Fishing at Doughty Reservoir, Delta County, Colorado

• Overview

  Set in Delta County, Doughty Reservoir is a Colorado water. Beyond the shoreline you have pine and birch. Surface area runs to about 21 acres — small enough to read in one session. Some 12 miles away sits Paonia, the nearest settlement. Then Cedaredge, 13 miles, and Orchard City, 18 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Doughty Reservoir

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. County-wide records name rainbow trout, white sucker, flannelmouth sucker and bluehead sucker. The county list is broader than any single water. The shape of Doughty Reservoir decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 54°F, with January the cold end at about 16°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid May. The season between ice runs from about mid May to mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Doughty Reservoir runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. This one is mapped as intermittent, so a wasted trip is a real risk in a dry year. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Fisher Reservoir sits 0.5 miles off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Doughty Reservoir in what we hold.