Fishing at Franktown Parker FPE-4 Reservoir, El Paso County, Colorado

• Overview

  Colorado holds Franktown Parker FPE-4 Reservoir, in El Paso County. The water sits 7,303 feet up. It measures about 27 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The town to know is Black Forest, 6.7 miles out. Gleneagle is 9.2 miles and Woodmoor 9.4 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications. The name belongs to this one alone in the state.

• Where to Fish on Franktown Parker FPE-4 Reservoir

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. Open biodiversity records for El Paso County list rainbow trout, common carp, brook trout, green sunfish and white sucker. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Fish this water where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 65°F, while January sits near 24°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early April. Break-up near early April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. It sets the rhythm of the year at this water.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Records show it does not hold water year-round. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Kiowa Creek Watershed 1-G-20 Reservoir at 2 miles is the sensible second choice. Check the position on this water before loading the car.