Local Anglers Catch “Ice Off Fish On” Fever
By Trevor Phipps
As soon as the month of March struck, local anglers were quick to hit the local lakes and streams in search of a monster. As the temperatures have warmed up lately, the ice cover on the lakes have started to dissipate making the fish hungry.
Every year fishing hotspots like Rampart, 11 Mile and Spinney Reservoirs are flooded with anglers looking to capitalize from the recent ice melt and the hungry fish. Fishing reports like the ones published on the Orvis website, show excellent fishing conditions across the state for the early spring season.
Even your average amateur fishermen such as myself has had decent luck out on the lakes lately. After two fishing trips, I caught my limit of four decent sized rainbow trout at Rampart Reservoir within a couple of hours in mid-March. But then our group was skunked during the next trip at 11 Mile Reservoir.
One of the most popular fishing spots this time of year is the inlet at Rampart Reservoir because the water that flows from the high mountains west of Teller County causes the ice to melt at that spot on the lake sooner than other bodies of water. And I can personally testify that this particular spot is hot right now.
The inlet can be accessed via the Rainbow Gulch Trailhead located off of Rampart Range Road a little bit north of the reservoir’s main entrance. After taking the three-mile hikes along the rapidly flowing creek, the water level is a little low but there are several hundred feet of open water.
The day we went, the fish didn’t really seem to be hitting on a slew of flies we threw at them, but it was very difficult to pull off fly fishing casting methods in 30 miles per hour winds. We did find though, that the fish liked power bait trout eggs to the point where a fish hit just about every cast.
Since it was the first time fishing for the year, I decided to keep my limit of four rainbow trout between 12 and 14 inches long. I had been craving fresh trout so I took them home, wrapped them in aluminum foil with lemon, white wine and spices and threw them in the oven for a delicious mother-approved meal.
The next fishing outing however did go nearly as well. The mid-March winds were still in full force on 11 Mile Reservoir when we went making the lake choppy. We couldn’t get fish to bite flies, lures, bait or anything in over four hours of fishing. But, we did see one other angler reel one in while we were there.
But enough about my stories filled with slips on ice patches that took the life of a brand new fishing pole and bruised me up pretty good, let’s hear from the experts.
Fishing Reports from the Pros
According to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Division (CPW) website, 11 Mile Reservoir was stocked on January 10 and the marina’s fishing report says that trout fishing is good everywhere with lots of open water. Angler’s Covey reports that the ice fishing season ended but people are having luck getting fish close to the shorelines.
“Early season stillwater (ice off) there are not many bugs active,” the Angler’s Covey website reports. “Midges are active but not on a large scale yet. It’s a game of eggs, scuds, leeches, and some chironomids right now. At ice off, most of the fish will be cruising very tight to the shorelines. You won’t need to cast far right now and will likely be fishing pretty shallow. Focus on the edges of the ice.”
Jon Easdon, Angler’s Covey’s guide and director of services agree that good fishing can be found at Rampart Reservoir’s inlet this time of year. “At ice off, fly fisherman have the unique opportunity to fish for Mackinaw on the fly,” Easdon said. “The lakers cruise in very shallow water along the shoreline at this time. Slow stripping streamers can be deadly. My favorite patterns for this are white, olive, and brown woolybuggers, and sparkle minnows. The area also offers some great dry fly opportunity for rainbows in the morning and evenings. Hard to go wrong with a parachute adams.”
As for other lakes around Teller County, the opening day for Spinney Reservoir has not yet been announced, but it is expected to be early this year. Antero Reservoir has good conditions currently as the lake is 80 percent thawed out. Tarryall Reservoir is still frozen and it will probably be the last place to thaw this year making ice fishing a possibility for the next week or two.
With some of the lakes in the region not quite ready for fishing, there are rivers nearby that have been producing for anglers. Most of the South Platte River flows year-round and there are several places it can be accessed for fishing.
According to various fishing reports, 11 Mile Canyon, Deckers and Cheesman Canyon have all been hotspots for fly fishing lately. However, the Dream Stream in between 11 Mile and Spinney Reservoirs has been running low which has forced most of the big fish back into the lake.
Those wishing to fish this season can currently buy a Colorado fishing license that will last until March 31, 2026. And many say now is the time to catch fish before they start hiding from the summer sun.
