The latest was released by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife office on Tuesday.
Aurora Reservoir
The water temperature is currently at 66 degrees. Trout fishing from shore is rated as fair to good. Most trout are being caught using PowerBait from a slip rig. The west and east end of the dam have been productive areas for trout from shore. Try fishing deeper now that the water has warmed up. Boaters are reporting fair to good success on trout trolling slowly with lures and crawlers. Walleye action from boats is starting to pick up using bottom bouncers and jigs. Most of the walleye being caught are less than 18 inches in length. The perch fishing is rated as fair to good using jigs in Senac and Marina Coves. Fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass appears to be picking up using jigs, swim baits, spinner baits, and soft plastics in the Marina, Senac, and Lone Tree coves. Park hours for June and July are from 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. We strongly recommended that you come early to fish on July 4, as we expect to hit maximum capacity early in the morning.
Quincy Reservoir
The water temperature is currently at 69 degrees. Bass fishing is rated as slow to fair with a handful of good reports. Most of the bass are being caught using soft plastics, swim baits, spinner baits, and jigs. The top water action is starting to pick up for the bass. Some reports have come in of smallmouth bass being caught from the dam using jigs. Fly anglers are reporting slow to fair success using olive and brown mayfly patterns. All watercraft must be inspected prior to launch. Artificial flies and lures only. Park hours for June and July are from 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Bear Creek Reservoir
Anglers are having success catching smallmouth bass and pan fish. Most fish are being caught in the evenings primarily along the dam. Anglers using PowerBait, spoons, and jigs are getting the most bites.
Boyd Lake
The current water temperature is near 63 degrees. Fishing for all species has been poor to fair. Anglers are catching pan fish on wax and meal worms near the Marina Inlet and South Pump House. A majority of the trout are being caught near the north no-wake area on various baits and lures. Boyd Lake State Park
Delaney Butte Lakes
Fishing conditions are great and anglers are catching a lot of large trout. This is the best time of year to catch trophy size trout in the North Park area due to the prolific insect hatches pulling the fish into the shallower water. Anglers are catching fish on spinners, spoons, and flies. Fly anglers are having the best success with streamers and damsel fly nymphs. The dry fly action will be excellent soon as we get deeper into summer. Beetle and ant patterns have been the best dry flies as of recently.
Eleven Mile Reservoir
The trout fishing has been excellent. Anglers casting into the deeper parts of the lake are catching fish using green garlic PowerBait, Tasmanians, and Kastmasters. The strong bite continues to heat up with boaters catching their limits with very little difficulty. Trolling is very productive recently. The west end of the reservoir is still fishing good, but the fish are being caught all throughout the reservoir. Anglers fishing from shore are having the best luck in the evening. The kokanee salmon fishing is slow, but anglers are catching small 12 inch fish on pink Tasmanians. The northern pike fishing is fair to slow for anglers using Rapalas and worms. Common bite times have been between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (Courtesy of 11 Mile General Store) Eleven Mile State Park
Horsetooth Reservoir
Fishing has been excellent lately with anglers catching plenty of fish. Fishing near the lake points has been productive for smallmouth bass. An angler using a crank bait caught a cutthroat trout, lake trout, and a northern pike. Most of the fish are at a depth of 10 feet or lower, with most of the bass and lake trout being caught in 20 feet of water. Recreationalists are taking full advantage of the warm weather, so use caution when boating on the reservoir, especially at night.
North Sterling
The water temperature is currently around 79 degrees. The catfish are starting to bite well. Several 8 to 12 pound catfish were caught near the west trailhead and near the inlet by the bridge using shrimp patterns. The walleye and wiper are still biting well, but they are transitioning from biting on jigs to now being caught on leeches and minnow mimics. Some walleye, wiper, and crappie have been caught on worms. The walleye and wiper have mostly been caught off of Darby Point, Elks Bay, the east and west side of the South Boat Ramp Parking Lot. The crappie are being caught near Marina Point, Balanced Rock, and Elks Bay. North Sterling State Park
Poudre River
The river is currently flowing at 1,300 cfs at the canyon mouth and 170 cfs in town. Gear fisherman using gold and red spinners are having excellent success. The golden stoneflies and caddis have started hatching in the middle and upper canyon. The hatches are thick and plenty of fish are feeding off the surface. The water clarity is best in the upper stretches, but anglers are having luck with hopper dropper rigs throughout the river. Fly anglers should use large prince nymphs, girdle bugs, and worms for nymph fishing. Fishing with streamers close to shore has been very effective.
South Platte River Dream Stream
The river is flowing at 50 cfs and should hold steady for the next few weeks. The fish are receiving a lot of pressure by anglers and are on high alert. We are seeing many fish push up into the shallow riffles with the warmer weather. Hopper dropper rigs with grasshoppers and Cherynoble ants on top with a small midge or caddis larvae underneath are the most productive. Look for hatches of midge, caddis, pale morning duns, and tricos. Some of these hatches are sporadic now, but they will intensify in the days to come.
Spinney Mountain Reservoir
The trout fishing has been good. Anglers are having the most success near the east shorelines and islands. Also try near the dam for trout. Fly anglers are having luck with chironomids and mayfly patterns. The pike fishing has been poor, but anglers are having sporadic action on Rapala’s. Spinney Mountain State Park
Arkansas Headwaters
Spring runoff has run its course and the Arkansas River is settling into its mid-summer flow. The river is currently tracking below the long-term average. This time of year produces some of the best and most exciting fishing of the year due to the trout being very hungry after working through the high water and receiving very little fishing pressure. Streamers, large stonefly/attractor dries, hoppers, and stonefly nymphs all work very well in these conditions. In addition, we are seeing hatches of yellow sallies, pale morning duns, and caddis. Fishing the right water is more important than choosing the right fly. Most of the trout will be in the transitional water between the shoreline and the seam line. Approach this narrow band of water like a small stream, using short casts and big flies. Fish the edges during the low light periods of early morning and late evening. (Courtesy of ArkAnglers) Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
Blue Lake
Water levels are remaining high and the high water boat ramp is usable. Anglers are having luck catching saugeye and crappie. Fishing for catfish has slowed down recently.
Clear Creek Reservoir
Trout angling at Clear Creek Reservoir from a boat remains fair and fishing continues to remain slow from shore. Anglers targeting trout are experiencing the most success in the morning hours. Anglers are catching mostly 8 to 12 inch rainbow trout from shore and boat. Some anglers reported landing 18 to 25 inch rainbow trout near the dam. Woolly buggers and blue damsels have been performing well for fly anglers. Trout fishing from a boat has been less productive at depths greater than 20 feet. Trolling dry flies, Needlefish lures, and pink Tasmanian Devil lures produced a high catch rate of trout for boat anglers. Boat anglers also caught trout at the eastern part of the reservoir with worms. Evening has been the best time to fish for tiger muskie. Some anglers reported tiger muskie following Rapalas up to the boat but not taking the lure. A boat angler landed a 42 inch tiger musky on a crankbait Sunday afternoon. The reservoir is closed to motorized watercrafts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The current boating hours are from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Lake Henry
The boat ramp is now open. Anglers are catching a few largemouth bass and catfish on various lures. Fishing for wiper has slowed down recently.
Lake Pueblo
The water temperature is currently around 72 degrees. Fishing has been good. Try fishing for walleye in deeper water now that the water temperature has gone up. Lindy rigs, grubs, and live bait are producing for walleye. Bass fishing has been consistent for anglers using soft plastics, spinner baits, and crank baits. Early mornings and late evenings will produce better results than midday fishing. We have not received many reports on the trout, wiper, and catfish fishing. Anticline Pond has been producing a lot of trout. Boaters are reminded that the boat ramps are open and summer hours are from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Lake Pueblo State Park
North Gateway Park
Anglers are having luck catching rainbow trout in the 10 to 18 inch range and some cutthroat trout averaging 18 inches in length. The trout are biting on various baits and smaller lures. The bass and crappie are biting on hard and soft baits and the crappie being caught are averaging 6 to 8 inches in length. All three ponds are very full due to the Arkansas River running high right now.
Blue River
The fishing is good on the Blue River below Dillon Reservoir. Current water flows are near 1000 cfs below the dam. Fly anglers using the hopper dropper system are catching their fair share of brown trout and rainbow trout. Most of the fish are being caught in three feet of water or less near the riffles. Make sure to use enough split shot to get the fly down to the river bottom during these high flows.
Eagle River
The river is flowing at 1200 cfs near Avon. Conditions on the Eagle River are improving daily, but the water is still high. Floating the river by boat is the best option and those wading should use caution. Midge and blue winged olives are the most prolific hatches, but the caddis should be coming on strong soon. The fishing is best on the lower river. Pat’s Rubberleg and prince nymphs are the most effective flies.
Green Mountain Reservoir
The lake trout fishing has been heating up. Anglers are catching fish near the inlets using bright colored PowerBait. Boat anglers are having luck trolling with Rapala’s. If you catch a pike, make sure you bring it to the marina for a $20.00 reward.
Highline Lake
The trout fishing has remained excellent since the recent stocking. Anglers are catching trout on various fly patterns as well as gold spinners and spoons. The bass and crappie fishing has been good recently, but anglers are catching mostly trout. Highline Lake State Park
Sylvan Lake
The fishing has been good. The best fishing has been for rainbow trout using woolly buggers and spinners. Anglers are also having success using various colors of PowerBait near the bottom of the lake. Despite the runoff, fishing in West Brush Creek has been good for brown trout. Beetle patterns have been effective recently. Sylvan Lake State Park
Yampa River
The river is currently flowing at 620 cfs in Steamboat Springs, dropping 1,500 cfs in the past week. The quick drop in water flows is creating excellent fishing conditions for the hungry fish. Floating the river has been effective with the high water, but the wade fishing is starting to pick up. Angler should be looking for pale morning dun hatches in the morning and drake hatches in the evening. Streamers are still effective with the high and dirty water.
Blue Mesa Reservoir
The water temperature is currently around 68 degrees. Water levels are still increasing, but the lake is getting close to stabilizing. Water temperatures have increased significantly in the past week. The rainbow trout fishing has been good in the shallows near the shoreline, but the brown trout have been biting in deeper water around 30 feet. The kokanee salmon fishing has been very good recently. A majority of the fish are small and they will bite almost anything at about 20 feet deep. The lake trout and perch fishing have also been good with spoons and jigs.
Navajo Reservoir
The water temperature at Two Rivers Marina is currently around 67 degrees. Fishing has been excellent for bass and northern pike. The crappie fishing has slowed down some. Colorado and New Mexico fishing licenses are available at the Visitor Center. Navajo State Park
Ridgway Reservoir
The water temperature is currently at 63 degrees near the swim beach. The fishing has been moderate due to the high water conditions. We have seen some brown trout caught pushing 11 pounds and some rainbow trout nearing 22 inches in length. Try using a rainbow Rapala, Kastmaster, red or yellow rooster-tails, and worms for the brown and rainbow trout. The reservoir has been recently stocked with rainbow trout. The water temperature at the inlet is at 58 degrees and rising. Some brown trout and kokanee salmon are being caught at the color line, which has moved further into the reservoir recently. Water flows below the dam are currently at 550 cfs and dropping. The fishing at the tailwater is good for rainbow, brown, and cutthroat trout for anglers using a prince nymph or a woolly bugger. Ridgway State Park
