Where to Go Spinney Reservoir
Current Reports
Angler's Covey Bug of the Month
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Photo- Covey Guide Josh Heney
SUMMER HOURS 6am to 6pm Daily
Report Date: 6/3/2026
Current Conditions:
Spinney has been fishing pretty decent lately. Especially during the chironomid and callibaetis hatches. These hatches are starting pretty early (a sign water temps are warm) and the fishing drops off pretty good after the hatches. Some anglers are finding success in float tubes and kayaks, but the shore fishing is getting tougher. With the closing of Antero, a lot of the angling traffic has shifted to Spinney. Water temps are warming and thats really kicked things into gear. Anglers utilizing boats, kayaks, or float tubes have had a distinct advantage. This will allow you to cover more water. We have had some great windows of mellower wind as well. Be sure to check those wind forecasts here. As we progress into summer, the fish are starting to venture and feed out farther into the lake. Depths have varied, but we are seeing the most success in about 6-8 feet of water. The best fishing times have been earlier in the mornings, mid morning, and late afternoon. 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:
Static indicator or slow crawling flies has been effective. This is also a good time to throw streamers. Location is the most important thing on this lake. Look for "flats" or areas that have some drop offs nearby. Always look for cruising fish too. If you see fish cruising that would be a good area to try.
Hatches:
As mentioned above, the big chironomid hatch is happening now and presents a great opportunity for fishing these subsurface. Fish are gorging on them in the pupae stage and even taking a few adults off of the surface. Static indicator fishing in some chop will be the most effective technique right now. These bugs are large, so be sure to use some of the larger profile, skinny and long midge larva and pupae. The callibaetis are also here and increasing in numbers each day. This is the main hatch the stillwater angler will want to take advantage of. In terms of bug life, there is a lot happening right now.
Tips:
Work tandem indicator rigs anywhere from a couple feet to about 8 feet down. When static indicator nymphing, its a good tip to "bump" your flies every once in awhile. They like movement!
Weather:
Short Term- We have had some cooler and wetter weather here recently. We will be getting a break from that in the next few days and it will fell a lot like summer! Temps this week and into the weekend will be in the mid to upper 70's and we should see a lot of sunshine. Rain chances are pretty low until we hit Saturday. Then we may see a brief afternoon rainstorm. Its always a good idea to watch the skies to the west here. If you start seeing storms build, its a good time to get off the water. These storms are usually very fast, so you can wait them out and get back out there. In all, its going to be a relatively quiets stretch of weather this week.
Long Term- After this weekend, things will warm up quite a bit. Temps will get into the upper 70's and even 80's and be hot. Rain chances will increase each day next week and may offer a little bit of solace to that afternoon heat. We could see some pretty windy days up here as well. 6/9 and 6/12 are days to keep an eye on. Longer range forecast are hinting at a more active summer monsoon season. This is the absolute best case scenario for our low snow year. These rains keep the rivers cool, flowing, and help ease the overall drought many of us are in. Lets hope that comes to fruition!
NOW BOOKING STILLWATER TRIPS FOR 2026! KAYAK, FLOAT TUBE, OR WALK/WADE. EXPERIENCE OUR WORLD CLASS STILLWATER WITH ONE OF OUR EXPERTS!
- Red Assassin, olive/copper, sizes 14-16
- Bubbas Callibaetis, size 16
- Clearwater Pupa, Black, size 16
- Balanced leather leach, black/olive, size 10
- Poxyback callibaetis, size 16
Top Drry Flies for today:
- Parachute Adams, sizes 14-16
- Hackle Stacker callibaetis, size 16
- Sparkle dun callie, size 16
- Double dirty Hippie, brown, size 2
- Humdinger, tan, size 2
- Double Gonga, grey, size 4
- Baby Swim Coach, brown/yellow, size 4
See below for Spinney Mountain Reservoir Map, or CLICK HERE for a downloadable PDF.
Spinney Reservoir is one of the best stillwater fisheries in the entire western US. The regulations are flies and lures only and you can harvest one trout over 20 inches. Fish species include: Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Brown Trout, Cuttbow trout, yellow perch, and Northern Pike. There are two boat ramps and several parking areas around the reservoir. It is a $9.00 daily pass fee to get in. Anglers bringing a boat make sure to clean it thoroughly because they are now inspecting for Zebra Mussels.
This is an area we specialize and are permitted to guide in, so give us a shot if you have any question or if you interested in allowing one of our Orvis-Endorsed guides to show you how to conquer Spinney Reservoir.