Crawford Reservoir near Paonia: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Crawford Reservoir is a Delta County water, Colorado side. The water sits 6,552 feet up. Roughly 376 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. You are looking at roughly 4.2 miles of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. Among the waters listed for Delta County, none is wider. The nearest place of any size is Paonia, 13 miles away. After that come Montrose at 21 miles and Olathe at 21 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Crawford Reservoir

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Public occurrence data for Delta County names rainbow trout, white sucker and flannelmouth sucker. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The near bank of Crawford Reservoir is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 23°F in January and 70°F in July. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Break-up comes around mid March, and the run that follows is short and strong. Climate averages put the opening at about mid March and the closing near early December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Anyone fishing Crawford Reservoir regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Boat access is recorded roughly half a mile away. A car park lies half a mile away, so the walk in is short. You can camp half a mile off, which suits an early start. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Tyler Reservoir sits 4.9 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Crawford Reservoir for certain.