Cedar Mesa Reservoir, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Delta County, Colorado, is where Cedar Mesa Reservoir sits. The setting is mixed forest. Surface area is around 33 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The full circuit measures close to 1.0 miles on foot. Size puts it in the front rank of our Delta County list. Cedaredge is the closest town at 11 miles. The big place round here is Boulder, 152 miles distant. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Cedar Mesa Reservoir

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Survey and observation records for Delta County include rainbow trout, white sucker, flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker and brown trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Cedar Mesa Reservoir the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 56°F at the top of summer and 17°F at the bottom of winter. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Count the season from break-up, usually mid May. Break-up near mid May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. On Cedar Mesa Reservoir the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. 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. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Bonita Reservoir is 0.4 miles distant. Check the position on Cedar Mesa Reservoir before loading the car.