Best Fishing Spots in Colorado

13608 waters · 44 cities · 29+ fish species

Colorado holds the highest fishing water in the country. The median mapped water sits at 2,686 metres and the highest reaches 4,100, with nothing at all below 1,071 metres. That single fact governs the season: above 3,000 metres a lake may clear ice only in June and freeze again in October, while Front Range reservoirs near Denver and Pueblo fish from March into December. Reservoirs outnumber natural lakes here by roughly two to one, a legacy of water storage across a dry state, so most fishing means reading flooded contours and channels rather than natural shorelines, on water whose level swings with irrigation and snowmelt. The dense pockets sit along the Front Range where the population is, while the mountain counties hold high water that is quieter but open for only part of the year. We list 2,573 waters in Colorado, drawn from 62 counties. Expect mostly reservoirs, plus a good share of natural lakes. Nothing here is larger than Navajo Reservoir, at some 24 sq miles. Of the waters with a published depth, Lake Granby is the deepest at roughly 221 feet. Cold months average 19°F; warm months reach 58°F. Expect the ice to go around late May in a normal year. The most frequently logged fish are rainbow trout, brook trout, white sucker and brown trout.

Popular Species in Colorado

Fishing License in Colorado

Colorado
Issuing agency	Who needs a license	Resident annual	Non-resident annual	Non-resident short-term	Saltwater requirement	License-free days	Official source (last verified)
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW)	Ages 16 and older	$44.87	$124.01	1-day, 5-day	Not applicable — no coastline	2 days (June)	Agency pageVerified 2026-08-13

*Prices are base annual freshwater licenses and exclude vendor fees, stamps and endorsements. Where a cell reads “Not verified”, the agency does not publish the figure in a format we can verify automatically.

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Fishing Regulations in Colorado

Season
Aways open
Bag limit
20
Vessel limit
-
Trophy limits
-
Max size
-
Min size
No
Measurement
-
Prohibited methods
-

*Reflects statewide regulations, per official state wildlife agency

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Have questions?

Yes. Colorado Parks and Wildlife issues the state licence, with resident and non-resident options by duration, and an additional habitat stamp is required for most licences. Some waters carry their own gear restrictions or catch-and-release rules, particularly designated Gold Medal trout waters, so check the specific water first.

It governs everything. The median mapped water sits at 2,686 metres and nothing lies below 1,071. Above 3,000 metres a lake may clear ice only in June and freeze again by October. Front Range reservoirs at lower elevation fish from March into December, so two waters an hour apart can differ by months.

Most Colorado waters are open year round, but access decides the real season. High mountain lakes are unreachable until snowmelt clears the approach, often not before June, and freeze again in October. Lower reservoirs along the Front Range stay open far longer, effectively March into December.

Reservoirs outnumber natural lakes by roughly two to one, which reflects a century of water storage in a dry state. That means most fishing here involves reading flooded contours, submerged channels and points rather than natural shorelines, on water whose level swings with irrigation demand and snowmelt.

Yes, and at altitude the ice season is long. Mountain lakes above 2,500 metres freeze reliably from December into April, and some hold ice later still. Deeper Front Range reservoirs are less dependable, sometimes not carrying safe ice at all. Conditions vary sharply with elevation, so check the specific water.

The Front Range corridor north and west of the city holds one of the densest concentrations of water in Colorado, mostly reservoirs in the suburbs between Denver, Arvada and Broomfield. Those waters take real weekend traffic through summer, so early starts and the far shore make a difference.