Dunnagan Reservoir Fishing in Archuleta County, Colorado

• Overview

  Archuleta County, Colorado, is where Dunnagan Reservoir sits. It sits at 8,005 feet above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 15 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Start from Pagosa Springs, 9 miles down the road. The big place round here is Pueblo, 152 miles distant. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Dunnagan Reservoir

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Open biodiversity records for Archuleta County list brook trout, rainbow trout, black-spotted cutthroat trout and bluehead sucker. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Dunnagan Reservoir the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 60°F; the cold one sits at 17°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Anyone fishing Dunnagan Reservoir regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Lake Hatcher sits 2.7 miles off and takes the overflow. The position on Dunnagan Reservoir is worth confirming on the day.