Fishing Goodenough Reservoir in Delta County, Colorado

• Overview

  Look for Goodenough Reservoir in the Delta County part of Colorado. It sits in mixed forest country. At about 48 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The edge runs 1.2 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It is among the larger waters listed here for Delta County. Nearest place of any size is Paonia, 13 miles away. Boulder sits 145 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Goodenough Reservoir

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Survey and observation records for Delta County include rainbow trout, white sucker, flannelmouth sucker and bluehead sucker. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Goodenough Reservoir responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 16°F in January and 54°F in July. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid May. Climate averages put the opening at about mid May and the closing near mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Plan around that when you fish Goodenough Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Dogfish Reservoir, 0.3 miles out. Nothing here settles the position at Goodenough Reservoir for certain.