Union Reservoir FISH SURVEY AND MANAGEMENT DATA Benjamin Swigle - Aquatic Biologist (Fort Collins/Boulder) [email protected] / 970-472-4364

General Information: Union reservoir, formally Calkins lake, is a 800 acre reservoir which provides quality for wiper, catfish, carp, and trout. Anglers can also expect to catch and smallmouth bass. For park hours, fees, and other information: Location: Weld county. 7 miles west of I-25 and HWY 66 exit (Lyons).

Recreational Management: City of Longmont (303-772-1265) Purchase a fishing license: https://cpw.state.co.us/buyapply/Pages/Fishing.aspx Management: Warmwater , seasonal trout.

Sportfishing Notes Amenities Previous Stocking Wiper Boat Ramp 2021 Wiper often chase schools of bait Picnic Areas Black Crappie fish (shad), watch the seagulls! Modern Restrooms Bluegill Shad imitation lures are your Swim Beach Channel Catfish best bait. Camping Redear Sunfish https://www.longmontcolorado. Saugeye Walleye gov/departments/departments- Walleye Fish are difficult to locate n-z/parks-open-space-and- Wiper (limited structure) but crawler trails/directory-of-parks- harnesses and small rapalas are trails/union-reservoir-park 2020 Black Crappie good baits. Channel Catfish Regulations Rainbow Trout Trout Min. size for wiper is 15” Wiper Spring trout fishing is generally inches long. awesome using traditional baits. Statewide bag and possession 2019 limits also apply. Black Crappie Black Crappie Wakeless boating only. Rainbow Trout Limited habitat for crappie, but No ice fishing. Walleye any rock outcropping will hold City of Longmont entry fee Wiper this species. Reduced predation applies. and increased stocking will 2018 produce better results this year. Black Crappie Rainbow Trout Common Carp Saugeye OK it’s carp, but Union has some Wiper serious bruisers. Fish May-June in 3-5 ft. of water.

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2020 NettingM Survey (9/22/2020 – 5 Gill Nets) Total i Length (inches) Weight (lb) SPECIES Catch i Mean Minimum Maximum Mean Minimum Maximum BLACK CRAPPIE 6 n 7.32 4.41 11.65 0.34 0.04 1.03 BLUEGILL 1 4.88 4.88 4.88 0.09 0.09 0.09 COMMON CARP 4 19.01 18.50 19.72 2.44 1.51 3.57 GIZZARD SHAD 26 14.27 13.43 15.55 0.76 0.15 1.30 LARGEMOUTH BASS 1 5.71 5.71 5.71 0.09 0.09 0.09 PALMETTO BASS (WIPER) 193 12.13 5.12 22.56 0.79 0.01 5.44 WALLEYE 203 13.42 8.07 25.24 0.58 0.09 6.09 WHITE SUCKER 9 15.01 13.58 16.38 1.03 0.62 1.39 YELLOW PERCH 23 9.82 6.97 12.40 0.41 0.05 0.92

Wiper – Quality wiper fishing at Union is back! Union Reservoir will rival Jackson Reservoir as the top destination to catch this species in NE Colorado. Look for the cohort of fish in the 12-13” range to also enter the keeper category this spring as they chewed on gizzard shad over the winter. In June, July and August , when the water temperature warms above 70 degrees, most of these fish will head for the deeper main lake areas. Look for shad along points, humps or islands, and ridges along channels between the middle section of the lake

Walleye/Saugeye – The gillnet survey indicates walleye fishing at Union should be much better compared with recent history. Walleye sampled in 2020 will enter the 15-17” size class in 2021 are a schooling fish, find one you usually find others. Most often they relate to structural elements like rock humps, inside turns, breakline transitions. Jigs are also a common lure used for walleye. Most walleye anglers tip their jigs with live bait for added attraction and scent. When the water is cold and the are sluggish, use a very slow presentation.