Ryan Reservoir, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Delta County end of Colorado holds Ryan Reservoir. The water sits 10,003 feet up. The water measures roughly 4 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Most waters listed here for Delta County are larger. Head to Cedaredge, 8.9 miles away, for anything you forgot. Boulder is the closest city, 157 miles away. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Ryan Reservoir

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Open biodiversity records for Delta County list rainbow trout, white sucker, flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker and brown trout. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Fish Ryan Reservoir to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 17°F to 56°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Winter locks it down, and mid May brings it back. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid May and starts locking again about mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan any trip to Ryan Reservoir around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Pine Reservoir is 0.2 miles off. Ask locally about Ryan Reservoir if anything is unclear.