Upper Chinns Reservoir Fishing Guide, Clear Creek County, Colorado

• Overview

  Upper Chinns Reservoir is set in Clear Creek County, Colorado. The water sits 11,106 feet up. Georgetown is the closest town at 7.6 miles. The big place round here is Boulder, 27 miles distant. Near neighbours include: Lower Chinns Reservoir 0.2 miles away, Slater Lake the better part of 0.3 miles, Fall River Reservoir 0.4 miles away, Lake Caroline the better part of 1.4 miles and Byron Lake 1.5 miles away. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Upper Chinns Reservoir

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Public occurrence data for Clear Creek County names black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. At Upper Chinns Reservoir light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 53°F, while January sits near 19°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The lid usually goes in mid May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The open-water window runs from around mid May to about early November in an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Plan around that when you fish Upper Chinns Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Lower Chinns Reservoir at 0.2 miles is the nearest alternative. None of that is settled for Upper Chinns Reservoir in what we hold.