COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE

Fishing ReportFishing Regulations

Friday October 25th, 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 25, 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

Catamount Lake Northwest 10/15/2019

Northgate Pond #3 Southeast 10/15/2019

Northgate Pond #2 Southeast 10/15/2019

Turks Pond Southeast 10/15/2019

Black Hole at Two Buttes Southeast 10/15/2019

Pueblo Reservoir Southeast 10/15/2019

Beckwith Reservoir Southeast 10/15/2019

Memorial Park Pond Southeast 10/15/2019

Jackson's Pond Southeast 10/15/2019

Willow Creek Reservoir Northwest 10/16/2019

DeWeese Reservoir Southeast 10/16/2019

Vallecito Reservoir Southwest 10/16/2019

Taylor Reservoir Southwest 10/16/2019

Sylvan Lake Northwest 10/17/2019

Parachute Pond Northwest 10/17/2019

Rifle Lions Pond Northwest 10/17/2019

Minneuqua Lake Southeast 10/17/2019

Fountain Lake Southeast 10/17/2019

Runyon Lake Southeast 10/17/2019

Anticline Lake Southeast 10/17/2019

Confluence Lake Southwest 10/17/2019

Clearwater Pond Northeast 10/18/2019

Poplar Pond Northeast 10/18/2019

Dragonfly Pond Northeast 10/18/2019

Jayhawker Pond #2 Northeast 10/18/2019

Corn Lake Northwest 10/18/2019

Rifle Gap Reservoir Northwest 10/18/2019

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

Daniel caught this massive 26-inch walleye (Sander vitreus) from the Platte River in Englewood!

Have a fish you are proud of? Share your photo! Email [email protected] and put “Catch of the Week” in the subject line

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 10/21/2019, the water level is low and the public dock is completely out of the water! Fishing access throughout the reservoir is good due to the low water levels. Trout fishing from shore is fair to good using PowerBait and crawlers from the dam and off some of the points on the south side. 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. Some reports of perch being caught on jigs in 25 to 35 feet of water. Fly casters try the olive leech pattern. For more information call 303-326-8425. Park hours in October are 6:30 a.m. -7:30 p.m. Restricted to electric motors only. Aurora Reservoir

Chatfield Reservoir This 1,356-acre impoundment is located in Chatfield State Park. As of 10/25/2019, the water temperature continues to drop. 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 vertical jigging with chartreuse or orange jigs with plastics or worms near points and drop-offs across the reservoir. Additionally, jerkbaits 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. As the temperatures continue to drop bass are beginning to move into deeper water. Try using top water lures (see the tip of the week) in the mornings and switching to deeper running lures as the day moves on. 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 10/25/2019, 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. 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. Rainbow fishing should start to improve and most of the traditional trout fishing techniques will work here. Try top water lures for bass in the morning and moving deeper as the day continues. Cherry Creek Reservoir

Quincy Reservoir As of 10/25/2019, 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

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

Bear Creek Reported 10/24/2019, this small creek has great accessibility (about 7 miles of public land access) and is only a short drive from Denver. Brown trout is the most common catch on this creek but there are some rainbows as well. There has been great water clarity and no runoff to report but keep an eye on rainstorms because they can greatly reduce water clarity. Try gold and silver spinners (Mepps, Panther Martin, etc.) if using a spin rod. Blue Fox Vibrax minnows with a spin blade are another good option for catching more aggressive browns (this will be a good option with another cold front approaching as fish will be more aggressive). If fly fishing try using Caddis, PMD’s, and Yellow Sallies. Euro nymphing is a good technique at this creek as well and makes a subtle bite easier to detect. Flows: 20 CFS at Morrison (10/25/2019) Bear Creek

Big Thompson River As of 10/24/2019, fishing has been reported as good and lots of smaller (10 to 14 inches) browns and rainbows have been caught recently. 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. Midges (size 20 to 24) have been working below a dry fly. Be aware of where you are fishing on this river because there is a mix of public and private land. Flows: 35.7 at Loveland (10/24/2019) Big Thompson River

Boyd Lake As of 10/20/2019, the water temperature have been in the mid 50’s to low 60’s and continues to drop. Bass fishing is reported as good in the shallows, coves, near the pump house, and inlets using a variety of jigs and artificial plastics. Top water lures can work well for bass this time of year. Some anglers are also reporting success using top water lures such as Kastmasters to target white bass in the coves, near the pump house, and shallow areas of the lake. The walleye bite has been picking up with reports of large fish being caught. Walleye also reported in 20 to 25 feet of water catching them off the bottom. Try trolling a slow death rig or a bottom bouncer with a chartreuse spinner and worm harness. Carp, catfish, and bluegill can be caught from the shoreline using worms as well as stinkbaits to target catfish. There is no fishing allowed from marina slips or docks. Perch, trout, and white bass have been caught in 5 to 10 feet of water by trolling Kastmasters and various spinners. Boyd Lake

Cache La Poudre River As of 10/23/2019, flows have been low with clear water near Fort Collins. This makes it easy to spot fish but also makes it easy for them to spot you. The best stretch of the river to fish has been through the canyon. The Poudre has a diverse insect ecosystem for a smaller river so paying attention to the surroundings will aid in what to tie on your rigs, especially in the fall. Right now, you can still see hatches of caddis, blue winged olives, pale morning duns and tricos. Pause and take a minute to take in the surroundings and look for hatches, fish feeding in deeper water or faster runs, and if the conditions favor a streamer then take advantage. A good rule of thumb for the Poudre this time of the year is smaller and darker colored bugs for your rigs. Some specific flies that are a good choice right now are Blue Poison Tungs, Mercury Midges, Griffiths Gnats, and a leach or San Juan worm as an attractor followed by a nymph. Large, flashy streamers can also produce a bite and catch larger trout! Flows: 19 CFS near Fort Collins and 79 near the Canyon Mouth (10/23/2019) Cache La Poudre River

COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE ▪ 1313 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203 ▪ (303) 297-1192 ▪ cpw.state.co.us Eleven Mile Reservoir As of 10/24/2019, report from the Eleven Mile Marina weekly fishing report. Trout fishing reported as good to very good and its trophy season! It’s hard to catch a fish below 16 inches. Many techniques and methods are succeeding from shore and boat. We really like jigging this time of year and pitching or trolling Rapala’s. Jointed and X-Rap are some of our favorites. Shore anglers are doing really well. PowerBait, Salmon eggs and the like are productive. Both sides of the lake seeing good action. Kokanee fishing has been extremely slow. Lots of them moving up river so there are still four year olds out there. Nothing out of the boats. Northern pike fishing has been excellent and trophy season is here. October is one of the best months and that seems to be the case as action continues to be lots of fun. Most fish in the 24 to 33 inch range but the big ones are on the prowl. Big Sticks with orange bellies continue to be their favorite. Action has been found all around the lake. One of our favorite, and least mentioned spots, is the cove to the right of the buoy line. Lots of rocks and drop offs. Our biggest fish come from that cove and have usually been between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. with noon being the best. The Eleven Mile Marina is located at the North Shore in Eleven Mile State Park, Lake George Colorado. A CPW Park Pass is required on all vehicles entering the Park. Trout daily bag/possession limit is four fish, of which no more than two can be 16 inches or longer. Northern pike has NO bag/possession limit. Kokanee salmon daily bag/possession limit is 10 fish at all times of the year. Eleven Mile State Park

Estes Lake This beautiful lake is home to yellow perch, tiger muskie, and trout (browns, rainbows, and cutbows). If going for perch, try the area where the lake meets Fish Creek. As of 10/22/2019, the water level is reported as full with temperatures in the high 40’s and great water clarity. The fishing has been reported as great for rainbows and Wooley buggers and pink tube jigs have been reported to be working for trout on the lake. The brown trout has been reported as slow. The tiger muskie bite has also been slow and there is not a large population in the lake. Try casting and retrieving large spoons, spinners, and cranks if targeting muskie. Estes Lake

Flatiron Reservoir This 47 acre reservoir offers the opportunity to catch brown, rainbow, and cutbow trout. Fishing from shore is allowed and no boats are permitted on the water. There is also camping permitted along the shoreline making this a great place to spend a weekend. As of 10/19/2019, the water level is reported as full with temperatures in the high 40’s and low 50’s. The water clarity is reported as good with about 4 feet of visibility. Fishing has been reported as good with lots of large rainbows being caught. Try using the fly/bubble fishing technique! Flatiron Reservoir

Golden Meadows Pond This pond, located in Larimer county, is easy to access and provides great opportunities to catch largemouth bass, crappie, panfish, carp, and catfish. There have been some trophy catfish caught from this pond! As of 10/22/2019, the water level is reported as full with temperatures in the mid 50’s. Visibility has been poor and reported as murky with about 6 inches of visibility. There is great shore access and try fishing the bottom with small PowerBait nibbles or worm imitations to catch a variety of species here. Dough bait has also worked for catfish. This is a great time of year to use top water baits to for bass (see the tip of the week)! Try throwing a variety of spinners, cranks, and poppers. When retrieving poppers try putting little twitches in your movement which moves water and mimics a fish in distress. Different retrieval speeds and combinations of twitches and pauses are the best ways to work these lures. Low light conditions (morning, evening, shaded areas, etc.) are the best areas to fish top water lures. Golden Meadows Pond

Jackson Lake As of 10/23/2019, surface water temperature is in the 50’s and continues to drop. Visibility has been reported has extremely poor, with less than 6 inches of visibility, across much of the lake. The fishing has been slow over the past month or so. Walleye are doing fair to good, while Wipers reported as good. Anglers reported the water was cloudy with low visibility. Wiper action slow when trolling crank baits. Shore anglers reported success using bottom bouncers from shore. The minimum size for wipers is 15 inches in length. The minimum size for crappie is 10 inches in length. The minimum size for walleye/saugeye is 15 inches in length. No more than one walleye/saugeye in the aggregate greater than 21 inches may be taken per day. Fishing in the outlet ditch immediately below the dam, around the rotary screen structure, is prohibited. There are reports of lots of shad across the lake which can make fishing some of the usual spots on the lake more difficult. As most anglers know, the presence of shad can make fishing a challenge in certain situations and can be helpful in others. When baitfish are scattered across a body of water, the fish that consume them will also scatter to feed on them. If the shad are grouping together, there will almost always be larger fish feeding on them and fishing these areas can work extremely well. Jackson Lake

COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE ▪ 1313 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203 ▪ (303) 297-1192 ▪ cpw.state.co.us Prewitt Reservoir This 2,431 acre reservoir is located on the Prewitt Reservoir State Wildlife Area and wakeless boating is permitted. As of 10/25/2019, the water level was reported as low (5 to 6 feet down) and water temperatures have decreased into the high 50’s and low 60’s with poor visibility. When fishing for walleye, the areas near the boat ramp, the south shore, and the northeast corner of the reservoir represent traditional hot-spots. Walleye and crappie have been caught on cranks in deeper water. In terms of channel catfish, shore anglers generally do as well as boat anglers. Try using cut carp, cut shad, or shrimp. Later in the year when the reservoir is drawn down, try fishing for crappie along the east dam. The fishing has been reported as extremely slow lately. Prewitt Reservoir

Spinney Mountain Reservoir As of 10/25/2019, Spinney Mountain State Park will close to boating 10/31/2019 at 6:33 p.m. for the season. Only vessels listed under Parks Chapter 8, Regulation #800K will be allowed after that time until the Park closes for the season. Spinney Mountain State Park will close for the season 11/15/2019 one half hour after sunset. If the reservoir ices over before then, it could close earlier. Trout and pike are becoming more and more active every day as they stock up for the winter. Colder nightly temperatures are encouraging aggressive feeding habits for all species. Trout are hitting various colored Tasmanian Devils and Rapala’s. Pike are in full force as the big, fat, and aggressive females start to reveal themselves for the fall feeding. High vibration lures and spinners are going to get their attention. Check in with a local tackle shop to see what colors are particularly working. Going really dark with a black or on the opposite end of the spectrum with a white or chartreuse are always good bets. Spinney Mountain Reservoir

Conditions Report - Southeast Colorado

Arkansas River – Salida to Canon City As of 10/25/2019, water clarity has been reported as clear on this stretch of the river. The flows are going to start to dip for the winter months. In general, this means the fish will be a bit finicky as they grow accustomed to the new flows. Reports of good blue winged olives, tricos, midges and caddis hatches are still coming in as the air temperatures have not become too cold for bug activity. Deep nymphing will be the most productive for the rest of the fall and winter season but if you see consistent surface water action, try some dries. Streamers should also be in full force, especially with the water being a bit stained. Large articulated streamers in all shapes and sizes can work here as the available amount of bait fish are abundant and in wide varieties. Identify structure such as logs and sunken trees where large trout may be waiting for smaller trout and baitfish. Try stripping streamers through these areas and use a combination of speeds and movements to catch the attention of a hungry fish. Flows: 324 CFS in Salida (10/25/2019) Lake Pueblo State Park

Arkansas River – Leadville to Buena Vista As of 10/18/2019, water temperatures are in the high 30’s to low 50’s with excellent visibility on this stretch of the river. Flows have remained the same since last week. This stretch of river is also extremely wader friendly but these fish can spook easily so it is best to use a cautious approach. Target fish in deeper runs along the river, as well as, pools along the shoreline with slower currents. Fish are sitting in these areas waiting to strike so try baitfish imitation streamers to induce a bite. Spawning browns will be in shallow riffles and look for areas where rocks have been cleaned and avoid your step to protect Redds for future catches! Flows: 111 CFS at Granite (10/25/2019) Arkansas River

COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE ▪ 1313 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203 ▪ (303) 297-1192 ▪ cpw.state.co.us Pueblo Reservoir As of 10/25/2019, fishing has been reported as good lately and water temperatures are being reported in the mid 60’s for most of the day and there has been poor water clarity. Shad populations are high which has led to a random distribution of fish across the reservoir. Try to identify areas where they are schooling as larger fish should be nearby. If it is windy, look for windblown banks where shad are being pushed together. The night hours, vampire shift, has produced some great walleye catches as well. Bass are also going for cranks and anglers are having success from shore and the boat. Try alternating retrieval speeds and using top water lures to get a bite. Anglers are also having success catching catfish and they will go for dough baits or crawlers. Wipers are mainly found in the flats this time of year as they chase the schools of shad. Fishing in about 60 feet or so of water in the flats should house some decent wiper numbers. Having a depth/fish finder will make searching for the wipers a lot easier than blindly casting in various flats. Walleye fishing is picking up right now and anglers are having success during the day and the night hours. During the day, anglers have been using jigging Rapala’s and other deeper crankbaits. The minimum size for smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass is 15 inches in length. The bag/possession limit and minimum size for walleye/saugeye is five fish in the aggregate, 18 inches in length. The bag/possession limit for crappie is 10 fish and the minimum size is 10 inches in length. The bag/possession limit for wiper is 5 fish and no more than one wiper greater than 21 inches, in length, per day can be taken. Underwater spearfishing is allowed for the take of channel, blue, and flathead catfish with an aggregate bag and possession limit of 5 fish. Pueblo Reservoir

Trinidad Reservoir As of 10/25/2019, the lake is at 699 surface acres with a surface elevation of 6182.58 feet. All shorelines are currently open for fishing. Water temperature is in the high 50’s to low 60’s with clarity at about 2 feet. Fishing reported good all around the lake. South shore anglers have been catching trout with PowerBait and Dough bait off the bottom. Anglers catching 12 to 15 inch trout have been common, good numbers of bass/perch reported as well. Grass has choked much of the shallower coves around the lake. Boaters having success targeting all species in mid to shallow water. Bass/perch caught during cooler hours and trout are caught all day. In Reilly Canyon, there have been reports of catfish caught with worms and liver. Perch are being caught with worms and trout have been common as well. Boaters have had success catching trout and walleye. Trolling with worms or spinners seems to be working the best. There have been reports of walleye caught in 10 to 15 feet of water. The smallmouth bite has been the best in the early mornings and evenings. Trinidad Reservoir

Twin Lakes These are the biggest natural glacier lakes in the state and provide a great opportunity for fishing! Snow has been reported along the shoreline but the lakes are still free of ice. As of 10/24/2019, the water level is reported as full with great visibility. The rainbow fishing has been good and they are going for PowerBait or gold/silver spinners from shore. These are also great lakes for pulling them through the ice! Lake trout populations have rebound and these lakes present a great opportunity to catch this species. The bag and possession limit for lake trout is one fish. All lake trout between 22 and 34 inches in length must be returned to the water immediately upon catch. Twin Lakes

Conditions Report - Northwest Colorado

Blue River – Silverthorne As of 10/25/2019, the flows have been steady with slight water turbidity and temperatures in the low 40’s. Sight fishing with nymph rigs will provide anglers with the best chance of success in this stretch of river. Although the flow is not very strong currently, lead mysis shrimp will still produce and trailing them with Juju Baetis, BTS Nymphs, and eggs will be productive. Be sure to move slowly and be prepared with a quality pair of sunglasses in order to spot fish in tight pockets. This report brought to you by Austin Parr, of Discount Fishing Tackle. Look for cloudy days to try Blue Wing Olives! Flows: 105 CFS below Dillion (10/25/2019) Blue River

Colorado River – Near Kremmling As of 10/21/2019, water temperatures are being reported in the 40’s and 50’s and as temperatures continue to drop, terrestrial activity is coming to an end. Hoppers can be used as indicators for nymphing in shallow water and Black Beauties have been catching fish. Dry flies have not been working as well recently and it is a good time to think about streamers. Identify areas trout may be hanging around and waiting for their next meal. Streamers are a great way to cover a large area of water quickly and have the possibility of catch very large fish as they imitate larger flies, baitfish, crawfish, etc. Flows: 1110 CFS (10/25/2019) Colorado River

COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE ▪ 1313 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203 ▪ (303) 297-1192 ▪ cpw.state.co.us Delaney Buttes As of 10/25/2019, there is no ice reported yet and we will keep updating the status. Delaney’s are still fishing great and awesome size browns are coming out of north. We’ve heard that Rapala’s, chironomid, damsel nymph and leech imitations are doing well here. Fishing is by artificial flies and lures only. Scented flies or scented lures may be used on this water if they are 1.5 inches or longer. The bag and possession limit for trout is two fish. Fishing is prohibited from the dam and within 100 feet of the dam from September 15th through November 15th. All brown trout between 14 and 20 inches in length must be returned to the water immediately upon catch. Fishing is prohibited in the inlet, upstream of the standing water line. All rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and cutbows between 18 and 22 inches in length must be returned to the water immediately. Delaney Buttes

Frying Pan River-Ruedi As of 10/22/2019, the dry fly fishing on this river should remain a good option and there have still been strong hatches in the afternoon. Try fishing with streamers in the later parts of the day. As flows reduce and winter approaches, it is best to use finer tippet so that fish aren’t easily spooked. Try to sight fish and identify areas they are holding and cast into those areas. Fish can spook easily here and sight fishing and casting as little as possible is the best strategy for catching trout on this river. Flows: CFS 80 (10/22/2018) Frying Pan River

Lake Granby As of 10/18/2019, water temperatures have been reported in the low 50’s with the water level down about 10 feet. Look for inlets and try spoons and cranks to catch aggressive rainbows and browns. Baitfish imitations are also great this time of year for catching larger trout. Try different retrieval speeds to produce a bite. The laker bite has been reported as good and jigs tipped with sucker meat have still been catching fish. Lake trout are spawning and can be found in shallower water (25 to 40 feet) than they were previously. Try jigging tubes and spoons as well as retrieving cranks. Boat ramp hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Lake Granby

Lake John As of 10/25/2019, fall fishing is still doing great in north park and we are seeing gorgeous fish this year. The temperatures have dropped here at Lake John and we received some snow over the last couple of days. Not a lot of accumulation though and the roads are already melted. In the past week we’ve seen lows in teens and highs in the 40 to 50’s. There is no ice yet. Anglers are doing great from both shore and boats right now and we are seeing 18-22 inch fish regularly. They are quality fish but only expect to catch 1 to 5 in a day right now. Bait is still all over the board with anglers using lots of different lures, flies and bait. Here are a few to mention: black leech and wooly bugger flies, pink and orange colors are working great, PowerBait in garlic, gulp night crawlers, shrimp, rainbow Kastmasters, and Tasmanian devils in pink. Lake John

Rifle Gap Reservoir As of 10/25/2019, there have not been any recent reports. Anglers can catch pike and trout throughout the lake and bass fishing has been good near the Cedar Campground areas as well as closer to the dam. Look for smallmouths holding near those boulders or gravel pits by the dam and try using some crankbaits in a baitfish imitation or even a crawfish color. Try finding structure where bass may be hanging out (rocks, logs, brush, etc.) and using top water lures in the morning. The summer is winding down and our inspection hours at the boat ramp have changed. We are now inspecting vessels from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. All boats launching outside of these hours must have been pre-inspected and the seal and receipt must be placed in the tube at the inspection station. Thank you for your compliance. Rifle Gap Reservoir

Williams Fork Reservoir As of 10/18/2019, the surface temperature has been in the low 50’s and the water level is dropping with good clarity. The bite has been slow but patience will lead to plenty of fish being caught. The inlet is open to fishing. Small lakers are still being caught with tube jigs, tipped with sucker meat, off the bottom in 50 to 80 feet of water. It can take some time to find them but once you do the bite has been consistent. Rainbows are slowing down but some have been reported to be hanging around the area where the river and reservoir meet. Try using PowerBait or worms off the bottom. There have been reports of anglers catching trout from shore with PowerBait, salmon eggs, and spinners. Larger trout should also be moving into shallower area of the reservoir and baitfish imitations may produce a bite. The pike and kokanee bite has been slow. Pike should also be in shallower areas now and retrieving a spoon may grab their attention. Trolling is the best option for kokanee and try casting and retrieving jerks and large spoons/daredevils for pike. The ramps hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Williams Fork Reservoir

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

East River As of 10/25/2019, the dropping temperatures have greatly reduced terrestrial activity. Double nymphing is the go to setup during this time of year on the East. From the upstream property boundary at the Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery and downstream to the Roaring Judy Hatchery outlet: fishing is only allowed with artificial flies/lures, the taking of kokanee salmon is prohibited, and the bag/possession limit and maximum size for trout is 2 fish that are at least 12 inches in length. From the Roaring Judy Hatchery outlet downstream to the southern Roaring Judy SFU boundary: fishing prohibited from August 1st until October 31st. Flows: 87.8 CFS at Almont (10/25/2019) East River

Gunnison River – near Gunnison As of 10/25/2019, the suspect nymph patterns are really producing for most anglers. With the colder temperatures, the hatches have died off some so focus on nymph rigs and streamers on the cloudy days especially. Baetis nymphs and midge pupa are the main food source right now. Make sure to use smaller flies and longer leaders this time of the year since the water is low and clear. It is okay to sleep in a bit before fishing the Gunnison as activity won’t pick up until there are warmer temperatures in the afternoon. Flows: 267 CFS (10/25/2019) Gunnison River

McPhee Reservoir This is known as a great smallmouth fishery and is the second largest reservoir in the state. As of 10/25/2019, water temperatures have been reported in the 50’s with clarify at less than 3 feet. The smallmouth bite has been hot and look for rocky shorelines and creek arms on the reservoir. Try top water lures and crayfish imitations can still catch bass and the occasional trout. All largemouth and smallmouth bass between 10 and 15 inches in length must be returned to the water immediately upon catch. There is no bag or possession limit for walleye because they were illegally introduced into the reservoir. Snagging of kokanee salmon is permitted from September 1 through December 31. Try trolling for trout and spoons (gold/silver) are generally good throughout the entire year. McPhee Reservoir

Taylor River – Below Taylor Park Reservoir As of 10/25/2019, fishing as slowed down and the flows have dropped. Right now it is crucial to identify deeper parts of the river (runs, pockets, pools, etc.) where fish will be holding. Try using nymphs and large streamers, in the morning, in deeper pockets of water. This section does get a lot of fishing pressure so the fish are well educated. It is also important to be aware of stretches of private land and make sure to access the river where there is public access. Flows: 100 CFS below Taylor Park Reservoir (10/25/2019) Taylor River

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

The upcoming weather indicates another cold front with the possibility of snow is coming to a large portion of the state on Sunday and will remain until Tuesday. Sunny and warm conditions are expected on Saturday for the metro area and the days before a cold front can create great fishing conditions. The warm weather before the cold front can increase the fishing action for many Front Range reservoirs like Cherry Creek and Pueblo Reservoir. Fish can sense and react to changes in pressure and activity will often times increase in the days before a cold front. Colder water is beginning to kill off the shad populations, so schools are more confined and less abundant. Fish like walleye, wiper, and bass will be honing in on the remaining schools, feeding heavily which will give shore anglers a great opportunity as the fish chase the shad to the shallower waters. The colder weather during the later part of the weekend and early next week will reduce fish activity. Saturday will also be a great day to fish many of the rivers and streamers across the state as trout can sense the incoming front and may be more aggressive in the days leading to its arrival. Once it hits, you can still catch some trout but the overall bite will slow down as they become more docile and move into deeper, slower pockets that are holding warmer water. Good luck to everyone, stay warm, and send us picture of your catches!

Tip of the Week

Top Water Lures

Top water lures are baits that move across the surface of the water to induce a bite and are a great way to catch bass or trout this time of year. These lures may float or can also be retrieved at different speeds which allow them to travel higher in the water column or across the surface. Most anglers believe it is best to use these types of lures during the summer when water temperatures are high and fish are more aggressive; however, they are also great during the fall as water temperatures decrease and fish are eating more and preparing for winter. Catching fish with these lures is fun because the strike is visual and the fish often will surface from the water. Additionally, they can result in larger fish being caught as more aggressive and larger fish will often go after these presentations. It is important to identify and target structures in the water such as rocks, logs, brush, etc. where bass may be hanging out and feeding. Bass are also sensitive to light and areas with shadow cover, cloudy days, or nighttime fishing can also provide some of the best conditions for using top water lures. When fishing poppers, try jerking and twitching during the retrieval to create a splash on the top of the water which mimics a struggling fish. Also try a variety of retrieval speeds and movements to see what works best for the fish in the area. This is another aspect of top water fishing that makes it extremely enjoyable; anglers can experiment with different methods until they find what works best all while watching their movements and the resulting actions of the surface of the water. Buzz baits are another great top water lure that should be considered as they allow anglers to cover a large area of water and discover where the bass may be hanging out. It is important to watch your retrieval speed with these lures as this will dictate their position within the water column. Walking/top water cranks that float on the surface are another great option and it is best to find areas where shad are stacked together to try these. Trout can also be caught on the surface during the fall and try using jointed cranks that wiggle across the surface of the water. While fishing top water is exciting and can lead to a trophy catch, it is important to understand when it is not effective and that is may not be the best method based on the current conditions. On sunny or very cold days, when fish are less active, anglers can try this method in a few locations for an hour or so, but it is important to know when it’s not working and you should switch your technique.

Have a suggestion or request? Email us at [email protected] We would love to hear back from our subscribers regarding fishing reports, tips, and requests of material you would like to start seeing more of. Any useful feedback helps us make our fishing reports a “go to” resource for anglers fishing Colorado’s waters. If you would like to report water and/or fishing conditions to be used in the next fishing report, feel free to submit a report to [email protected].

******************************************************************************************************************************************************** DNR Fish Reporter

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