Fort Collins – The fabric of the lower Poudre River Valley is poised for the most dramatic transformation of any fishing area in recent Colorado history.
By the end of the decade, anglers are likely to witness the enlargement of two existing reservoirs and the creation of two new ones.
Happily, none involves the main stem of the Poudre, still one of the few remaining Colorado rivers without a dam on its trunk. Each project could result in a boost to fishing opportunity.
Meanwhile, anglers can expect rejuvenation of a 1.5-mile stretch of the Poudre’s main stem, along with a mile of fresh access on the North Fork. The most spectacular development, pending favorable completion of environmental impact studies, will be the creation of Glade Reservoir in the dry valley spanning U.S. 287 just north of Ted’s Place. Roughly the size of Horsetooth Reservoir, this creation of the Northern Integrated Supply Project would catch Poudre runoff via a canal.
Division of Wildlife biologist Ken Kehmeier projects this as an important warmwater fishery while touting its potential for keeping ample flows coursing down the Poudre.
“It’s like having a bucket at the end of the system,” he said of a way municipalities can release water from tributary reservoirs high in the watershed for storage at Glade, a benefit the river.
A companion reservoir is planned near Galeton, east of Ault and north of the South Platte River, also with promise for warmwater fishing.
Proposals by Fort Collins and Greeley to increase storage at Halligan and Seaman reservoirs, respectively, on the North Fork could benefit the Poudre’s principal tributary through more agreeable flows. This gives further importance to the recent acquisition of a mile of that stream as part of Larimer County’s new Eagle’s Nest Park, located just downstream from the bridge crossing on the Red Feather Lakes road.
This stretch has suffered degradation from cattle grazing. A restoration initiative is expected to improve trout habitat over time.
At Gateway Park on the main stem of the Poudre, a plan to boost fishing quality lost through overharvest at the Fort Collins-owned facility involves a flies-and-lures, catch-and-release regulation. This will be in effect for the reach upstream from the confluence with the North Fork. The same regulation will be in force for the 3/4-mile of the North Fork from the confluence upstream to Seaman Reservoir.
The overall result of this activity should be more and better sport for those who fish both cold and warm water.
