Fishing at Windy Gap Reservoir, Grand County, Colorado

• Overview

  The Grand County end of Colorado holds Windy Gap Reservoir. Elevation runs to 7,835 feet. Around 102 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. The edge runs 1.4 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. On our Grand County list it sits near the top for size. For a base, Granby sits 2.5 miles out. Boulder is the closest city, 38 miles away. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Windy Gap Reservoir

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Fish documented in Grand County include black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and cutthroat trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Treat Windy Gap Reservoir as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 59°F, with January the cold end at about 15°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. The open-water window runs from around late April to about mid November in an average year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Windy Gap Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Public data has parking about half a mile from the shore. There are toilets mapped about half a mile away. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Bunte Reservoir at 1.7 miles is the nearest alternative. For Windy Gap Reservoir, the notice at the access point is the final word.