Northwest

Blue River (Dillon to Green Mtn. Res.) — As spring approaches, fishing between Silverthorne and Green Mountain Res. should begin to pick up. Flows coming out of Dillon Dam have jumped to around 508 cubic feet per second in anticipation of a big runoff year. This increase in flow means good things for anglers.

Colorado River (Glenwood to Rifle) — Recent flows were 5,250 cfs in Glenwood Springs. The river has become unfishable. River and creek closures are in effect along the major tributaries below Glenwood Canyon.

Colorado River (near Granby) — Sunday’s flow rates were 273 cfs at Windy Gap and 519 cfs below Parshall. Murky conditions exist on warm days. Midges are the main hatch. Some dry flies such as Trico patterns have been working.

Eagle River — The river has been fishably clear above Wolcott, but off-color below.

Elk River — The river is open and on cooler days has been fishably clear on the Christina State Wildlife Area.

Elkhead Res. — The lake is open for boating and fishing. The ice went off last week and things are looking good. Local fishermen still encourage catch-and-release fishing until the fishery is re-established.

Fryingpan River — The river has been exceptional lately, with flows at 332 cfs last week. Mysis shrimp are by far the way to go up near the dam. Look for some superb hatches of midges and blue-winged olives between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the middle river.

Granby Res. — Up to 20 inches of ice still covered most of the reservoir last weekend.

Harvey Gap Res. — The ice is off the lake and it is open for boating. The trout are very active and fishing is picking up. Perch and crappie also are picking up and the pike also became more active last week.

Highline Lake — Early season warm-water fishing has been slow. A few crappie are being caught, but fishing for bass and catfish is slow. With 10,000 trout having been stocked this spring, fishing for them has been fair using typical trout baits and spinners.

Jerry Creek Res. — The Mesa County reservoirs near Molina have closed to public access for dam and spillway reconstruction.

Kenney Res. — The lake is open, but fishing overall has been slow and few fishermen have been on the water.

Lake Avery — The lake is free of ice. Fishing for rainbow trout has been good on a variety of baits and lures.

Lake John — Though some breakup along the edges has occurred, on Monday the lake still had no fishable open water.

Mack Mesa Lake — Trout have been stocked three times this spring and fishing has been good on salmon eggs, Power Bait and spinners. The lake is full and shore access is good.

North Park streams — North Platte tributaries such as the Illinois, Michigan, Roaring Fork and North Fork are open, but clarity can be an issue on warmer days.

North Platte River — Flows have been around 1,500 cfs and visibility has been about one foot into the water. Cooler days are the best times to fish because clarity will be better then.

Pearl Lake — The area still is getting snow and cold temperatures at night.

Rifle Gap Res. — The lake is open for boating and one courtesy ramp is in the water. Trout are very active and appear very healthy. Several thousand 10- to 12-inch rainbows were stocked last week.

Rio Blanco Lake — Though early season fishing has been slow, crappie recently have become active. Activity will pick up with warmer water temperatures.

Roaring Fork River — The river is running clear from Aspen down to Brush Creek, just below Jaffe Park. Recent flows have been 916 cfs near Emma and 916 cfs in Glenwood Springs. Fishing below the Crystal River confluence has been touch-and-go. The nymph fishing has been superb up high.

Stagecoach Res. — Still has 12-18 inches of ice, with a little open water around the inlet channel.

Steamboat Lake — Ice fishing has been very good all winter but has slowed down. Nice-sized fish are still being caught, but fewer of them. The area had a record year for snow.

Sylvan Lake — The lake has slush atop hard ice and ice fishing still is possible.

Trappers Lake — The lake is frozen and the road above Mile Marker 32 has not yet been plowed.

Vega Res. — Winter is still around at the lake, with approximately 1-2 feet of snow on the ground and 15-20 inches of ice on the water. About two feet of open water can be found around edges of the lake and slushy ice is on top of 15-20 inches of rotten ice.

White River — The river has come up and water is discolored and fishing is difficult.

Williams Fork Res. — Open water is expanding out from the river inlet at the south end and around the small stream by the west boat ramp. Fishing for rainbow trout by the inlet and around the open edges has been good

Williams Fork River — Monday’s flow was 142 cfs. The tailwater has been the only reliably clear stream in the area, but higher releases from the reservoir appear likely. In the meantime, look for trout to be moving into riffles and shallower runs.

Yampa River (Hayden through Craig) — The river has come to life and flows are starting to rise. The upper stretches have seen very good early fishing. It can be very difficult to access due to deep snow. State-park-managed boat ramps will open this weekend. Fishing should be good until midday flows muddy the water.

Yampa River (Stagecoach through Steamboat) — The river through Steamboat Springs has been up and down, reflecting variations in the weather. On most days it has been muddy, and though the section through town might become fishably clear for a brief time after a cold night, the tailwater below Stagecoach Dam offers the only reliable conditions.

Southwest

Animas River — Low runoff has discolored the river. Muddy conditions are likely to continue through the main runoff into early summer.

Blue Mesa Res. — The Iola basin is 100 percent open and the boat ramp is usable. Look for full ice-out soon. Brown-trout fishing is good along the shorelines using Rapala-type lures and marabou jigs.

Conejos River — Fishing on the river has been fair for brown and rainbow trout, with little fishing pressure. Flows have increased to around 570 cfs at Mogote.

Crawford Res. — The lake offers fishing for trout, northern pike, yellow perch, crappie, largemouth bass and catfish. Overall, the fishing over the weekend was reported as fair to good. Other than perch, all species were being caught.

Dolores River (below McPhee Dam) — Flows of 500 to 3,000 cfs below can be expected until mid-June. When the spring runoff ends, dam releases will be reduced to about 70 cfs for the remainder of the summer. To monitor the highly variable flows, log on to the Dolores Water Conservancy District Web site at http://www:doloreswater.com/releases.htm.

East River — The river on Monday was flowing at 566 cfs, up from last week. On all but the coolest days, it has been discolored and difficult to fish.

Echo Canyon Res. — Free of ice. Early season fishing for holdover trout and possibly some perch usually is good. Bass will become more active when the water warms up.

Gunnison River (below Crystal Dam) — Flows are up to 3,200 cfs. The road down to fish the East Portal has reopened. Rainbows are spawning, so watch the redds. Fish frequently hold closer to the edges at higher flows. Look for an afternoon hatch of BWOs.

Gunnison River (through the canyon) — The flow in the Gunnison Gorge has been 3,560 cfs and should remain about that level for some time. Because of the high water, fishing has been slow. Fish the high water by working the back side of runs.

Gunnison River (Almont to Blue Mesa) — Monday’s flow was 1,370 cfs, up a little from a week ago. The upper reaches might still be fishable, but the Ohio and Tomichi Creek tributaries have muddied the lower portions. Expect a prolonged runoff.

McPhee Res. — The lake is ice-free, but the water remains cold. Early season fishing for trout can be fairly good. Look for crappie fishing to take off in a week or two, and bass to become active a little later.

Miramonte Res. — The ice is completely gone, the boat ramps are open and the docks should be in place by the weekend. Fishing from the banks has been fair, with people catching mostly 10- to 14-inch rainbows.

Mountain Home Res. — Free of ice and about half full. Fishing for 17- to 19-inch rainbow trout is reported as good from boats and shore.

Narraguinnep Res. — Free of ice. Fishing for pan-sized trout has been fair to good.

Navajo Res. — The water temperature is 52 degrees, the level has come up 3 feet since March and the water may be stained from runoff. Conditions again were very windy last week.

Ridgway Fishing Ponds — 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).

Ridgway Res. — The lake is free of ice and the boat ramps are open. The water level is dropping and the temperature is in the 40s. Fishing should improve when the water warms up a little.

Sanchez Res. — The lake is free of ice. A 9-pound pike was caught last weekend.

Smith Res. (San Luis Valley) — Ice-free and has refilled after very low water last summer. Trout fishing was reported as slow, but harvested fish have been of quality size.

Taylor Res. — The lake remains covered with snow and ice. Ice-out is at least a month away.

Taylor River — Monday’s flows were 523 cfs at Almont and 395 cfs below Taylor Dam. Portions of the river may be fishably clear, but wading has become difficult. Dead-drifting a weighted nymph along the bottom or working streamer fly might still be productive on the lower river. Look for tributaries to rise and add discoloration with warmer weather.