Cline Reservoir in Park County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Cline Reservoir is a Park County water, Colorado side. Beyond the shoreline you have pine and birch. Breckenridge sits 17 miles from the bank. Bailey is 22 miles away, with Keystone at 23 miles. Water in the same corner: Tarryall Ranch Reservoir Number 1 0.9 miles away, Lower Michigan Reservoir after 11 miles, Upper Michigan Reservoir 11 miles away, Columbia Reservoir after 11 miles and Jefferson Lake 12 miles away. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Cline Reservoir

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. County-wide records name brown trout, rainbow trout, longnose sucker, brook trout and black-spotted cutthroat trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. The shape of Cline Reservoir decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 18°F to 57°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Look for the thaw near early May; the fishing lifts straight after. From about early May to around mid November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. That shapes the year on Cline Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. It is recorded as intermittent, which means the basin empties in dry spells. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Tarryall Ranch Reservoir Number 1, 0.9 miles away. Where Cline Reservoir is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.