Where to Go Spinney Reservoir

Open 9 am to 6 pm Daily

Report Date: 9/10/2026

Spinney Boat Ramp Closure - The North Boat Ramp is closed to trailered launching due to low water levels. Spinney Mountain Reservoir remains open to hand-launched, motorized vessels.

CPW’s official Spinney Mountain Pike Management Tournament is underway and continues through September. It’s heavily affecting how the lake is being fished. Because sampling showed a dangerous spike in northern pike preying on young trout, CPW is offering cash prizes to remove them.

Conditions:

With Spinney Mountain Reservoir sitting near 37% capacity, anglers are dealing with dramatically altered shoreline access and fish-holding water. Large expanses of mudflat and old submerged structure are now exposed, pushing much of the productive water toward deeper channels, drop-offs, and remaining depth changes. Trailered boats can no longer use the ramps, so access is limited to shore fishing and hand-launched craft such as kayaks, paddleboards, and float tubes. Clear water and shallow shoreline gradients are also making trout especially sensitive to movement from the bank and above.

Weather:

Short-Term -

Expect typical South Park afternoon weather with winds building by early afternoon. Clear skies for the weekend will be followed by consistent  afternoon rain showers and thunderstorms are likely to push over the surrounding peaks, bringing brief heavy downpours and lightning hazards across the open water.

Long-Term -

High temperatures will remain comfortably in the mid 60s, while overnight lows drop into the upper 30s and low 40s. Clear to partly cloudy mornings will continue to give way to brief afternoon cloud building and sporadic showers and thunderstorms.

Hatches:

Callibaetis and Midges remain the main players at Spinney, with calm mornings offering the best chance at a brief hatch and some surface activity around surviving weed beds. Caddis and Chironomids are still in the mix below the surface, while hoppers and ants can provide occasional terrestrial opportunities along the exposed banks.

Tactics:

From a float tube, kayak, or other hand-launched craft, indicator rigs fished over 6–12 feet of water remain a strong approach. Balanced Leeches in purple, olive, or claret and Callibaetis nymphs are good choices beneath an adjustable indicator. Shore anglers can cover water with a dry-dropper setup using a buoyant terrestrial or Callibaetis dry with a small Scud, Chironomid, or midge emerger below. Streamers such as Slump Busters and Woolly Buggers worked slowly along drop-offs can also draw aggressive takes from larger trout and northern pike.

Tips:

Take advantage of the exceptionally low water to map out revealed drop offs, rock ledges, and submerged river channel paths that are normally hidden under feet of water. If fishing from shore, seek out bank locations with steeper drop-offs and depth rather than shallow flats, where fish avoid lingering in high sun. Always keep an eye on the afternoon sky, as the treeless terrain offers no cover during sudden high-country thunderstorms.

Photo by Josh Heney

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