Where to Go Spinney Reservoir
Current Reports
Angler's Covey Bug of the Month
Check out the blog HERE
Check out the Bug of the Month Videos HERE
Photo- Covey Guide Josh Heney
SPRING HOURS 9am to 6pm Daily
Report Date: 4/18/2026
Current Conditions:
Spinney reservoir is now open for the season! First off, a couple of things to keep in mind when going fishing here.
First, the lake is extremely low. This has made access a little more challenging. Be careful in sandy looking areas along the shoreline. Some of these places are extremely soft and its really easy to get stuck in the mud. Second, the usual prime fishing areas are not really accessible now. The water levels are so low, homestake cove is barely there. This will force anglers to rethink the lake. Try and target spots that have some gradient. We saw a lot of smaller fish caught on opening weekend. This has remained fairly consistent since opening. Fishing times have varied, but the angler will want to focus more on the wind forecasts than anything. 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. Depths have varied, but the sweet spot recently has been 2-4 feet below an indicator.
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)
Tips:
Work tandem indicator rigs a couple feet below the surface.
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!
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.