Fishing Youngs Creek Reservoir Number 3 in Delta County, Colorado

• Overview

  Look for Youngs Creek Reservoir Number 3 in Delta County, Colorado. It sits at 10,210 feet above sea level. At roughly 21 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. You are 9.9 miles from Cedaredge. Boulder is the closest city, 156 miles away. The nearest boundary is a fair way off. You can learn the basics of it in one visit.

• Where to Fish on Youngs Creek Reservoir Number 3

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. Species logged across Delta County include rainbow trout, white sucker, flannelmouth sucker and bluehead sucker. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On this water the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 56°F; the cold one sits at 17°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid May. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Expect this water to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Youngs Creek Reservoir Number 2 sits 0.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at this water for certain.