Fishing Report - Northwest (9/10)

Regions: Denver Metro, Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest

Delaney Buttes, Cowdrey and Lake John (Jackson County)
No report this week. Anglers can call the Lake John Resort for an update.

Dumont Lake (Grand, Routt and Jackson County)
Dumont Lake is currently drained for repairs. Dumont is not expected to reopen until 2013 or 2014.

Elkhead Reservoir State Park (Moffat County)
Bass and Crappie are biting at the lake as it continues to drop approximately one foot per week. Pike are biting all over the lake with one angler hooking a 39" and one report of a boat with 20 caught by noon.

Harvey Gap State Park (Garfield County)
Fishing is picking up along the north end as temperatures start to cool overnight. Boat ramp is out of the water.

Highline Lake State Park and Mack Mesa Reservoir (Mesa County)
Fishing is good according to our fishing raptors. Catfish were caught at night along the Uintah fishing access by the dam in August. Bluegill, bass, and crappie are still out there waiting to be caught in Highline and Mack Mesa. As things cool off keep checking back as we will be stocking fall trout soon.

James M. Robb Colorado River State Park (Mesa County)
Trout are being caught at Island Acres and Fruita early in the morning and late evening. Most fish are small in size. There have been a few catfish caught at Fruita as well. Bass fishing at Connected Lakes has really picked up over the last week and there have been reports of bass being caught that are up to 6 pounds! NOTE: Fishermen are encouraged to keep all trout within the catch limit as the trout are experiencing high stress due to the heat and are not as likely to survive if returned to the water.

Lake Granby (Grand County)
Action for lake trout has been picking up. Cooler temperatures are making the rainbows more active as well. Fall fishing is great at Granby.

Pearl Lake State Park (Routt County)
No report this week.

Rifle Gap State Park (Garfield County)
Rainbow and brown trout are found in East Rifle Creek which flows through Rifle Falls. Fish up to 19 inches long have been taken, with six to nine inch fish being the average size. Brown and Black flies or spinners work the best. Bait, except for live fish, can be used.

Stagecoach State Park (Routt County)
Trout have moved to cooler and deeper waters and anglers fishing from boat have had luck using power bait, rapalas, and wooly buggers. Anglers fishing from shore are catching 4lb trout on worms tipped with power bait. Fishing at the inlet is better due to less algae. Pike fishing has been great from shore with many being caught on spinners and kastmasters. In order to assure the trout resource at Stagecoach, wildlife managers are trying to balance the pike population. Anglers are encouraged to keep any pike caught. Some pike are tagged with orange tags at the base of the dorsal fin for study, please report catch information to number on tag. There is noticable algae in the reservoir, particularly near the northeastern shorelines. Tailwaters fishing has been great. Reports of anglers catching 35 fish in an hour have been common and blue winged olives, elk hair caddis and san juan worms seem to be doing the trick. Small sections of shoreline have been roped off to help prevent erosion. During the busy season for the Tailwaters, anglers are asked to be mindful of the resources and help avoid overcrowding.

Steamboat Lake State Park (Routt County)
Rainbow Ridge, Meadow Point and the Dam have been strong. Reports are there's been good fishing with PowerBait.

Sylvan Lake State Park (Eagle County)
The fishing has been good with nightcrawlers and PowerBait. Anglers are having trouble finding a fly or lure that is working consistently. Try something small without much flash. If fishing from East and West Brush Creek fish early in the day and follow guidelines to reduce stress during these high temp and low water conditions.

Vega State Park (Mesa County)
While water levels are low, fishing remains excellent at Vega. Successful anglers are using PowerBait (pink, yellow and purple), worms, and Panther Martins. The Island boat ramp is open. Early Settlers and Oak Point boat ramps are CLOSED for the season. Please remember to stop at the entrance station and/or visitor's center and have your boat inspected prior to launching. A Clean, Drain and Dry inspection with a seal applied can speed up your entry into the park. You can buy fishing licenses at the Visitor's Center open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Williams Fork Reservoir
Boat ramp is closed for the year. Hand-launched boats only.