Fishing at Hackley Reservoir, Montezuma County, Colorado

• Overview

  Set in Montezuma County, Colorado, this is Hackley Reservoir. The setting is mixed forest. This is a pocket water of some 5 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. For a base, Mancos sits 5.5 miles out. Then Cortez, 17 miles, and Durango, 25 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about. The character changes with the season more than with the year.

• Where to Fish on Hackley Reservoir

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Survey and observation records for Montezuma County include bluehead sucker, brook trout and bluegill. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Hackley Reservoir repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 63°F; by January the average is down near 24°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early April. Average temperatures cross freezing around early April in spring and again near early December in autumn. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. On Hackley Reservoir that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. 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. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Little Bauer Reservoir sits 0.9 miles off and takes the overflow. What applies at Hackley Reservoir may have changed since it was mapped.