Latest Update: 6/28/2025

High Country: With snow quickly melting across Colorado’s High Country, alpine lakes are beginning to open up, revealing some of the state’s true hidden gems. As ice continues to recede—though some lakes still hold floating shelves and banks—early-season fishing is heating up. These icy edges can create excellent ambush zones for trout, offering cover and opportunity in otherwise clear water. Fish are often holding along depth transitions, where shallow flats drop into deeper water, or cruising the deeper zones in search of food.

While the dry fly bite hasn’t turned on consistently just yet, shoreline terrestrials like ants and beetles are active and will become key as trout shift focus to the surface. Until then, nymph rigs and dry-dropper setups are proving most productive. Smaller leeches are always a mainstay for us, with the addition of a chironomid, damsel, or scud pattern trailed alongside it. If you see surface activity, don’t hesitate to switch things up and try a dry for some exciting topwater action.

For the best setup, a 9-foot tapered leader in the 4x to 6x range is ideal, and using fluorocarbon tippet can make a big difference in the ultra-clear alpine waters. Stealth is crucial—approach quietly, make deliberate casts, and keep a low profile to avoid spooking selective fish. Stay mobile, observe carefully, and enjoy some of the most rewarding fishing Colorado has to offer this time of year.

Stillwater trout:

June has now arrived and all of our lakes and ponds are open and fishing well, even up to Joe Wright! Now is the time to get out and hit our lower elevation stillwaters before the summer heat truly sets in. As you head out for your next adventure be sure to have a healthy supply of Chironomids, Calibaetis, damsels, water boatmen, and the all to trusty leeche pattern. Scuds can also be another piece that will help complete the puzzle. Trout can be found cruising the weed edges and deeper water as things warm. Be sure to bring a float tube along if possible to get out and reach those untouched weed edges that shore anglers simply can't fish effectively.

Local Warmwater:

All the ponds around town are warmed up and fishing well. Try throwing topwater early in the morning and evenings for bass and panfish. Or strip a streamer, Jawbreaker or clouser deeper while the sun sits high overhead. Horsetooth has also started to fish very well casting cicada and popper patterns in shallower water and under trees has become very effective for bass throughout the day. Using Clousers and other baitfish patterns in some of the deeper water can also be a great strategy to find fish on Horsetooth. During the warmer periods of the day, carp can be found feeding heavily and tailing in the flats. Using a backstabber, crayfish pattern or swimming nymph can be highly effective on finicky carp.

Feel free to give either shop a call or swing by to get some more info on stillwater fishing