Little Gem Reservoir, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  This water sits in Delta County, Colorado. The surface lies 10,095 feet up. This is a pocket water of some 15 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. The nearest place of any size is Cedaredge, 9.7 miles away. Orchard City lies 14 miles off, Palisade another 19 miles. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Little Gem Reservoir

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Open biodiversity records for Delta County list rainbow trout, white sucker, flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker and brown trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Little Gem Reservoir the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 56°F in July and bottoms out near 17°F in January. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The lid usually goes in mid May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. On average, mid May opens the water and mid November closes it again. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It sets the rhythm of the year at Little Gem Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Launching is possible: a slipway lies half a mile off. The nearest car park is half a mile from the water. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. Public toilets are recorded roughly half a mile off. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Rim Rock Lake sits 0.5 miles off and takes the overflow.