Elephant Reservoir Fishing in Ouray County, Colorado

• Overview

  Within Ouray County, Colorado, you have Elephant Reservoir. The country round it is lake country bush from end to end. Small at around 16 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. The town to know is Ouray, 15 miles out. For a city, Colorado Springs is 169 miles off. Nearby, in order: Natural Pond 3.5 miles away, Ridgway Reservoir at 5 miles, City Reservoir 5.2 miles away, Dry Lake at 5.5 miles and Hofmann Reservoir 5.8 miles away. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Elephant Reservoir

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Across Ouray County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, brown trout and black-spotted cutthroat trout. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Take Elephant Reservoir a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 63°F; by January the average is down near 21°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Open water usually runs from mid April until about late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. The season on Elephant Reservoir follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Natural Pond, 3.5 miles out. Nothing on Elephant Reservoir should be assumed from this page alone.