Where to Go Antero Reservoir

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Report Date: 4/20/2026

Current Conditions: 

DENVER WATER WILL BE CLOSING ANTERO FOR THE SEASON IN THE COMING WEEKS DUE TO SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS. MORE BELOW-

 In the coming weeks, Denver Water will begin moving water from Antero Reservoir to Cheesman Reservoir, as part of the utility's drought response. Antero Reservoir has the highest ratio of evaporation to storage of any of Denver Water’s reservoirs, and moving the water to Cheesman Reservoir will prevent about 5,000 acre-feet of water (about 25% of the reservoir’s storage capacity) from evaporating. One acre-foot of water equals the annual water use of about three to four single-family households a year.

“A lot of forethought and planning went into our collection system and reservoirs,” said Nathan Elder, manager of water supply for Denver Water. “Antero is a drought reservoir, designed to provide water to our customers during a severe drought. Consolidating this water into Cheesman will help us make the most of the water we have.”

Denver Water is working closely with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to minimize the loss of fish during this process and to allow the public to use the reservoir for a brief period before it eventually closes. Following the fish relocation process, there will be no recreation, including camping, allowed at Antero Reservoir in 2026. More details about this plan will be announced when it is finalized. The decision also allows Denver Water to use more water from its South Platte River Basin supplies, reducing the need to pull as much water from sources west of the Continental Divide, which are also below normal levels following an abysmal snowpack and runoff season.
In a standard year, the water lost to evaporation is recovered by the next runoff season. Because of the historically low snowpack levels in 2026, the water lost this year would not have been recovered. Drought conditions will determine when the reservoir can be refilled. The reservoir was also drained to assist with water management during the 2002 drought. There were plans to drain the reservoir as a drought response in 2013, though a series of late-season snowstorms allowed Denver Water to continue storing water in the reservoir. The last time Antero Reservoir was emptied was in 2015 for a dam rehabilitation project.

Fishing at Antero has continued to be really good. We have seen some very consistent conditions since ice off. Navigating the wind has been a bit tricky, but paying attention to the wind forecasts will help immensely. Days with zero wind have been tough. The fishing has been decent all over the lake, but the North shoreline has been one of our favorite spots. As we progress through spring, the fish are starting to venture and feed out farther into the lake. Fishing with tubes or kayaks will enable the angler to reach more fish. Depths have varied, but we are seeing the most success in about 6-9 feet of water. Fishing times have varied, but the angler will want to focus more on the wind forecasts than anything. Earlier in the mornings and later in the day have been solid. Its a good time to work the lake with indicator rigs or slow crawling flies. Be sure to start playing with your depth on your rigs now, some fish are feeding a little deeper.

Tactics:

While you can still fish pretty close to shore and shallow, dont be afraid to bomb those casts out there too!  Depth is absolutely key and will be the difference between a good day and a slow day.

Hatches:

The bug life is starting to become a little more active. We are seeing some decent chironomid hatches along with the standard leech, scud, and even egg patterns bringing fish to the net. This is also a great time to focus on some baitfish patterns! (streamers)We do expect all of the hatches this year to happen a little earlier than normal.

Tips:

There are still some actively spawning fish in the lake. Those fish are not always eating. Stay persistent to get into the feeding fish.

Weather:

Short Term-  Today will remain cooler behind a quick storm that came through the state yesterday. This storm brought some much needed snow and precipitation to the high country. Things rebound quickly and we will be back in the low 60's on Sunday. Nice and mild weather will continue well into next week with highs in the 60's and morning lows in the 20's. Wednesday (4/22) we will see some pretty intense wind up this way. This is ahead of another and potentially larger system that looks to be coming into Colorado late next week and into next weekend.

Long Term-  Late next week we will see some large scale changes coming to the area. Exact details are still spotty, but we will see a significant increase in precipitation and cooler temperatures. Temps will cool into the 30's and 40's. This system will hang around for 3-4 days and give us a chance to get some key precipitation. Temps will be cold enough that any precipitation will be in the form of sleet and snow. This will be a great opportunity for the high country to get some more snow. In all, we are pretty excited about this weather late next week!

April is definitely feeling more like spring.

 NOW BOOKING STILLWATER WALK/WADE OR BOAT TRIPS!  LEARN FROM AN ORVIS ENDORSED PRO THIS SEASON!