Granby Reservoir Number 12 in Mesa County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Mesa County, Colorado, you have Granby Reservoir Number 12. The land about it is pine and birch. It runs to roughly 42 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 1.3 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Few waters listed in Mesa County are bigger. Cedaredge at 9.1 miles is the nearest place to stop. Then Orchard City, 12 miles, and Delta, 18 miles. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Granby Reservoir Number 12

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Survey and observation records for Mesa County include flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker, green sunfish, white sucker and common carp. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Work this water in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 62°F and January about 20°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. On this water the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Basin Reservoir Number Two, 0.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at this water for certain.