Trout Fishing Tips

Trout anglers are doing well in Southwest Colorado. Beaver Creek Reservoir is full and anglers are catching brown and rainbow trout on salmon eggs and powerbait.

Folks at Big Meadows Reservoir have been catching brook trout on flies, lures and other baits.

Read the full fishing report by clicking here.

Labels: beaver creek, Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado, Colorado Fishing, Colorado Trout fishing

The Annual National Fly Fishing Competition will commence on October 3rd, 2007 in Colorado.

This competition constitutes the final round of the regional competitions held across the United States. Fifteen of the competitors will be chosen by the coaching staff of Team USA to represent the United States in an 2008 Olympic style event in New Zealand.

For three days, participants will fish on the Big Thompson River, the Poudre River, Dowdy Lake and Parvin Lake in a bid to make the biggest catch.

Spectators are welcome!

Labels: Colorado, National Fly Fishing Competition

For eight years, conservation groups have been trying to get Colorado Cutthroat trout added to the Federal Endangered Species List in order to protect it from extinction. They believe the number of native Colorado Cutthroat trout have been greatly reduced as a result having to compete with the non-native rainbow trout.

However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has concluded that this is not the case. They actually found several new populations of Colorado Cutthroat trout, leading them to believe the fish is in no danger of becoming extinct, but still remains a concern.

The last time the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said, "no", conservationist sued them, which resulted in another investigation into the populations of Colorado Cutthroat trout. So it will be interesting to see what happens this time.

Colorado Cutthroat trout are one of only three native trout found in Colorado. They're also found in Wyoming and Utah.

These trout are a subspecies of Cutthroat trout, and are native to Colorado. They historically occupied portions of the Colorado River drainage in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico - hence earning them their name.

To read more about the Colorado Cutthroat trout and U.S. Fish and Wildlife studies, click here.

Labels: Colorado, Colorado Cutthroat Trout, Cutthroat Trout

Some fishing records seem to hard to top, but every year somebody manages to shatter an old record. On May 23rd, Don Walker reeled in a lake trout weighing 50 lbs 5 oz (4 lbs heavier than the previous state record). The fish also measured 44.25 inches in length and was caught in Blue Mesa Reservoir in Colorado.

Oddly enough the previous state record was caught by Don's brother-in-law (Larry Cornell) in 2003. And when Don caught his trout, Larry had a front row seat while fishing in the boat next to Don!

Rigged with 12-lb test line and a tube jig, Don used a jigging technique to bounce his offering on the bottom of the lake to entice the fish into striking. The surface water temperature was 53 degrees at the time (many anglers consider surface temps of 50-55 degrees to be ideal for lake trout fishing).

Blue Mesa Reservoir is one of Colorado's most productive fisheries. The water warms up more than other higher-elevation reservoirs and that encourages abundant growth of microorganisms that provide a food source for fish. Kokanee salmon, brown trout and rainbow trout thrive in the lake. In turn those fish provide a food source for lake trout, which are a predator species.

Congratulations to Don on a great catch!

Labels: Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado, Lake Trout, state record