Monument Reservoir Number 1, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Colorado, Monument Reservoir Number 1 belongs to Mesa County. Elevation runs to 10,217 feet. The water covers some 33 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Cedaredge at 17 miles is the nearest place to stop. The nearest city of size is Boulder, 146 miles away. This one is safely inside the county line. The country round the bank is quiet, with little traffic on the road in.

• Where to Fish on Monument Reservoir Number 1

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Survey and observation records for Mesa County include flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker, green sunfish, white sucker and common carp. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Fish this water where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 54°F in July and bottoms out near 16°F in January. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid May. Averages suggest open water from about mid May through to roughly mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. At this water the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. This one is mapped as intermittent, so a wasted trip is a real risk in a dry year. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Monument Reservoir Number 2, 1 mile away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at this water as something to verify.