Blue Mesa Fishing Report: things are looking up, compared to a year ago!

Blue Mesa Reservoir Fishing Report:

Blue Mesa Reservoir hit its lowest elevation last fall at 92′ low since filling in the early 60’s.  It has risen quite a bit since then and is currently 56′ low.  Unless we get record rains, this will be the highest it gets this year as it has peaked and started to slowly drop in the last few days.  The BOR has said that Blue Mesa will not be responsible for any emergency releases to Lake Powell this year.  Hopefully this holds true! The water across the lake is more clear than I have seen in a long time!  There is some algae starting to show up in Iola basin over the last week.  The Lake Fork and Elk Creek boat ramps as open from 5:30 am  to 9 pm 7 days a week.  The Iola boat ramp is open from 7 am to 3 pm currently due to staffing issues, but may resume normal hours if new staff is hired.  The Lake Fork Marina is open, but Elk Creek is closed for the season as well as Pappy’s Restaurant.

Trout- fishing has been fair to good on the troll on different parts of the lake.  Rainbow trout have been caught trolling the top 40′ of the water column and some quality rainbows have been showing up!  Some days they show up to feed on the surface when the water is calm and other days not so much.  Brown trout have been hitting out kokanee presentations 40-80′ deep.  The shorelines have been producing some nice rainbow trout with power bait, worms, and marshmallows and the occasional brown.  With the water down, there are several good shore fishing spots where you can drive you vehicle to the lake and these include North Willow Creek, the Bay of Chickens, Middle Bridge and Sapinero!

Kokanee Salmon- fishing has been fair to good depending on the day, with some nice fishing showing up!     Most days they are hanging out from 35′ to as deep as 100′!  Keep an eye on your fish finder to see where the fish are hanging out.  Trolling is still the most productive and the bite can go from dead to red hot when you hit the right pocket of fish!  Radical glow spinners and Rocky Mountain Tackle Squids, have been most consistent for the kokanee salmon.  Since no marinas are currently open, the best option for tackle in the area is Gene Taylors Sporting goods in Gunnison.  They have a great selection!  There have been some thicker schools showing up as well with a little bit of jigging activity.

Lake Trout-   The laker fishing has been slowed with the warmer water temps.  Some lake trout are hitting out kokanee salmon rigs while trolling, including an occasional monster!  Most of the lake trout are hanging out 55-120′ deep.  Lake trout are prolific in Blue Mesa thanks to the variety of food they have to eat and grow, but lake trout of 28″ or bigger usually take 8-12 years to grow to that size and are a valuable resource for any fishery.  Releasing fish that are 28″ or bigger will help ensure that Blue Mesa has a solid population of trophy lake trout for future generations as well as the years to come.

Yellow Perch- the perch have showed up in the coves and around the marinas and are hitting small jigs tipped with a piece of worm.

*We are offering guided fishing trips for kokanee salmon, trout, and yellow perch right now!  The pictures below are from some of our trips.

**This Blue Mesa Fishing Report is brought to you by Robby Richardson and his team of guides!  Blue Mesa Fishing offers guided fishing trips for all species!  Robby also specializes in fishing, hunting, and residential real estate in the Gunnison Valley and around the state of Colorado and would love to help you with your real estate needs!