Hardesty Reservoir Fishing near Fowler, Colorado

• Overview

  Out in Otero County, Colorado, sits Hardesty Reservoir. It stands 4,514 feet above sea level. With some 43 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. It lies lower than most water we list in Colorado. Fowler is the closest town at 7.8 miles. Rocky Ford lies 21 miles off, Ordway another 23 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Hardesty Reservoir

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Public occurrence data for Otero County names green sunfish, channel catfish, white sucker, bluegill and common carp. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Work Hardesty Reservoir in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 78°F in July and bottoms out near 30°F in January. The freeze here is occasional rather than annual. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. November and March are the quiet, comfortable months to be out. That is the shape of the year on Hardesty Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Stauder Reservoir at 5.2 miles is the nearest alternative. Confirm before you fish Hardesty Reservoir.