The most anticipated event in the history of Colorado angling occurred today, and the only ripples resulted from thrashing fish.
After five years of closure following a devastating wildfire, Antero Reservoir – once the state’s best site for large trout – re-opened at 9 a.m. with a mile-long queue of vehicles and unbridled excitement.
Many lined up through the night in anticipation of a trout fest that might replicate conditions that existed before the lake operated by Denver Water was drained in the wake of the 2002 Hayman fire.
For years, Antero produced large quantities of monster trout. Today, following a hurry-up restocking initiative by the Colorado Division of Wildlife, anglers discovered plenty of large fish up to 20 inches. That none of these matched the largest of five years ago worried no one at all.
Those sizes will come soon enough at a place where rainbow trout grow at a rate of 1-1/2 inches per month.
Officials expect another rush of anglers on the weekend, when work schedules and word of today’s success spark further participation.
