Flowing Park Reservoir Fishing in Mesa County, Colorado

• Overview

  This water sits in Mesa County, Colorado. The water sits 10,082 feet up. It runs to roughly 81 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Shoreline comes to about 1.6 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Size puts it in the front rank of our Mesa County list. Cedaredge lies 10 miles from the water. Boulder is the closest city, 168 miles away. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Flowing Park Reservoir

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. Survey and observation records for Mesa County include flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker, green sunfish, white sucker and common carp. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Work Flowing Park Reservoir in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 60°F on average, January about 19°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Flowing Park Reservoir fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. A car park lies half a mile away, so the walk in is short. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Crane Lake is 1.4 miles distant. For Flowing Park Reservoir in particular, ask before you travel.