Fishing Ball Reservoir Number 1 in Mesa County, Colorado

• Overview

  The Mesa County entry here is Ball Reservoir Number 1, in Colorado. The surface lies 9,931 feet up. This is a tiny water, and one quiet approach covers all of it. It is a small entry by Mesa County standards. Nearest place of any size is Cedaredge, 14 miles away. Then Palisade, 15 miles, and Orchard City, 17 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Ball Reservoir Number 1

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Reported across Mesa County: flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker and green sunfish. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. This water fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 18°F in January and 59°F in July. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. That is the shape of the year on this water.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Parking is mapped about half a mile from the bank. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. Facilities include toilets around half a mile from here. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Failing this one, try Water Dog Reservoir, 0.3 miles away. Treat this water as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.