Von Springs Reservoir Number 1 in Summit County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Von Springs Reservoir Number 1 belongs to Summit County, Colorado. Elevation runs to 8,018 feet. Surface area runs to about 8 acres — small enough to read in one session. 8.3 miles away sits El Jebel, the nearest town. Carbondale follows at 10 miles, then Basalt at 11 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Von Springs Reservoir Number 1

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Reported across Summit County: brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. At this water the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 59°F; by January the average is down near 16°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. From about early May to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. On this water the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Records show it does not hold water year-round. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Von Springs Reservoir Number 2, 0.6 miles out. Where this water is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.