Island Reservoir in Delta County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Colorado holds Island Reservoir, in Delta County. The water sits 10,440 feet up. At 3 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Our Delta County list holds plenty of bigger water. 12 miles away sits Cedaredge, the nearest town. Beyond it, Orchard City at 17 miles and Paonia at 19 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Island Reservoir

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Reported across Delta County: rainbow trout, white sucker and flannelmouth sucker. The county list is broader than any single water. Fish Island Reservoir to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 56°F in July and bottom out at 17°F in January. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly mid May. The lid tends to go about mid May and return around mid November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. That is the shape of the year on Island Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. A camping area sits within half a mile of here. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Twin Lake Number One, 0.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Ask locally about Island Reservoir if anything is unclear.