Fishing at Ridgway Reservoir, Ouray County, Colorado

• Overview

  Ridgway Reservoir sits in Ouray County, out in Colorado. It lies 6,877 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to roughly 914 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. At about 8.6 miles of edge, most people work one arm at a time. By surface area it heads our Ouray County listings. Some 15 miles away sits Ouray, the nearest settlement. Colorado Springs is the closest city, 164 miles away. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Ridgway Reservoir

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Records held for Ouray County cover rainbow trout, brown trout and black-spotted cutthroat trout. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Ridgway Reservoir gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 66°F in July and bottoms out near 23°F in January. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Count the season from break-up, usually late March. Break-up near late March, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Ridgway Reservoir runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Failing this one, try Chaffe Gulch Dentention Number 6 Reservoir, 3.5 miles away. Nothing on Ridgway Reservoir should be assumed from this page alone.