A whole new Blue!

Quickly rising water levels have Blue Mesa looking like a whole new lake! We are only 1.5′ below full pool as of today and I would guess that the lake is brim full tomorrow! This is great for the lake, but not the best for the fishing.  The rising water levels have lifted a lot of debris so be on the look out when running across the lake!  Iola basin has the most debris and stained/muddy water.  Cebolla and Sapinero basins are fairly clear, but still have a lot of debris and some huge trees and logs floating in them!  Water temps have climbed into the 62-65 degree range on the surface. Most days have been fairly calm, sunny, and there seems to always be a chance of rain!

There was some really bad news annonced this week. Blue Mesa has been confirmed to have gill lice. So far it has only been seen in rainbow trout , and a small percentage at that.  However, as seen in 11 Mile, Green Mountain, and several other Colorado reservoirs, the kokanee usually end up getting infected and it has the potential to devastate the kokanee population! If you catch a kokanee with gill lice, please report it to the CPW or email us and we will report it. We can only hope that Blue Mesa isn’t hit as hard as 11 Mile.

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Trout- fishing is still good! They can be caught casting or trolling a variety of baits including Venator Wobblers, Rapalas, and maribou jigs near shorelines or out in the open basins.  Trolling squids and spinners has been very effective as well. We have been finding rainbows from the surface down to 25′ and browns from 20′ to 60′! The east end of the lake seems to hold the greatest numbers of trout, but there are concentrations across the entire lake.

Kokanee Salmon- The salmon bite continues to be hot and cold, but there have been some good days!  There are still a lot of smaller kokanee showing up, which is a good sign for the next couple of years as long as they release okay now!  Most of our salmon are coming at depths of 12 to 40 feet. Cebolla and Sapinero Basins seem to be best. Per usual, cycling through a variety of Rocky Mountain Tackle, Raical Glow, Kokanee Killers, Venator Wobblers, and a few other baits has been producing the best results. Make sure you tip your baits with corn! Pinks, purples, whites, and greens have been some of the better colors.  With the salmon numbers down, it is more important now than ever to not take more than your possession limit!

Lake Trout- We are catching smaller lake trout 40-60 feet, but the big fish have gone deep!  The smaller lake trout can be caught trolling with spoons, squids, and kokanee killers.

Perch- The water temps are over 60 degrees and the perch are moving shallow in great number!  Submerged structure/brush is the ticket! Cover water until you get action as these fish are usually in fairly larger schools. A small jig or spoon with a piece of worm will produce!