Fishing Olathe Reservoir Number 1 in Montrose County, Colorado

• Overview

  Olathe Reservoir Number 1 sits within Montrose County in Colorado. It sits at 7,805 feet above sea level. Small even by pond standards, it rewards one careful line. Most waters listed here for Montrose County are larger. Montrose sits 14 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Colorado Springs sits 181 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Olathe Reservoir Number 1

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Public occurrence data for Montrose County names rainbow trout, flannelmouth sucker, brown trout, white sucker and bluehead sucker. The county list is broader than any single water. This water gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 63°F in July and bottom out at 22°F in January. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near early December. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. The season on this water follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Citizens Reservoir, 0.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. The position on this water is worth confirming on the day.