The following fishing and stocking report is producted by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. For further information call 303–291–7534. This is the final fishing report of the season.
Denver Metro
Arvada Reservoir: Walleyes are schooled up and on the move.
Barr Lake: Good for catfish and carp with cutbait fished on the bottom.
Bear Creek: Fishing is fair to good for stocked rainbows and brown trout from Morrison to Evergreen.
Bear Creek Reservoir: Fishing is fair for stocked rainbow trout and the occasional larger rainbow or brown trout.
Chatfield Reservoir: Walleye fishing is sluggish, with most fish caught measuring less than 17 inches.
Cherry Creek Reservoir: Walleye fishing generally is slow, with marginal action near the tower loop and on the western shore between the marina and the boat ramp.
Clear Creek (above Colo. 119): Trout fishing is good in the canyon when the creek runs clear.
Georgetown Lake: Fishing is good for small brook and brown trout, and stocked rainbows using nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, and PowerBait.
Gross Reservoir: Fishing remains fair for trout near the dam.
Metro Ponds: Fishing will remain fair for warmwater species such as largemouth bass, catfish, and sunfish.
Northeast
Bellaire Lake: Flyfishing for trout is good on the western shores using attractor patterns such as Stimulators, Royal Wulffs, and Humpies.
Big Thompson Ponds: Largemouth bass, sunfish, and catfish fishing is reported very good.
Big Thompson River: Best fishing is before noon and late evening.
Boedecker Reservoir: Catfishing is the main event, caught on chicken livers.
Boyd Lake: Early angler gets the bass.
Carter Reservoir: Trout fishing is improving and walleye anglers continue to do well on the east side using jigs tipped with night crawlers.
Cowdrey Lake: Fishing for stocked trout is fair to good with the typical baits.
Dumont Lake: Belly boaters and canoeists tend to catch larger trout.
Delaney Butte Lakes: Recommendations for flies and lures apply to all three lakes; callibaetis and damselfly nymphs, scuds, Copper Johns, Pheasant Tails, crayfish patterns, and big streamers such as black Wooly Buggers and black Zonkers.
Estes Lake: Stocked rainbow trout are hitting just about anything that moves.
Hidden Lakes: Stambaugh Reservoir has been surrendering a few rainbows and cuttbows weighing up to 3 pounds.
Hohnholz Lakes: Lake No. 3 (flies and lures only) is fishing well from float tubes and from shore.
Jackson Lake: Fishing has slowed.
Joe Wright Reservoir: Lightweight fly rods, fine tippets, and small flies are the winning combination for enjoying the reservoir’s robust population of small arctic grayling.
Jumbo Reservoir: Dove hunters might consider throwing a fly rod in along with the shotgun.
Lake John: Rainbow trout in the 3-8-pound class continue to test angler’s skills.
Laramie River at Hohnholz State Wildlife Area: Brown trout, especially the larger fish, tend to feed at night.
Lonetree Reservoir: Fishing is fair for wipers up to 6 pounds on top-water plugs.
Long Draw Reservoir: Fishing is good to very good around the inlet on lures and spoons.
Lost Lake (at Chambers): Fishing is good for recently stocked rainbow trout.
North Platte River: Fishing is unusually good on dry flies for this time of the year.
North Park Streams: High runoff appears to have spread the fish out on the Michigan River, benefiting anglers in the upper reaches.
Parvin Lake (Red Feathers Lakes): Belly-boaters report good action on beadhead nymph patterns and Prince Nymphs, and Tasmanian Devil, Kastmaster, and Fiord spoons.
Prewitt Reservoir: Fishing for all species is poor.
Seymour Reservoir: Fishing is excellent for stocked rainbow trout.
Simpson Ponds: Spinnerbaits and top-water plugs are catching many small bass in the back pond.
Slack Weiss Reservoir: Frequent stocking has made for good bait fishing at the base of the hill below the parking lot.
Northwest
Blue River (below Green Mountain Reservoir): Water is clear and the fishing is good .
Blue River (Dillon to Green Mountain Reservoir): Angling in the tail water section in Silverthorne remains consistent with the usual fly patterns.
Colorado River (below Shadow Mountain): Rainy weather has improved the fishing below the dam for fly casters and spin casters alike.
Colorado River (below Parshall): Easily waded and fishing is excellent.
Colorado River (Glenwood Springs to Rifle): The river is high and roily, and fishing is slow.
Crystal River: White fish are beginning to move into the Crystal from the Roaring Fork.
Dillon Reservoir: Fishing will improve dramatically, as the reservoir is scheduled to receive 15,000 catchable-sized rainbow trout in time for Labor Day weekend.
Fryingpan River: Fishing below Ruedi Reservoir is good in the mornings and afternoons on green drake, pale morning dun, and red quill mayfly dry flies.
Granby Reservoir: With the reservoir nearly full, the outlook for fall fishing is excellent.
Green Mountain Reservoir: Lake trout are 90 feet deep and are not hungry.
Muddy Creek (below Wolford): Flows are low and the lower access is mossy but fishing is excellent immediately below the dam.
Roaring Fork River: Conditions are good for floating and fair for wading.
Stagecoach Reservoir: The lake is full and trout fishing is good near the inlet and in the wakeless area on the west side.
Steamboat Lake: Autumn fishing can be fantastic for chunky rainbow and Snake River cutthroat trout.
White River: Anglers should try using a hopper dry fly with a gray beadhead Hare’s Ear or a beadhead Prince Nymph as a dropper.
Williams Fork Reservoir: In coming weeks, look for kokanee to begin schooling near the inlet in preparation for their spawning run.
Williams Fork River: Flows are high and fishing is best near the confluence of the Colorado.
Wolford Reservoir: Anglers are picking up nice rainbow trout trolling south of the boat ramp around the points.
Yampa River (Hayden to Craig): Trout have migrated back into this stretch of the Yampa following the return of normal water flows.
Yampa River (Stagecoach to Steamboat Springs): Sight fishing for larger trout is almost always good in the tailwater, which can be crowded with anglers but also is crowded with fish.
Southeast
Adobe Creek Reservoir (Blue Lake): Catfishing is good after sundown on cut baits such as filets of carp and gizzard shad.
Arkansas River (Hayden Meadows to Parkdale): Fishing well from top to bottom.
Arkansas River (through Pueblo): Fishing is improving but the fish are still seeking the shady depths of pools and deep runs.
Bonny Reservoir: Anglers reported catching several large (8 to 11 pound) wipers near the dam while trolling shad raps and Thunderstick Juniors.
Clear Creek Reservoir: Trout fishing is good all around the lake.
Cottonwood Lake: The lake was well stocked during the summer and the fishing has been good.
Elevenmile Reservoir: A lot of algae suspended in the water, which has slowed the trolling action but has little negative impact on shore fishing.
Hayden Meadows Reservoir: Fishing has picked up, with fly fishers doing well on grasshopper patterns.
John Martin Reservoir: Trollers have begun picking up a few wipers on crankbaits.
Nee Gronda Reservoir: Fishing is slow for all species.
Nee Noshe Reservoir: Fishing is slow.
Pueblo Reservoir: Catfishing is good at night for channel cats.
South Platte River (below Spinney Reservoir): Food action for larger trout on size 22 Griffith’s Gnat dry flies.
South Platte River (Cheesman Canyon and Deckers): Fishing is fair.
Spinney Mountain Reservoir: Midges and callibaetis mayflies still are hatching and fishing is good on emerging nymph patterns.
Tarryall Reservoir: Fishing is excellent for both stocked rainbows and resident brown trout.
Trinidad Reservoir: Fishing is good for trout using bait, lures, and flies including Wooly Buggers and Pistol Petes.
Turquoise Lake: Lake trout are taking Gitzits, Berkley PowerTubes, and Blade Dancers tipped with sucker meat and fished on the bottom.
Twin Lakes: Fishing is good for lake trout.
Southwest
Animas River: The monsoon has delivered daily rains, which clouds rivers and streams, sending the fish into deep holes.
Beaver Creek Reservoir: Anglers are catching rainbow trout on pink PowerBait.
Dolores River (upper): Anglers report good action on nymphs and small streamers on the West Fork of the Dolores when the water clears.
Gunnison River (Almont to Blue Mesa Reservoir): Kokanee now are in the river in high numbers and anglers are hooking and releasing many fish below the confluence of the Taylor and East rivers.
Gunnison River (Black Canyon and below): The hot fly remains a Madam X Parachute hopper but Caddis, Golden Stones, Yellow Sallies and Red Copper Johns catch fish.
Lake Fork Gunnison River: Fishing is excellent from Lake City to Red Bridge, especially for the river’s strong population of wild brown trout.
McPhee Reservoir: Trollers are reporting fair fishing for trout and kokanee salmon.
Piedra River: Above the second box canyon, flows are good and fishing is fair.
Rio Grande: Recommended flies include size 8 Shockingly Orange and Royal Stimulators, caddis dry fly patterns in the evening.
San Juan River: Best bets are black Wooly Buggers, green Copper Johns, and other beadhead nymph patterns.
Vallecito Reservoir: Kokanee and trout fishing is fair.
Stocking Report
The following bodies of water have been stocked in recent weeks by the Colorado Division of Wildlife:
Chatfield Reservoir; Horseshoe Reservoir; Martin Lake; Carter Reservoir; Aurora Reservoir; Cherry Creek Reservoir; City Park Lake (Denver); Webster Lake; Twin Lakes; Skaguay Reservoir; South Platte River, South Fork; Mountain Home Reservoir; Monument Reservoir; North Lake.
