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

• Overview

  Look for Owens Reservoir in the Delta County part of Colorado. The country here is pine and birch. At roughly 12 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. For supplies, Cedaredge is 12 miles out. Then Paonia, 13 miles, and Orchard City, 18 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Owens Reservoir

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Delta County records list rainbow trout, white sucker, flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker and brown trout among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Owens Reservoir the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 54°F and January reads 16°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Ice-out usually falls in mid May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up sits around mid May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Time your trip to Owens Reservoir by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. For a change of water, Bailey Reservoir is 0.7 miles distant. Where Owens Reservoir is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.