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Animas River - The river is at a prime level for fishing dry flies. Try size 8-10 caddis, Chernobyl ants and hopper patterns when the water is clear. Afternoon monsoon rains have started, so the water can be cloudy or off-color at any time. On those days use Woolly Buggers, streamers or dark-colored nymphs.
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Beaver Creek Reservoir - Fishing is picking up, with good action for 10- to 12-inch rainbow trout using bait and lures from shore. Fly anglers report good fishing using large black Woolly Buggers for rainbow and brown trout.
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Big Meadows Reservoir - Fishing was reported as good for 10- to 13-inch rainbow trout and some brook trout using bait and flies. Fly anglers reported good success using large black Woolly Buggers.
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Blue Mesa Reservoir - Salmon fishing remains pretty steady, but they are deeper now and appear to be gradually moving toward the Gunnison River inlet. The best action has been in the Iola Basin. Trolling at 30-45 feet or 6-8 colors of lead-core line has been the most productive. Lake trout fishing is slow. Look for them from 100-150 feet. Trout fishing has been fair, with most fish taken on bait off the bottom, or trolling from 30 to 45 feet with cow bells and worms or Rapalas. Perch fishing is good in any of the shallow bays around the lake using small jigs or worms. The water level remains very good, though it is slowly dropping after peaking out at two feet below the spillway.
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Conejos County (high country lakes) - The high lakes are open. Be prepared for thunderstorms; good rains with lightning are not uncommon. Red, Trail, Green, Blue, Glacier, Tobacco, Bear, and Lake Anne have been some of the more popular high lakes with anglers and have been fishing well. Fishing is expected to be good throughout the summer and into fall.
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Conejos County (small streams) - Conejos County is home to many small streams that are open and fishing fair to good for a variety of trout, including brooks, browns, and cutthroats. A few small streams in Conejos County are native-cutthroat trout waters with special fishing regulations, so please consult your 2007 fishing regulations directory.
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Conejos River - The Conejos is open and accessible from Mogote to Platoro. Fishing has been excellent for brown trout. Insect activity has been high. Anglers should check local stream flows prior to fishing the Conejos. Angling pressure has been moderate. The Conejos River has two sections of special fishing regulation waters: From the upper boundary of Aspen Glade campground upstream to Menkhaven Resort, artificial flies, only, with a daily bag and possession limit of two trout at least 16 inches long, and from the confluence with the South Fork of the Conejos River upstream to the lower bridge at Platoro, artificial flies and lures only, with a daily bag and possession limit of two trout at least 16 inches long.
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Crawford Reservoir - The lake offers fishing for trout, northern pike, yellow perch, crappie, largemouth bass and catfish. Fishing was reported as poor over the weekend. A few of the caught fish were keepers, but most were too small to keep. Catfish are being caught at night, according to reports. Heavy water ski, Jet Ski and recreational boating traffic during daylight hours over the weekend might have been a factor in the slow fishing. Water temperatures are still in the 70s. The lake is still going down 10-12 inches per day and the Iron Creek boat ramp probably will become unusable within a week or two. Be advised, if beaching your boat overnight, don't pull it too high out of the water.
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Dolores River (lower) - With little water flowing out of McPhee Reservoir, the level is low and fishing is poor.
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Dolores River (upper) - The river is running clear and low, ideal for dry flies and spinners. Hatches are continuing, so emerger patterns and dry flies are a good bet. Because the monsoon season has started, afternoon and evening rains will cause the water to become muddy. Try streamers when the water is running brown or red.
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East River - The East was flowing at 223 cfs at Almont on Tuesday morning. Fishing with dry flies and nymphs has been good. Mixed hatches of caddis and Yellow Sally stoneflies have been coming off most of the day. Productive fly patterns include elk-hair caddis, royal and yellow Humpies and Stimulators for dries; Prince Nymphs and 20-Inchers for nymphing.
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Echo Canyon Reservoir - Warm weather has warmed the lake substantially, so fishing is rated as only fair. Fishing is best in the morning and evening with worms, Power Bait, small spinners and dry flies for trout and bass. Weed growth along the bank is a perennial occurance, so casting from the shore is getting tougher. Fishing will improve in late summer when the weather begins to cool again.
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Gunnison River (below Crystal Dam) - Flows are 600 cfs. Clarity has been off-color last week because monsoonal rain dumps, but should return to normal. Call ahead for current information. Caddis and PMDs are the main hatches. Try yellow and melon-quill patterns in sizes 16-18. Use a Stimulator as a strike indicator in the hopper-dropper combination. Midges, especially a red midge, are doing well in the afternoon. Scuds in olive and orange, Copper Johns, Pheasant Tails and Prince Nymphs are the usual nymphing patterns.
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Gunnison River (through the canyon) - The flow in the Gunnison Gorge is now 600 cfs. Hoppers and hopper-dropper rigs are the hot thing this week. Copper Johns also have been working well. Fishing has been slow the past few days from the Smith Fork downstream to Pleasure Park because of a flash flood upstream. The water is clearing, but still off-color. The North Fork is low enough to wade. A commercial shuttle/return-boat service is still available through the Pleasure Park.
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Gunnison River (Upper from Almont to Blue Mesa) - The Gunnison on Tuesday morning was flowing at 783 cfs. The water is generlly clear, barring rains, and fishing has been good. Caddis activity has been good in late afternoon into the evening. Dark-bodied elk-hair caddis patterns and yellow Humpies have been effective on the surface, and a variety of nymphs also have worked well. Pale-morning dun and rusty spinner mayflies also have been hatching late in the afternoon. The river bottom is becoming a little mossy, however, creating something of a nuisance for nymphing. Streamer flies, stonefly nymphs and silver-bladed spinners also can be productive. Float fishing offers another dimension to fishing the river.
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Jackson Gulch Reservoir - Rainbow trout were stocked early in the season and fishing has been good. The water level is receding and boats now are launching on the lower ramp. Afternoon thunderstorms have been occurring. Perch continue to be plentiful but are mostly small. Action along the dam for both trout and perch has been good. For trout, typical baits such as salmon eggs and Power Bait fished just off bottom or suspended just below the surface, fly fishing, small crankbaits and inline spinners have been producing. For consistent perch action, suspend a small jig tipped with a worm under a slip bobber at about 15 feet, or cast small flies along the shallow banks. Camping and other facilities are available. Call 970-533-7065, 970-882-2213 or check the link below for current conditions.
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Joe Moore Reservoir - The reservoir near Mancos is full and has been stocked with catchable rainbow trout. Recent population sampling by the DOW revealed an abundance of 8- to 10-inch yellow perch and some nice-sized black crappie. Most of the perch were along the lake bottom.
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La Jara Creek - La Jara Creek has been fishing well for brown trout. Fishing has been good on worms, spinners and artificial flies. Trout spook easily, so anglers should take a stealthy approach when fishing the creek. Expect good fishing well into the fall.
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La Jara Reservoir - The reservoir is open and fishing has been fair for brook trout and splake. Fishing pressure has been light. Last year's gill-net surveys showed the splake and brook trout populations to be doing well. Splake and brook trout averaged 16 inches. Fish have been feeding on freshwater shrimp, leeches and damselflies.
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Los Pinos River - The river is running low and clear above Vallecito Reservoir. Use small dry flies and spinners. This section of river, however, gets substantial pressure. Access below the reservoir is limited by private property.
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McPhee Reservoir - The level is starting to drop and the water is warming up. Trout fishing has slowed. Smallmouth bass anglers are repoting good success but the fish are small. For smallmouth bass, use plastic worms and lizards. Remember that a slot limit applies to bass. All smallmouth and largemouth bass 10-15 inches long must be returned to the lake immediately. The DOW recently completed an electro-fishing survey and found good populations of smallmouth bass, trout and yellow perch.
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Miramonte Reservoir - The 405-acre lake south of Norwood is part of the Dan Noble State Wildlife Area and offers potentially good fishing for larger-than-average rainbow trout. The DOW stocks subcatchable rainbows, which grow to size in the lake. Crayfish are a primary source of forage for the trout, and crayfish-imitating flies and lures generally work well. While catch rates appear to be down somewhat in the past year or two, the average fish size has been larger.
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Mountain Home Reservoir - Fishing for rainbow trout is reported as good using the typical baits and lures.
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Navajo Reservoir - The lake level is at 6075.49 feet. The water temperature on the Colorado side is 71 degrees. The northern pike and largemouth and smallmouth bass have been picking up lakewide on chartreuse crankbaits and white spinners. Fishing is best in the early morning. Kokanee-salmon fishing has picked up on the New Mexico side of the lake between Francis Canyon and the San Juan arm, along the canyon wall. They reportedly are biting on white corn at 35 feet. The water is very clear. Fishing for crappie and catfish has been slow, but they still are biting
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Piedra River - The level is ideal for dry fly fishing. Use caddis, Renegades and emerger patterns. Frequent afternoon rains at this time of year can cause the water to be cloudy.
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Platoro Reservoir - The reservoir is open and fishable. Platoro Reservoir has been fishing well for rainbow trout, and fair for kokanee salmon. Anglers have been catching rainbows on a variety of baits such as Power Bait, worms and spinners. A boat ramp is being constructed near the dam. The primitive old boat ramp will be inaccessible while the new one is being constructed. Launching a boat will be difficult during the construction.
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Ridgway Fishing Ponds - Huck Finn Day will be July 21, starting at 9:30 a.m. Come dressed as Huck Finn and win prizes. The fish are down deep, so fish off the bottom. The Pa-Co-Chu-Puk area of Ridgway State Park is excellent for children because it has the only water below the dam that is not restricted to artificial flies and lures or catch-and-release fishing. A limit of four trout may be kept there, both by children and licensed adults (16 years or older).
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Ridgway Reservoir - A 21-pounds brown trout was caught last week in 40 feet of water on a worm. Rainbow trout are biting on pretty much anything. Fishing for them is best around the boat ramp. The salmon are being caught along the face of the dam.
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Rio Grande High Country Streams - High-country streams are running high but clear. Fishing is reported as fair to good using bait, spinners and flies. Fly fishermen have had good success drifting stonefly and mayfly nymphs.
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Rio Grande River - The river remains high but is clearing. Willowfly, caddisfly and green-drake mayfly hatches are reported from Del Norte to Creede. Fishing was reported as good to excellent using large dry stonefly patterns, green drake and small elk-hair caddis presented on the surface.
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Road Canyon Reservoir - Fishing for rainbow, cutthroat and an occasional brook trout has slowed somewhat but remains pretty good. Trolling fire-tiger-colored Rapalas and rainbow Rat-L-Traps has been productive. Shore fishermen have done OK on night crawlers off the bottom. Spinning lures and night crawlers below a bobber have worked well late in the afternoon. Many of the fish have been 16-18 inches, with some a little larger. The trout have been exceptionally chunky. A habitat stamp is required of everyone in the state wildlife area.
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San Juan high-country lakes, streams - Fishing is excellent in the high-country lakes and streams. On small streams, use dry flies and hopper patterns but be stealthy, as the fish are skittish at this time of year. Spinners are a good bet, as are worms and Power Bait in the lakes.
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San Juan River - The water level is low and fish are wary. Use dry fly patterns, emergers, nymphs and hopper patterns. Try a dropper rig, with a dry fly and a nymph tied in below. Regular afternoon rains will cause the water to run muddy.
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San Luis Lake - The San Luis Lake water level is low and the boat ramp is not usable. Catchable (9-inch) rainbow trout were stocked in early April. Angling for carp was reported as good for 12- to 13-pound fish on streamer flies and nymphs.
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Sanchez Reservoir - The lake is clear and the water level is rising. The boat ramp is usable. Walleye fishing is improving. Anglers report catching 16- to 20-inch walleyes using plastic worms worked along the bottom in 25 feet of water.
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Smith Reservoir (San Luis Valley) - Fishing was reported as good to excellent for rainbow trout running 12-16 inches using bait and lures from boats and shore. The best fishing has been early and late in the day.
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Taylor Reservoir - The water remains high and clear, but unusually warm weather has sent the lake trout deep. Most are at about 90 feet. Fishing with night crawlers off the bottom or trolling with downriggers might take few. Trolling for rainbow and brown trout remains fairly good. Cow bells with worms are the standby, but Dardevles, Kastmasters and Rapalas also have been efective in recent days. Trout also have been taking a variety of flies and Montera Marvels, especially late in the day. Fishing for northern pike has slowed a little during the past week or so.
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Taylor River - Conditions have been pretty constant. Flows on Tuesday were 484 cfs at Almont and 395 cfs below Taylor Dam. Above Almont, caddis patterns, Stimulators, Prince Nymphs, Hare's Ears and Copper Johns have been working well. Some green-drake activity still is possible. Woolly Buggers and other streamers also remain a good bet. The tailwater directly below the dam offers good fishing for exceptionally large rainbows, but the area attracts large crowds. Mysis shrimp and midges are the go-to patterns. Think small - sizes 18-24.
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Trujillo Meadows Reservoir - Trujillo Meadows Reservoir is open and accessible. Fishing has been fair for brown trout and rainbows. Fishing pressure has been moderate during the week and heavy on the weekends. Effective methods for trout at Trujillo Meadows have been worms and lures in brown- and rainbow- trout patterns.
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Tucker Ponds - Fishing is reported as fair to good for stocked rainbow trout of 10-14 inches using bait and flies.
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Uncompahgre River in Ridgway Park - The spring runoff has slowed down and river flows are being lowered. Local guides say the fishing has picked up again. Colorado River cutthroat, Snake River cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout all call this section of the Uncompahgre home.
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Vallecito Reservoir - Fishing for 13- to 15-inch rainbow trout from the bank continues to be excellent. Use worms, spinners, Power Bait or dry flies. Northern pike fishing has been slow much of the summer. Through a change in stocking policy, larger (12-inch) trout were stocked last fall in hopes of reducing predation by northern pike. That approach has been effective. Anglers are not catching smallmouth bass or kokannee. The DOW is conducting a creel census at Vallecito this year. Anglers are asked to cooperate. A mercury advisory has been issued for northern pike from the lake.
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Williams Creek Reservoir - Fishing for trout has been good in the morning and evening. As the water is warming up, action in midday is slow. Use worms, Power Bait, small spinners and dry flies. The fishing on the creek below the reservoir is good with small flies and spinners.
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