Carpenter Reservoir Fishing Guide, Delta County, Colorado

• Overview

  Look for Carpenter Reservoir in the Delta County part of Colorado. The setting is rolling bush. At 9 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Cedaredge is the closest place, 16 miles off. Then Orchard City, 21 miles, and Battlement Mesa, 23 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Carpenter Reservoir

  We hold no depth figure for this one. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Survey and observation records for Delta County include rainbow trout, white sucker and flannelmouth sucker. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Work Carpenter Reservoir in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 17°F to 57°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid May and starts locking again about mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Anyone fishing Carpenter Reservoir regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This one is mapped as intermittent, so a wasted trip is a real risk in a dry year. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. If the gate is shut, Michaelsen Reservoir at 0.4 miles is the nearest alternative. Rules at Carpenter Reservoir are worth checking on the day.