Cripple Creek Reservoir Number 3, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Cripple Creek Reservoir Number 3 belongs to Teller County, Colorado. The bank gives way to pine and birch. At 13 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Cripple Creek is the closest place, 5.7 miles off. After that come Manitou Springs at 11 miles and Cascade-Chipita Park at 11 miles. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Cripple Creek Reservoir Number 3

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Species logged across Teller County include brook trout, rainbow trout and black-spotted cutthroat trout. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Treat this water as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 17°F to 54°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. After mid May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up near mid May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Plan around that when you fish this water.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. 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. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Wilson Reservoir, 1.9 miles out. Check the position at this water before loading the car.