Rourke Reservoir, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Colorado holds Rourke Reservoir, in Otero County. This is rolling hill ground. A pocket of water where every cast reaches cover. On size it sits at the modest end of our Otero County list. Rocky Ford sits 30 miles from the bank. It is 59 miles to Pueblo, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Rourke Reservoir

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Otero County include green sunfish, channel catfish, white sucker, bluegill and common carp. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Work Rourke Reservoir in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 76°F on average, January about 31°F. The year gives four workable seasons without severe ends. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. On Rourke Reservoir the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Smith Pond, 1.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Rourke Reservoir in what we hold.