue to catch limits of saugeyes on minnows and trolled or drifted jigs tipped with worms or green double- tailed Mr. Twisters.
Nee Noshe Reservoir: Anglers are catching small saugeyes on harnessed crawlers, Twister tails and bottom bouncers.
Pueblo Reservoir: Smallmouth bass are providing some action beneath the cliffs and along the rock shelves early and late in the day.
Skaguay Reservoir: Pike fishing has been very good with anglers boating many northerns on large spoons, top-water plugs and streamer flies.
South Platte River (between Spinney and Elevenmile): Try using No. 22 Adams, No. 20 Parachute Adams, No. 20 Flashback Pheasant Tail, callibaetis, midges and nymphs.
Spinney Mountain Reservoir: Trout fishing is very good from shore or boat.
Trinidad Reservoir: Fishing has slowed some but remains good for trout with bait or lures.
Southwest
Animas River: Dry-fly fishing is excellent with prolific Caddis and Mayfly hatches.
Blue Mesa Reservoir: Salmon fishing is good with limits of kokanee being caught all over the lake at depths of about 35 feet.
Conejos County (high country lakes): Fishing is good but access may still be difficult to some of the higher lakes.
Conejos River: River is clearing and fishing conditions are improving.
Dolores River (lower): Drought has lowered fish numbers on the lower river despite habitat improvements.
Dolores River (upper): Clarity is good and fishing is excellent as the big hatches have started.
Gunnison River (below Crystal Dam): Anglers fishing dries do best with Golden Stones, Stimulators, Yellow Sallies, Caddis and Pale Morning Duns.
Gunnison River (through the canyon): Main hatches continue to be Golden Stones, Yellow Sallies, Mayflies and Pale Morning Duns.
Gunnison River (upper from Almont to Blue Mesa): Streamer flies and spinners fished from a raft produce some nice trout from under the banks.
Jackson Gulch Reservoir: Fishing good in the evening with Power Bait, night crawlers and salmon eggs.
McPhee Reservoir: Kokanee and trout are providing lots of action on deep-trolled spoons, spinners and Pop Geer.
Navajo Reservoir: Pike, smallmouth bass, crappie and catfish are being caught on the Colorado side of the reservoir, kokanee salmon on the New Mexico side.
Piedra River: The river is clear and dry-fly fishing is excellent in the evening with Caddis, Blue Wing Olives, Hare’s Ears and yellow hoppers.
Ridgway Reservoir: Water temperature is 69 degrees and fishing for rainbow trout is good on the river just below the foot bridge in Dallas Creek, in Meares Bay and along the shore west of the marina.
Rio Grande high country streams: Anglers report good to excellent fishing with spinners or flies that match Caddis, Mayfly and Stonefly hatches now taking place on many high-country streams.
Rio Grande River: Willow Flies and Caddis provide the main hatches with Green Drakes coming off near South Fork.
San Juan River: Fishing is excellent with a variety of flies: Caddis, Beadheads, Prince Nymphs, Salmonflies and Stimulators.
Taylor Reservoir: Big lake trout are being caught at varying depths, mostly on trolled Flatfish and Rapalas.
Taylor River: Green Drakes are hatching at midday, lasting anywhere from one to three hours depending on cloud cover.
Vallecito Reservoir: Trout still can be caught on salmon eggs early morning and late evening, and pike are still chasing water dogs.
STOCKING REPORT
The following bodies of water have been stocked in recent weeks by the Colorado Division of Wildlife:
Arvada Reservoir; Bailey Reservoir, north of Hotchkiss; Beaver Creek Reservoir, south of South Fork; Brown Lake, lower, west of Creede; Clear Creek Reservoir, south of Granite; Conejos River No. 2, from Mogote to South Fork; Cottonwood Lake No. 1, south of Collbran; Cottonwood Lake No. 4, south of Collbran; Deer Creek Lakes, east of Lake City; Eggleston Lake, Big, east of Island Lake; Emerald Lake, southwest of Leadville; Gunnison River, Lake Fork No. 1, Blue Mesa Reservoir to Gateview; Gypsum Ponds, east of Gypsum; Irwin Lake, west of Crested Butte; Lake Dorothey, southeast of Trinidad; Mirror Lake, east of Tincup; Mount Elbert Forbay, north of Twin Lakes; Pothole Lake No. 1 (lower), north of Taylor Reservoir; Quincy Reservoir; Stabilization Reservoir, southwest of San Luis; Taylor Reservoir, northeast of Almont; Tincup Pond, Tincup; Trickle Park Reservoir, east of Youngs Creek Reservoir, Grand Mesa; Ward Lake, east of Island Lake; Weir and Johnson Reservoir, northeast of Bonita Reservoir, Grand Mesa.
