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Colorado fishing report, June 23
Published June 23, 2004 at midnight
Southwest region | Northwest region
• Arvada Reservoir - Some trout are being caught from shore in the mornings. Best bets are Power Bait, Crave Bait and Sierra Gold.
• Aurora Reservoir - Good for trout from the dam using rainbow, orange or pink Power Bait on a slip rig. From boats, trout fishing is good with crawlers fished off the bottom. Bass are hitting on soft plastics in Senac Cove. Fair for walleye using bottom bouncers and jigs but many are below the 18-inch size limit.
• Barr Lake - Shore casters are using Power Bait and salmon eggs for trout.
• Bear Creek - Dry fly patterns are working well. Blue Wing Olive, Renegade, Grey Ugly and the Humpy are most productive.
• Bear Creek Reservoir - Fair to good for stocker rainbows using worms and rainbow or orange Power Bait.
• Berkeley Lake - Some trout and sunfish action along the shoreline. For trout, locate deeper water and use Power Bait or Zeke's Sierra Gold. For sunfish use Gulp Maggots in chartreuse or pink.
• Centennial Park Lake - The shoreline and pier area are good for small sunfish and bass. Use 2-pound test line and Gulp grubs or maggots. Trout action is good on the north shore with Crave Bait or a Renegade fly and bubble.
• Chatfield Ponds - Catfish have been caught on chicken livers, shad sides, stink bait and night crawlers.
• Chatfield Reservoir - Good for walleye, even during the cooler weather. Bait anglers using leeches and night crawlers are catching walleye from 14 to 20 inches. Best areas are Fox Hill, Plum Creek inlet, Handicap Ramp and the old bridge. Smallmouth bass are being caught on minnows all along the dam.
• Cherry Creek Reservoir - Walleye are showing up. Troll with three hooks on a line baited with a night crawler, a leech and a Black Gulp crawler. Start at the Island and troll along the dam face. Some trout are being caught on Power Bait out from the picnic structures on the west side.
• Clear Creek (above Highway 119) - Use Woolly Buggers, Floatin' Fool, Orange Ashers and Renegades, all dry.
• Clear Lake - Power Bait works for rainbows and small night crawlers or a caddis fly for brookies.
• Evergreen Lake - Fair for trout with Power Bait and salmon eggs.
• Georgetown Lake - Good for small brook trout. Use a small piece of night crawler or a bubble and Adams fly. Trout on the west end are hitting Power Bait.
• Gross Reservoir - Anglers have been catching rainbow trout of up to 16 inches using night crawlers or spinners.
• Jim Baker Reservoir - Rainbow trout have been hitting well when it rains.
• Main Lake - Bass continue to hit in shallow water along the shoreline. Gulp Worms and spinnerbaits work best.
• Quincy Reservoir - Good for bass using soft plastic crayfish or lizard imitations on Texas or Carolina rigs. Fly casters have been catching bass on Woolly Buggers. Fair to good for trout using Beadhead Prince Nymphs, midge patterns and Pheasant Tails.
• Rocky Mountain Lake - Power Bait, Crave Bait, salmon eggs and night crawlers all catch fish.
• Sloans Lake - Slow for trout. Try live minnows for best results.
• Smith Reservoir - A great place to catch largemouth bass, especially close to shore. Use a spinnerbait or dark-colored plastic worm.
• South Platte River (Waterton Canyon) - Wet flies work well in the canyon. Recommended nymphs: Brassies, Royal Red Brassies, Beadhead Pheasant Tails and Mercury Blood Midges. In the stretch immediately above the parking lot, bait fishers do well with small night crawlers.
• Standley Lake - Good for wipers, crappie and walleye near the inlet and cove. Stocker trout continue to be caught on Power Bait, worms and spinners.
• Webster Lake - Fair to good for rainbow trout. Use live minnows and Power Bait. Perch are hitting on minnows.
NORTHEAST REGION
• Barker Reservoir - Fair for trout using night crawlers, salmon eggs or Power Bait. Spinners work mornings and evenings.
• Bellaire Lake - Good for trout using night crawlers, Sparkle Power Bait and Fireballs.
• Big Creek Lakes - Excellent at the southwestern inlet of the lower lake for mackinaw and rainbows.
• Big Thompson Ponds - Catfish are biting chicken livers and popcorn shrimp in the back pond. Bass fishing is fair to good with crayfish and crayfish imitations.
• Boulder Reservoir - Fair to slow for walleye. Bass are biting on minnows, worms or white jigs. Try for catfish near the southeast beach using chicken livers.
• Boyd Lake - Fair to good for walleye with several fish weighing more than 3 pounds caught on Rattlin' Rogues, 5-inch Norman jerkbaits, harnessed crawlers and white Twister tails.
• Carter Lake (west of Loveland) - A few nice walleye are being caught on harnessed crawlers, Erie Dearies and minnows. Fair to good for trout in the North Pines area.
• Chambers Lake - Good, with most catches made on salmon eggs, Power Bait and worms.
• Douglas Reservoir - Good for stocker trout with Power Bait, Fireballs and red worms.
• Dowdy Lake (Red Feather) - Good for stocker trout and 3- to 5-pound carryovers from last year.
• Dumont Lake - Fair to good with Nos. 16-18 Mosquito, Adams and Hornberg dry flies.
• East Delaney Lake - Good, with reports of an occasional 20-inch fish being caught in the coves of the western shoreline. Trout are feeding mainly on callibaetis and Chironomid hatches.
• Hidden Lakes - Fishing is fair to good using small Tasmanian Devils, Thomas Buoyants and Dardevles.
• Hohnholz Lakes - Fly fishers have made some good catches on weighted Woolly Buggers and Green Scuds. Bait works best in Lake No. 2. Little Tasmanian Devils and Thomas Cyclones are most effective in Lake No. 3.
• Horsetooth Reservoir - Good for walleye and smallmouth bass.
• Jackson Lake - Fair for trout and slow for all other species.
• Jumbo Reservoir - Slow for all species.
• Lake Estes - Murky water requires streamers and bright-colored lures fished 3 to 6 feet down. Bait fishers do best at the inlet with Power Bait, eggs and worms.
• Lake John - Good, with the west shore being most productive. The best flies have been No. 6 Olive Woolly Buggers and rust-colored crayfish patterns.
• Laramie River at Hohnholz SWA - High and slightly off-color but fishing well.
• Lon Hagler Reservoir - Good for stocker trout on bait, crawlers or minnows.
• Lonetree Reservoir - Wiper fishing is good, particularly at night, using worms; fair for crappie with small jigs.
• North Delaney Lake - Browns and rainbows up to 25 inches are being caught.
• North Michigan Lake - Good for stocked trout. Best fishing is at the inlet and off the dam face near the outlet.
• North Sterling Reservoir - Good for crappie on small jigs and minnows near the south end; good for catfish on shrimp or crawdad tails; fair for all other species.
• Parvin Lake (Red Feather) - Fair to good using Little Tasmanian Devils, Thomas Rough Riders and Kastmasters. Fly casters are catching some fish with Damsel Nymphs and Matuka streamers.
• Pinewood Reservoir - Good for trout.
• Seeley Lake - Despite low level, bass, crappie, panfish and a few trout are being caught on various baits and plastic worms.
• Seymour Reservoir - Good for trout. Best results are from belly boats along the southwest using shrimp and scud patterns.
• Slack Weiss Reservoir - Good for trout using Panther Martin, Mepps Aglia and Vibrax spinners and bait.
• St. Vrain Ponds (formerly Barbour Ponds) - Good for trout using green or yellow Power Bait, Power Eggs, Fireballs, night crawlers, small jigs and spinners.
• Teal and Tiago Lakes - Good for trout with bait or small metal lures such as Little Tasmanian Devils, Little Cleos, Thomas Buoyants and Dardevles.
• Union Reservoir (Calkins Reservoir) - Very good for wipers, especially around the inlet. Wipers ranging from 16 to 24 inches are being caught on Twister tails, Marabou jigs, worms and crayfish.
• Watson Lake - Good for smallmouth bass using small crankbaits, plastic worms, topwater plugs and spinner baits.
• Wellington Reservoir No. 4 - Good for trout and catfish.
• West Lake (Red Feather) - Good for stocker trout.
NORTHWEST REGION
• Blue River (below Green Mountain Reservoir) - Running low, slow and clear but fishing is only fair.
• Blue River (Dillon to Green Mountain Reservoir) - Best action in Silverthorne is nymphing with Nos. 22-24 midge larva.
• Colorado River (below Parshall) - Discolored by rain, flows have risen to 420 cubic feet per second, but fishing is good.
• Colorado River (Glenwood to Rifle) - Running clear at 3,890 cfs in Glenwood Springs. Green Drakes are hatching daily, especially during last light, and are most prolific downriver to New Castle.
• Colorado River (near Granby) - Runoff has increased with rain; current flow is 300 cfs and the river is fishing well. Surface action is starting to pick up with Parachute Adams and Elk Hairs.
• Crystal River - Fishable with good caddis, PMD and Green Drake hatches. Flow in Carbondale is 1,030 cfs. Deep nymphing the "soft" water and edges has been productive.
• Elk River - Fishing well at 1,410 cfs and slowing. Use Olive Hare's Ear nymphs, 20-Inchers, Green Lafontaine's Caddis Pupa or Emerger and Peacock Caddis.
• Elkhead Reservoir - Very good for crappie; some up to 14 inches being caught. Smallmouth bass are moving into the shallows to spawn; fair to good for pike.
• Freeman Reservoir - Fair to good for for cutthroat and brook trout with bait or lures.
• Fryingpan River - Clear and flowing at 110 cfs below Ruedi Reservoir. Pale Morning Duns and Caddis hatches are most prolific on the middle and lower river. Best dry fly fishing has been noon-4 p.m.
• Granby Reservoir - Daily showers are raising levels; very good for lake trout and rainbows.
• Grand Lake - Good for rainbows at the river inlet, channel mouth and near the boat ramp. Many small feeder streams have good brook trout numbers.
• Green Mountain Reservoir - Boaters have been doing well with lures of all kinds, while shore anglers do best with salmon eggs and worms. Best fishing is by the inlet around the McDonald Flats.
• Green River - Clear and fishing well. Nymphing with Woolly Buggers, scuds and beadheads works best for flyfishers; Blue Fox, Mepps or Panther Martin spinners and minnow-type lures for lure casters.
• Harvey Gap Reservoir - Very good for catfish and crappie. Perch hitting on worms. Slow for northern pike.
• Highline Lake - Trout fishing has slowed, but warm-water species are starting to bite. Anglers are catching plenty of small crappie on yellow and chartreuse. Good for catfish at night.
• Lake Avery - Very good for trout using spinners and bait. Flyfishers report good evening action with Nos. 14-16 Caddis and Parachute Adams.
• Muddy Creek - Fishing well, with flows on the rise. Spincasters have been catching nice fish on Mepps, Blue Fox or Panther Martin spinners.
• Pearl Lake - Fishing is good in the coves, best mornings and evenings. Woolly Buggers, large emergers and small spinners are most productive.
• Rifle Gap Reservoir - Excellent for perch using worm harnesses and silver Panther Martins. Crappie fishing also has picked up along the dam. Upstream at Rifle Falls, brown trout bite well in the afternoons on black flies and worms; rainbows are hitting on spinners.
• Rio Blanco Lake - Very good for pike. Crappie and bluegill are hitting on small white and yellow jigs with Twister tails.
• Roaring Fork River - Outstanding. Green Drakes are hatching daily from Carbondale to Glenwood Springs.
• Shadow Mountain Reservoir - Early morning and late evening are prime for trout. Tube jigs sweetened with waxworms and painted jigheads fished beneath slip bobbers work well, especially for kokanee.
• Stagecoach Reservoir - Good for trout and pike. For stocker trout use salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, Power Bait, small spoons or spinners.
• Steamboat Lake - Very good for trout with bait, Panther Martin spinners and Renegade flies. Lake level is full.
• Vega Reservoir - Very good for trout, especially at upper Oak Point, the Grouse day use area and Turtle Shell. Boaters are doing well with lures tipped with worms.
• White River - Flows at 745 cfs near Buford and 480 cfs near Meeker. Fly fishers are having good topwater action with Caddis and Irresistibles.
• Williams Fork Reservoir - Good for pike and kokanee; fair for lake trout.
• Willow Creek Reservoir - Very good for rainbow and brown trout. Brookies can be found in the inlet area.
• Wolford Reservoir - Very good for cutbows, rainbows and browns. Best action is near the inlet using black or olive and chartreuse Woolly Buggers.
• Yampa River (Hayden through Craig) - Discolored, but flows are 2,140 cfs near Hayden and 1,980 below Craig. Pike fishing has slowed.
• Yampa River (Stagecoach through Steamboat) - Dry fly action in the evenings has been great.
SOUTHEAST REGION
• Adobe Creek Reservoir (Blue Lake) - Catfishing remains the best prospect, but the water is very shallow.
• Anticline Lake - Good to excellent for trout.
• Arkansas River No. 3 (through Pueblo) - Flows below Pueblo Dam are moderate and clear; trout fishing is good to excellent.
• Arkansas River (Leadville to Buena Vista) - Flows are 133 cfs near Leadville and 824 at Nathrop. Stoneflies and caddis are active. Wading conditions are great.
• Arkansas River (Salida to Canon City) - Flows have risen to 845 cfs with outstanding fishing.
• Bonny Reservoir - Fair to good. White bass and wipers are active along the dam face near East Beach, and sizeable catfish have been taken on crawlers.
• Clear Creek Reservoir - Good for stocked trout, which are most active from 6 to 8 a.m. and again in the early evening. Use Power Bait, worms or a Montera's Marvel with a KP dark olive leech dropper.
• Cottonwood Lake - Bait fishing is good using Power Bait, worms or salmon eggs.
• Daigre Reservoir - Reservoir has been stocked, and fishing for trout is fair to good.
• DeWeese Reservoir - Reservoir has been stocked with trout; fishing is good.
• Elevenmile Reservoir - Fair to good for pike in the weed beds at Parking Lot and Corral Coves. Boaters do best at the west end of the lake; shorecasters at Lazy Boy and the Back Country peninsula.
• Fountain Lake - Excellent for stocked trout with all methods.
• Hale and Hopper Ponds - Good for stocker trout in the Hale Ponds using salmon eggs, night crawlers, Power Bait or small spinners.
• Horseshoe Reservoir - Tiger muskies are being caught daily. Pre-spawn bass are starting to hit on purple rubber worms and broken-back Rapalas in weedy areas.
• Jefferson Lake - Good for rainbows and lake trout. Small Panther Martins and other spinners, salmon eggs, nightcrawlers and Power Bait all work.
• Martin Lake - Good for wipers, northern pike and trout.
• Nee Gronda Reservoir - Saugeyes and crappie hitting jigs and minnows. Anglers are catching some wipers trolling jigs and lures in open water.
• Nee Noshe Reservoir - Very good for saugeye with various methods; slow for wiper.
• North Lake - Good for stocked trout. Black Panther Martins and olive green No. 6 or No. 10 Pistol Petes are most effective.
• Pueblo Reservoir - Excellent for walleye with almost any method. Catfishing is fair to good.
• Queens Reservoirs - Good for catfish; slow for all other species.
• Runyon Lake - Excellent for trout.
• San Isabel Lake - Fair to good on flies and lures for trout, slow with bait.
• South Platte River (between Spinney and Elevenmile) - Flow is 239 cfs and fishing is very good with hatches of baetis, Tricos, hoppers and Mayflies.
• Spinney Mountain Reservoir - Good fishing, with most action between the dam and boat ramp and at the Homestake Canal outlet. Flow at 251 cfs above Spinney.
• Trinidad Reservoir - Excellent for trout using various baits and lures. Good for catfish, bass and walleye.
• Turquoise Lake - Good for rainbow trout using Mepps or Blue Fox spinners, nightcrawlers and Power Bait.
• Twin Lakes Forebay - Lots of lake trout have been caught on Gitzits and Hi Rocky Specials tipped with sucker meat.
• Wahatoya Reservoir - Fair to good for trout.
SOUTHWEST REGION
• Beaver Creek Reservoir - Trout anglers are doing well on rainbows and browns. Kokanee are hitting spinners cast from shore or trolled near the dam.
• Blue Mesa Reservoir - Good for salmon. Troll Pink Jewels or Kokanee Killers in red, green and pearl/red at three to four colors. Lake trout have tapered off.
• Conejos County (small streams) - Fishing depends on water clarity.
• Dolores River (upper) - Caddis are hatching; look for BWOs on cloudy days.
• Echo Canyon Reservoir - Excellent for trout.
• Gunnison River (below Crystal Dam) - Slow in midday sun; fishing is better along shade lines in morning and late afternoon.
• Gunnison River (Upper from Almont to Blue Mesa) - Flows have dropped below 900 cfs, and dry fly fishing is on fire. Use stonefly patterns such as Stimulators (8-14), Club Sandwiches, Mystery Meats, Halfbacks, Golden Stones and 20-Inchers.
• Jackson Gulch Reservoir - Good to excellent for stocker trout with Power Bait, night crawlers and spinners in the evening.
• La Jara Creek - Fair for brown trout.
• McPhee Reservoir - Good for smallmouth bass fishing on gray tube jigs. Pike are hanging out in the weeds near the inlet and hitting well on buzzbaits.
• Navajo Reservoir - Windsurf Beach and Arboles Point are yielding excellent catches of large channel catfish and northern pike.
• Platoro Reservoir - Good for trout and kokanee salmon.
• Ridgway Fishing Ponds - Good; many stocked rainbow trout are being caught on Power Bait, nightcrawlers and artificials.
• Rio Grande High Country Streams - Good to excellent using attractor dry flies such as Royal Wulff and Coachman Trude.
• Rio Grande River - Good to excellent for brown and rainbow trout using dries.
• Sanchez Reservoir - Fair to good for large northern pike and walleyes. Spinnerbaits and crankbaits work best for aggressive pike in the shallows.
• Taylor Reservoir - Good for pike and rainbow trout.
• Taylor River - Fishing is excellent.
• Vallecito Reservoir - Excellent for brown trout; good for pike; slow for salmon.
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