Lower Dome Reservoir in Saguache County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Saguache County, Colorado, this is Lower Dome Reservoir. It lies 9,108 feet above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 19 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Gunnison lies 26 miles from the water. Then Del Norte, 42 miles, and Salida, 46 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lower Dome Reservoir

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Fish documented in Saguache County include brown trout, white sucker, brook trout, black-spotted cutthroat trout and cutthroat trout. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. The shape of Lower Dome Reservoir rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 10°F and July at about 57°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That is the shape of the year on Lower Dome Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Parking is mapped about half a mile from the bank. Public toilets are recorded roughly half a mile off. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Upper Dome Reservoir, 0.7 miles away. For Lower Dome Reservoir, the notice at the access point is the final word.