Garbareno Reservoir, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Garbareno Reservoir is listed under Dolores County, Colorado. The setting is mixed forest. The whole thing is a single swim; walk it in a minute. It is a small entry by Dolores County standards. Cortez is the closest place, 29 miles off. Then Mancos, 36 miles, and Monticello, 37 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off. Cortez is a place of about 8,700 people.

• Where to Fish on Garbareno Reservoir

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Dolores County cover black-spotted cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brook trout and cutthroat trout. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. At Garbareno Reservoir the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 64°F for July and 25°F for January. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early April. Break-up sits around early April on average, with the water closing again about early December. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Garbareno Reservoir runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Glade Lake sits 1.6 miles off and takes the overflow. The position on Garbareno Reservoir is worth confirming on the day.