COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE Fishing ReportFishing Regulations Friday October 18th, 2019 Review News and Information Upcoming Fishing Tournaments and Events Kokanee Salmon Regulations and Giveaways Roaring Judy Give-Away will take place at the Hatchery north of Gunnison on October 18, 2019. Individuals will need to be in line by 9:00 a.m. to receive fish. Please check out the flyer for additional Give-Away dates, locations, and details! Boat ramps at Grand Lake, Green Mountain, Lake Granby, Williams Fork, Wolford, and Shadow Mountain Reservoirs are closing for the winter As the fall season progresses and temperatures drop, Colorado Parks and Wildlife reminds boaters headed to the Grand Lake, Green Mountain, Lake Granby, Williams Fork, Wolford, and Shadow Mountain Reservoirs that they are closing to boating for the winter. Concurrently, aquatic invasive species watercraft inspection and decontamination stations at these reservoirs will stop running through the winter after their last days. Colorado Parks and Wildlife fisheries biologists provide online survey summaries by water to the public Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) fisheries biologists are now providing to the public online survey summaries by water. The first page of the documents provide general information about fishing particular waters, such as location and access. A second page highlights detailed information regarding fishery management aspects. More waters will be added over time, and updates will be provided for waters that are currently available. CPW conducts hundreds of lakes and streams surveys each year. High priority and brood waters such as Chatfield, Pueblo, Horsetooth, and the Gunnison River are surveyed annually while smaller, more remote, or lightly used lakes or streams may only be surveyed once every 5-10 years. Try the CPW Fishing App The CPW Fishing App is the official fishing app of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, providing you great journaling, learning and scouting capabilities, even with no connection. Colorado Parks and Wildlife encourages anglers to submit condition reports to the DNR Fishing Reporter. Conditions, comments, and questions can be submitted to the Fishing Reporter’s email at [email protected] The Fishing Report is for all Colorado anglers of every experience level, and anglers just like yourself provide many of the conditions you read. Now you can take the #ColoradoOutdoors anywhere. Follow us on @instagram @coparkswildlife! http://instagram.com/coparkswildlife Check out our CPW community on Facebook. Colorado anglers can “like" the CPW Facebook page to get tips, share stories and more. If you love the outdoors, this is the place to be. Before you head out, head for facebook.com/ColoradoParksandWildlife/. Fish with us on Twitter Colorado anglers can get updates directly from CPW on Twitter. Follow @COParksWildlife. COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE ▪ 1313 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203 ▪ (303) 297-1192 ▪ cpw.state.co.us Stocking Report Body of Water Region Report Date KOA Lake – Boulder Northeast 10/7/2019 Wonderland Lake Northeast 10/7/2019 Boyd Lake Northeast 10/7/2019 St. Vrain State Park Coot Pond Northeast 10/7/2019 St. Vrain State Park Sandpiper Pond Northeast 10/7/2019 Groundhog Reservoir Southwest 10/7/2019 Severance City Pond Northeast 10/8/2019 Poudre Ponds #1 Northeast 10/8/2019 Jackson Reservoir Northeast 10/8/2019 Stratton Pond Southeast 10/8/2019 Hale Pond #1 Southeast 10/8/2019 Hale Pond #2 Southeast 10/8/2019 Hale Pond #3 Southeast 10/8/2019 Island Lake Southwest 10/8/2019 Vallecito Reservoir Southwest 10/8/2019 Robert’s Lake Northeast 10/9/2019 Mead Pond #2 Northeast 10/9/2019 Echo Canyon Reservoir Southwest 10/9/2019 Georgetown Lake Northeast 10/9/2019 West Lake Northwest 10/9/2019 Snooks Bottom Lake Northwest 10/9/2019 Monument Lake Southeast 10/9/2019 Palmer Lake Southeast 10/9/2019 Confluence Lake Southwest 10/9/2019 Olathe Kids Pond Southwest 10/9/2019 Harvey Gap Reservoir Northwest 10/10/2019 COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE ▪ 1313 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203 ▪ (303) 297-1192 ▪ cpw.state.co.us Sweetwater Lake Northwest 10/10/2019 Gypsum Ponds Northwest 10/10/2019 Bel Aire Ponds Northwest 10/11/2019 Sleepy Cat Pond Northwest 10/11/2019 Roan’s Pothole Northwest 10/11/2019 Old Orchard Northwest 10/11/2019 Catch of the Week Joe Hazard enjoyed a gorgeous day at Windsor Reservoir, hooking into this beautiful rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) on the fly rod this week. Have a fish you are proud of? Share your photo! Email [email protected] and put “Catch of the Week” in the subject line COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE ▪ 1313 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203 ▪ (303) 297-1192 ▪ cpw.state.co.us Conditions Report – Metro Aurora Reservoir This 762-acre impoundment is located off E. Quincy Avenue, two miles east of E-470. Open to boating. As of 10/18/2019, the water level is low and the public dock is completely out of the water. Water temperatures are being reported in the mid to high 50’s. Fishing access throughout the reservoir is good due to the low water levels. Trout fishing from shore has picked up and is fair to good using power bait from the dam. Boaters are reporting anywhere from fair to good success on trout trolling with pop gear and crawlers. Walleye reports are slow to fair with an occasional good report using jigs and trolling with bottom bouncers. Fly casters try the olive leech pattern. There are reports of large perch being caught! For more information, call 303-326-8425. Park hours for September are 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Restricted to electric motors only. Aurora Reservoir Chatfield Reservoir This 1,356-acre impoundment is located in Chatfield State Park. As of 10/18/2019, the water temperature continues to drop and is in the high 50’s to mid 60’s, with the water level down about 5 feet. Walleye fishing has been good as shad populations across the lake have decreased, making it easier to find them. Walleyes are still being caught by trolling a slow death rig or spinners with a crawler harness. Try vertical jigging with chartreuse or orange jigs with plastics or worms on the gravel beds. Additionally, Rapallas that mimic perch can catch large walleyes and try trolling these in deeper water or jigging them and slowly retrieving them on the gravel pits in the slow wake area. Anglers are getting into some good bass catches in your usual spots such as the gravel pits and sunken boulder fields. Mid-sized crank baits are working well off shore or trolling. Early morning will also be key to having good success. Bass are beginning to move into deeper water so keep that in mind as water temperatures continue to drop at the reservoir. Chatfield Reservoir Cherry Creek This 881-acre impoundment is located in Cherry Creek State Park, in Aurora. There are two entrances to the park, the east entrance off S. Dayton St. and the west entrance off S. Parker Rd. As of 10/18/2019, water temperatures are in the high 50’s to mid 60’s. The cold weather has reduced shad populations, to an extent, and walleye are less spread out across the reservoir. As a result, try fishing regular summer hot spots based on structure (drop-offs, humps, points, etc.) that walleyes usually find appealing. If you are trying to get into some walleye in the coming days, it is crucial that you hit the water early in the morning and use reactionary baits in the shallows as the walleye are chasing the shad in 6-15 feet of water or so. Suggested methods include blade baits and jigging Rapalas. Reports of a few wipers are also coming in and using the same reactionary techniques as walleye should give you a good shot at them as well. Cherry Creek Reservoir Quincy Reservoir As of 10/18/2019, Quincy Reservoir is continuing to experience water quality challenges concerning blue green algae. Out of an abundance of caution, Quincy Reservoir is CLOSED for the season. The season typically ends October 31st. For more information, call 303-326-8425. Quincy Reservoir Conditions Report - Northeast Colorado Bear Creek Reported 10/18/2019, this creek has great accessibility and is only a short drive from Denver. There has been great water clarity and no runoff to report. Keep an eye on rainstorms because they can greatly reduce water clarity at this creek. Hopper dropper rigs are catching the most fish. Generally, use the double rigs in deeper pools with slower moving water and single flies in shallower water. Caddis, black streamers, PMD’s, and Yellow Sallies are also good selections. Flows: 13.5 CFS at Morrison (10/18/2019) Bear Creek COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE ▪ 1313 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203 ▪ (303) 297-1192 ▪ cpw.state.co.us Big Thompson River As of 10/11/2019, fall is here and the water is low and clear. The water clarity makes this a great river for sight fishing and spotting rising trout. Be sure to have a careful approach and not spook fish because if you can see them, they can usually see you. Smaller bugs (16-20) are starting to be more effective on this river and Pheasant tails as well as Price Nymphs are a great option. Use 5 or 6x tippet to get picky fish to take your fly. Midges and Blue Wing Olives are great options this time of year. Pay attention to the stage of insect’s life cycles when trying to match the hatch. Have numphs, emergers, and adults to match it as closely as possible and increase success on the river.