Fishing Reports

Lakes & Reservoirs

Blue Mesa Reservoir: SportfishColorado.com Live Report
Blue Mesa has great fishing opportunities for rainbow trout, brown trout, lake trout, kokanee salmon, and perch throughout the year.  A current, up to date fishing report can be found by clicking the link above.   Below are best times to target each species by season.

-Spring-  As soon as the ice comes off the lake a feeding frenzy begins as numbers of brown trout, rainbow trout and lake trout push into the shallows in search of food opportunities.  Fishing is usually excellent for these species until the water temperatures begin to rise above their tolerance levels.  Fishing for kokanee salmon during this time is very inconsistent.  Perch can be found in spawn or post spawn mode, although this time period is usually inconsistent for catching numbers of perch.

-Summer-  Once the water temperatures rise into the fifties, the fishing in the shallows will slow as fish move out deeper.  Trolling and jigging for lake trout and brown trout can be excellent, but the fish will continue to move deeper as the water temperatures rise.  Rainbow trout and kokanee salmon can consistently be caught trolling the top forty feet of the water column, especially once the water temperatures reach the high fifties.  Fishing can be good to excellent during this time!   These species will also continue to locate deeper water as the summer temperatures increase.  Perch can be found in the backs of coves such as Cebolla, Lake Fork, and Soap Creek. 

-Fall- Most of the mature kokanee salmon are out of the reservoir and in the river by mid September, but trolling for two and three year old fish can still be good into October.  The rainbow and brown trout fishing really turns on once the water temps drop below the mid fifties and the browns finish up their spawn.  The lake trout are also spawning during this time period, but they can be a little more moody and tougher to catch during this time period.  The perch act more like a pelagic species during this time period and can be found cruising rocky shorelines and mud flats.

-Winter-  (Current up to date ice fishing report Icefishcolorado.com link) Blue Mesa has great ice fishing opportunities!  Fishing is usually excellent for rainbow trout, brown trout, and sometimes even perch at first ice along rocky shorelines.  Fishing for these species will slow as the winter goes on, but still remain consistently good!  Lake trout fishing is usually best in mid to late January through March.  These fish can be found cruising a variety of depths on points, flats, humps, and drop offs.

Taylor Reservoir:

Taylor has plenty of opportunities for rainbow trout, lake trout, northern pike, and the occasional brown trout through the ice and open water. 

-Spring- Ice out usually occurs in early to mid May depending on the weather.  Fishing for rainbow trout, lake trout, and even brown trout can be excellent through May and into June.  Pike fishing is slow to fair until the water temperatures approach fifty degrees.  

-Summer- The rainbow trout fishing stays good to excellent through the summer.  Lake trout move deeper with warmer water temperatures, but can still be caught fairly consistently.  Pike fishing can be good to excellent along weed beds, but Taylor reservoir pike can be moody with the fish turning on and off like a light switch!

-Fall-  Good to excellent fishing for rainbow trout can be found in the fall along with good fishing for pike and brown trout.  Lake trout will move shallower as the water temperatures cool and fishing for them can be fair to good as well, although the mature fish will be focused on spawning.

-Winter- Ice fishing on Taylor is good to excellent at first ice!  However, Taylor is known for deep snow and slush on the lake, which can be a chore to navigate through as the winter goes on.  Fishing for lake trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, and pike is usually fair to good throughout the winter.

Rivers:
Taylor River Catch & Release (C&R - below the dam)
Taylor River
East River
Gunnison River

Kokanee Salmon Run (August 1 - October 31):
Kokanee are a land-locked form of sockeye salmon. Each April, 2-inch kokanee fry are released from Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery into the East River. Their overnight journey takes them down the East to the Gunnison River and onto Blue Mesa Reservoir, where they typically spend two or three years. In late August, the salmon begin their trek back to the hatchery and the run usually lasts through October. Division of Wildlife personnel spawn the salmon at the hatchery, taking 3,000,000 to 10,000,000 eggs per year. Catch & release fishing for kokanee is allowed on the Gunnison River and East River from August 1st through October 31st. The run normally peaks around mid September.

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