Pine River Watershed PR-1 Reservoir Fishing in La Plata County, Colorado

• Overview

  This water sits in La Plata County, Colorado. Around the bank it is open valley. Surface area runs to about 8 acres — small enough to read in one session. You are 12 miles from Bayfield. Durango follows at 24 miles, then Navajo at 27 miles. Within a short drive: Navajo Reservoir 8.3 miles, Harper Pond at 8.6 miles, Laguna Seca 17 miles, Capote Lake at 17 miles and Lake Simpatico 18 miles. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Pine River Watershed PR-1 Reservoir

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Across La Plata County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, brook trout, bluehead sucker and black-spotted cutthroat trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Treat this water as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 71°F and January about 25°F. A long season, with weather mattering more than the month. It is not guaranteed even in a cold spell, so check yourself. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. At this water the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. 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. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Navajo Reservoir is 8.3 miles distant. Check the current arrangement for this water.