Most rivers continue to run high, making for difficult fishing conditions, including tailwaters. The good news is trout fishing remains good to excellent on many mountain waters with most baits and lures producing. Fly-fishermen report doing well early and late in the day with nymphs worked in the surface film. With the warming waters, lake trout are moving deeper, so jigs tipped with sucker meat or trolling deep is a good tactic. Channel catfish action continues to be good along the Front Range and eastern waters using cut bait, shrimp, liver, minnows, and worms.
David Coulson,
STOCK AND DROP: Colorado stocking up
A list of some of the waters where the Colorado Division of Wildlife recently stocked catchable trout, as of Tuesday:
Northeast region:Cherry Creek Reservoir, Aurora.
Northwest region:Bear Lake, Cold Springs Pond and Sheriff Reservoir, near Yampa; Beaver Lake, Island Lake and McKee Lake, Marble; Big Eggleston Lake, Trickle Park Reservoir and Vela Reservoir, Grand Mesa; Fetcher City Pond, Steamboat Springs; Teal Lake and Tiago Lake, west of Hebron.
Southeast region:Buena Vista Kids Pond and Cottonwood Lake, Buena Vista; Emerald Lake and Hayden Reservoir, Leadville; O’Haver Reservoir, west of Poncha Pass.
Southwest region: Beaver Creek Reservoir, South Fork; Columbine Ponds, west of Montrose; Lower Alta Lake, south of Telluride; Millions Lake, southwest of South Fork; Road Canyon Reservoir and Spring Creek Pond, west of Creede; Stabilization Reservoir, San Luis.
HUNTING LICENSES: Time’s running out
The deadline to apply for Colorado fall turkey licenses is Thursday. Applications must be submitted online () or postmarked before midnight in order to be included in the drawing for limited fall turkey licenses.
Fall turkey season begins Sept. 1 and runs through Oct. 2 west of Interstate 25 and Oct. 21 east of I-25, except in game management Unit 140 southeast of Trinidad. In addition to limited draw licenses, hunters can also purchase an unlimited, over-the-counter fall turkey license, which is valid in more than 120 game management units. Over-the- counter licenses went on sale Tuesday.
Sale of unlimited over-the-counter big-game hunting licenses for elk started Tuesday and will continue until the license cap is met. A capped number of over-the-counter licenses for black bear are also available.
Over-the-counter licenses offer a chance to hunt bull or cow elk during the archery season or bull elk during the second and third rifle seasons in many game management units in Colorado. In a select number of units, archery hunters can purchase both an unlimited over-the-counter bull tag and an over-the-counter antlerless elk tag.
Hunters with questions about licenses can find more information online at or by phone with a Colorado Parks and Wildlife hunt planners at 303-291-PLAN or (303) 291-7526. An “OTC Cap License List” will be updated every 15 minutes at .
Scott Willoughby, The Denver Post
