Fishing at Howard Reservoir, Delta County, Colorado

• Overview

  This water sits in Delta County, Colorado. Beyond the shoreline you have pine and birch. The water measures roughly 6 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. The closest town, Cedaredge, is 8.5 miles away. Beyond it, Orchard City at 13 miles and Delta at 20 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Howard Reservoir

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. County-wide records name rainbow trout, white sucker, flannelmouth sucker and bluehead sucker. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Fish Howard Reservoir to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 56°F for July and 17°F for January. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Break-up comes around mid May, and the run that follows is short and strong. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid May and starts locking again about mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. On Howard Reservoir the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Kiser Slough Reservoir, 0.4 miles away. None of that is settled for Howard Reservoir in what we hold.