Rio Grande Reservoir Fishing in San Juan County, Colorado

• Overview

  Rio Grande Reservoir falls in San Juan County, part of Colorado. The ground round it is lake country bush. At some 809 acres it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. There is roughly 8.4 miles of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Of the waters listed here in San Juan County, this is the largest. Head to Ouray, 29 miles away, for anything you forgot. It is 151 miles to Pueblo, the nearest city. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Rio Grande Reservoir

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Records held for San Juan County cover black-spotted cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, cutthroat trout and white sucker. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. The near bank of Rio Grande Reservoir is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 13°F to 52°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. After late May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Expect the water usable from around late May until roughly mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Rio Grande Reservoir runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Lost Lake Reservoir Number 1, 1.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the current arrangement for Rio Grande Reservoir.