PARKS & WILDLIFE

Fishing ReportFishing Regulations

Friday August 18th, 2017 News and Information Review

Discarded Fishing Line Kills Osprey in Northwest Colorado In early August, Colorado Parks and Wildlife received a call about a dead Osprey on the banks of Trout Creek in the Routt National Forest in northwest Colorado. The person who made the report said it looked like the bird had been shot. When CPW Wildlife Officer Andrea Sponseller investigated she found that the bird had become entangled in fishing line. Anglers should never discard fishing line, hooks or bait along a water way. All of these can be harmful to wildlife.

Family Cast N’ Blast in Craig, August 19 Colorado Parks and Wildlife, in cooperation with the Wyman Museum, Northwest Colorado Outfitters Chapter, Mule Deer Foundation, Nine Mile Guest Ranch and Northwest Pawn, will host a free, 'Family Cast N’ Blast,' Saturday, August 19, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Wyman Museum in Craig. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers and volunteers will help anyone interested in learning the basics of shooting, archery and fishing in a fun, family environment.

Kids Fishy Crafts Day at , August 19 Anyone can catch a fish, but how would you like to make a fish? Bring a parent and join an interpreter for a fun morning of fishy crafts; including the ancient Japanese art of Gyotaku. An adult must accompany children. This event is from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. at the North Shore Amphitheater.

Mueller State Park Basics of Fly Fishing Class, August 22 will be hosting a ‘basics to fly fishing’ class at Dragonfly Pond. This event is open to all ages and will be held on August 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

New Flathead Catfish Record by Weight Set at Lake Pueblo A Canon City man fishing in has reeled in a state record flathead catfish, for weight. Fishing from a boat with his family on Father’s Day, June 18, Michael Flock landed a flathead that weighed in at 30 pounds, 9.6 ounces and measured 38⅝ inches long. Flock’s catch erases the previous record set on January 19, 2015, by Tony Chavez of La Junta, who caught a 27 pound flathead catfish below John Martin Reservoir.

Colorado Residents Urged to Take Advantage of Late Season Whitewater Rafting Conditions Huge winter snowpack followed by steady monsoonal rainfall in the central mountains has produced what experts describe as rare late season whitewater rafting conditions on the Arkansas River. Most rafting customers come during peak flow months of June and July. Now, the crowds are dropping fast making this late whitewater a real bonus for area residents.

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

Chalk Creek Lake Southeast Region 8/18/2017

Clear Creek Reservoir Southeast Region 8/18/2017

Evergreen Reservoir Northeast Region 8/18/2017

Georgetown Lake Northeast Region 8/18/2017

Lake O'Haver Southeast Region 8/18/2017

Montgomery Reservoir Northeast Region 8/18/2017

Mount Elbert Forebay Southeast Region 8/18/2017

Ridgway Reservoir Southwest Region 8/18/2017

San Isabel Lake Southeast Region 8/18/2017

Tarryall Reservoir Northeast Region 8/18/2017

Teal Lake Northwest Region 8/18/2017

Tiago Lake Northwest Region 8/18/2017

Wrights Lake Southeast Region 8/18/2017

Yampa River #6 Northwest Region 8/18/2017

COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE ▪ 1313 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203 ▪ (303) 297-1192 ▪ cpw.state.co.us

Catch of the Week

Zach Bernhardt with a Rifle Falls Ponds rainbow trout.

Have a fish you're proud of? Share your photo

COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE ▪ 1313 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203 ▪ (303) 297-1192 ▪ cpw.state.co.us Conditions Report – Metro Area

Aurora Reservoir The reservoir will be closed to the public all day on August 26th for an event. The current water temperature is around 71 degrees. The trout fishing from shore has been on and off lately. We are still seeing some success near the dam for anglers using PowerBait and crawlers. It is best to cast a slip rig out into the deep water. Boat anglers are reporting fair to good success on trout while trolling with pop gear, crawlers, and silver bright colored spoons and spinners. The walleye fishing is fair to good for boat anglers trolling with bottom bouncers and jigs tipped with crawlers and leeches. The perch fishing is good for shore and boat anglers using jigs and worms. A majority of the perch from shore are being caught from the dam. There are no reports for other species being caught at this time.

Quincy Reservoir The current water temperature is around 72 degrees and the water level is low with heavy aquatic vegetation along the shoreline. Boat rentals are unavailable at this time due to the low water levels. The trout fishing has been slow. The bass fishing is rated as slow to fair from shore with an occasional good report. We are receiving reports of soft plastics, spinner baits, and top water lures getting some strikes. Boat anglers are getting into some bass in 10 to 15 feet of water just outside of the weeds beds using soft plastics, top water lures and chatter baits. The perch action is fair to good for anglers using jigs. The perch are averaging small in size.

Conditions Report - Northeast Colorado

Antero Reservoir The current water temperature is around 70 degrees and the water clarity is very clear. Anglers are reporting seeing many fish swimming along the shoreline looking for insects and crustaceans. Fly anglers are still having luck stripping streamers and damsel flies near the weed beds. Dry flies are a good option when the water is calm in the morning and evening. Spin anglers are catching fish on gold and red spinners, and Kastmasters. Overall, the fishing has slowed down considerably over the past 2 weeks.

Boyd Lake The current water temperature is around 75 degrees with a depth of approximately 50 feet. The largemouth bass fishing is good for anglers using plastics and lures near the northwest portion of the lake. The smallmouth bass fishing is poor. The trout fishing is excellent for anglers using flies, lures, worms, and PowerBait. The walleye are biting bottom bouncers with worms throughout the lake. The pan fish have slowed down, but some anglers are having luck using minnows and worms.

Dream Stream The current water flow is around 240 cfs with excellent clarity. These flows are above average for this time of year with the recent rainfall. The dream stream has been fishing very well lately. Anglers should prepare for hatches of midges, caddis, yellow sallies, blue-winged olives, and tricos. Currently nymphing is your best bet with the higher flows. Anglers can expect to see excellent hatches of pale morning duns, caddis, and tricos. The slower pools, back channels, and tail outs are providing some good surface activity. Effective patterns include #14 San Juan Worms, #14 Scuds, #10 Pine Squirrel Leech, #18 Mercury Flashback Pheasant Tails, #18 Buckskins, caddis larva, #18 Barr's Emerger (PMD) and #16 Barr's Graphic Caddis, #16 Elk Hair Caddis, #14-16 yellow Stimulators, #16 Mathew's Sparkle Dun (PMD), #10 Amy's Ant, and #24 Stalcup's Trico. Crowds have been heavy so plan accordingly.

COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE ▪ 1313 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203 ▪ (303) 297-1192 ▪ cpw.state.co.us Eleven Mile Reservoir The trout fishing is good as of recently. The action is the best early in the morning and it tends to drop off significantly after 10:00 a.m. Anglers have been experiencing strong bites right before afternoon rain storms. The fishing at night is excellent. Boat anglers who are trolling are still doing well on Needlefish, Kastmasters, Krocodiles and Tasmanian Devils. The color of choice changes frequently, so if you are not catching anything, change up or check that you are not dragging a weed. The callibaetis hatch is very consistent everyday during mid morning. Boat anglers who are drifting bait with long leaders are doing great on the west end of the reservoir. Jigging is also picking up. Shore anglers are doing well at night and sundown. PowerBait in green, chartreuse, salmon, peach, and garlic work well. The kokanee salmon action is very sporadic. The bite has been very early and very late. The best chances to catch kokanee are still near the North Shore to Duck Island, although a few big ones have been caught off of Rocking Chair. Lazy Boy and Rodgers Mountain continue to fish well. The fish are still hugging the bottom in whatever depth you are in. Every now and then you might get surprised to find them up high in the teens. Greens and pinks with an occasional orange are the best colors. Dodgers and Pop Gear are still helping. Mack's Wedding Rings and Kokanee Killers are a good choice. Pink has been the predominate color of choice. The northern pike fishing continues to improve. Spinner Baits, Husky Jerks, X-Raps, and large spoons all have seen some good action. Work the weed lines on the west end or the drop offs near the rocks at North Shore and Rocky Flats. The North Shore in the shallows has seen decent action during late morning and early afternoon. Eleven Mile State Park

Rampart Reservoir The current water temperature is around 64 degrees and the lake is filling slowly with the recent rainfall. Anglers are having success from shore near the inlet using spinners, streamers, and Pistol Pete’s. Boat anglers are reporting a recent decrease with the lake trout activity. The fish have moved into deeper waters around 100 feet in depth. Both shore and boat anglers are having success catching trout using Kastmasters and spinners in 15 to 20 feet of water.

St. Vrain There are 11 fishable ponds at St. Vrain State Park that are stocked on a regular basis. Bald Eagle Pond is artificial flies and lures only. Bald Eagle Pond and Blue Heron Reservoir are trophy bass fisheries and all bass caught on these 2 ponds must be immediately returned to the water. Only one catfish in your bag and possession limit can exceed 20 inches at Blue Heron Reservoir. Blue Heron has been producing some good sized white crappie, bass, and saugeye on jigs and lures. St. Vrain State Park

Conditions Report - Southeast Colorado

Arkansas River Headwaters The upper river is in excellent shape and the fishing here has been really productive lately. The upper river near the inlet of Twin Lakes discharge is still the best place for the wade angler to get in the water, especially when compared to the higher flow rates of the lower river. We are seeing a lot of caddis and pale morning dun activity through Hayden Meadows down to Granite. Grasshoppers are beginning to become more important as the larger aquatic insect activity in the river slows down. Flows are finally down below 1,000 cfs in Brown's Canyon, and Chalk Creek is running clear which is giving us excellent conditions in Browns Canyon. This morning, the entire middle basin was in really good shape with several feet of visibility. Water flows are still too high to wade across this section. There are a wide range of insects available to the fish right now, from small midges, caddis, and pale morning duns up to much larger grasshoppers and beetles. At these flows, the fish are still pushed to sheltered or slower water near the banks and behind boulders. Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area

Clear Creek Reservoir The trout angling remains slow for both shore and boat anglers. At dawn, fly anglers caught several trout on Hare’s Ear nymphs. Fly anglers usually experience success on Woolly Buggers as the winds begin to crank up mid day. Bait anglers caught a few trout using PowerBait off the lake bottom. Boat anglers caught trout by trolling worms and flashers along the perimeter of the reservoir. The trout also went for Blue Fox spinners from a boat. No anglers reported landing a kokanee salmon from a boat. Early morning and late evening has been the best time to target tiger musky.

Lake Pueblo The reservoir is currently around 72 degrees, dropping a few degrees with the recent rain and cloudy weather. Boat anglers are having luck trolling the reservoir with crank baits and Kastmasters. Using a lead core is the most effective. The fish have been found in 30 to 40 feet of water, but expect them to drop deeper once the reservoir heats up again. Anglers are reporting seeing large schools of shad throughout the reservoir. Lake Pueblo State Park

COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE ▪ 1313 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203 ▪ (303) 297-1192 ▪ cpw.state.co.us Lathrop The current water temperature at Martin Lake remains around 70 degrees. The fishing at Martin Lake is producing mostly catfish, pike, and trout. The catfish are being caught on worms from the bank. Good sized pike are being caught by boat anglers using spoons. The trout are being caught from the bank on worms and PowerBait. The fishing at Horseshoe Lake is producing smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, and catfish. Boat anglers are producing the best results. Trolling is working well for bass and rainbow trout. The catfish are being caught from the bank on worms. The current water temperature at Horseshoe Lake is near 70 degrees.

North Gateway Park The fishing continues to be steady for all species. Anglers are having luck catching large catfish in the 10 to 15 pound range.

Trinidad Lake The current water temperature remains around 70 degrees. The fishing from the south shore has been steady and anglers are catching fish on worms and PowerBait throughout the lake. Reilly canyon is fishing well and anglers are catching small walleye and some catfish with worms and chicken liver.

Conditions Report - Northwest Colorado

Delany Buttes All the lakes continue to fish well with the recent rain and cooler weather. The fishing does become slow around mid day when there are no clouds. Nymph and dry fly rigs continue to fish well. Using a chironomid or callibaetis under an indicator is very effective. Streamers and damsel fly nymphs are getting aggressive strikes for anglers using a full sink line and getting their flies on top of the weed beds. The terrestrials are out and large dry flies are getting bites. Hopper, beetle, and ant patterns are working better by the day.

Harvey Gap The northern pike and perch are being caught throughout the lake on a variety of lures. The trout fishing has slowed down but a few anglers are catching them consistently on spinners and flies. Tiger muskies have been reintroduced into the lake and they can look similar to northern pike. Please know the difference before keeping any fish. The tiger muskie regulation at the lake is a fish with a minimum size of 36 inches and a bag limit of 1.

Rifle Falls The rainbow and cutthroat trout are being caught in East Rifle Creek which flows through Rifle Falls. Fish up to 19 inches long have been taken, with 6 to 9 inch fish being the average size. Brown and black streamers and spinners have been working the best recently. Bait can be used, except for live fish. Rifle Falls State Park

Rifle Gap The fishing has been great for boat anglers, but slower for shore anglers. Over the last couple of weeks the perch fishing has picked up. Large perch are being caught near the island on the east end of the lake, and near Rainbow Point.

State Forest State Park Anglers are continuing to catch rainbow trout consistently at North Michigan Reservoir. PowerBait and salmon eggs continue to work as well. Fly anglers are having luck fishing the surface with caddis dry flies. The fishing at Ranger lakes has been picking up for anglers using worms. The rainbow trout are feeding actively. Anglers have reported good cutthroat trout fishing at Lake Agnes using silver spinners.

COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE ▪ 1313 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203 ▪ (303) 297-1192 ▪ cpw.state.co.us Vega The fishing has been good and anglers are reporting catching some nice rainbow trout in the 12 to 16 inch range using PowerBait, worms, and spinners. The Oak Point boat ramp is closed for the season but the Island and Early Settlers boat ramps remain open. All boats must have an inspection prior to launching. Boat inspection hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Monday through Thursday; 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 7:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Conditions Report - Southwest Colorado

Dolores River The river is flowing around 71 cfs in Rico and 215 cfs near Dolores. The river is dropping fast and it gets narrow and shallow above Rico. Anglers are reporting good success nymphing with midge, stonefly, caddis, and pale morning dun patterns. The dry fly fishing is excellent in the evening with caddis and blue winged olive dry flies. Using a dry dropper rig is a great method with the water levels lowering.

Taylor River The river is currently flowing around 580 cfs near Almont. Flows are now becoming stable on the Taylor River and East River, which means great dry fly action. Blue winged olives, tricos, and caddis dry flies are working great on the surface. Be prepared for the terrestrial activity to pick up over the next couple of weeks. The canyon section is producing fish on dry dropper rigs with a Chernobyl on top and a beadhead pheasant tail below.

Uncompahgre River The river is currently flowing around 300 cfs and the water clarity is clear. The warmer weather has slowed the dry fly fishing down in the morning and nymphing has been the best option. Anglers are having success using baetis, stonefly, yellow sally, and midge patterns. The afternoon caddis hatch has been consistent and prolific. The dry fly action picks up in the evening once the sun starts setting. Large rainbow trout in the 25 inch range are being caught up near the tailwater section. These fish are primarily biting on small nymph patterns fished deep.

Conditions Report – Statewide

Rivers and Creeks Summer fishing conditions have arrived and anglers are taking full advantage of the manageable water flows. It is officially dry fly season and the fish are actively feeding on the surface. It is also mosquito and horsefly season, so do not forget your bug spray. Large dry flies such as Elk Hair Caddis, Yellow Sallies, and Renegades are working well throughout the state. The fish are still biting on large nymphs such as San Juan Worms, Stoneflies, and Prince Nymphs, but be prepared to transition into smaller nymphs once the water temperatures rise. Anglers should start using smaller leaders and tippets since the water clarity will continue to improve into autumn. Rainfall will be the only factor that changes water conditions throughout the summer. As summer continues, it is important to focus on fishing during early mornings and late evenings, since the fish will become lethargic during the heat of the day.

********************************************************************************************************************************************************

DNR Fish Reporter

COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE ▪ 1313 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203 ▪ (303) 297-1192 ▪ cpw.state.co.us