Another weekend of cold wet weather is on the way. I hope as April leaves so do these rainy weekends! Last weekend’s cold and snowy weather dropped the water temps 3-5 degrees in most of the area's lakes and ponds. They regained the temps back to the low 50s by midweek.
This week I hit several lakes and ponds. The ponds were fishing the best, as the water warmed the panfish and bass were starting to push to the shallows. It seemed like the better panfish were caught a little deeper. The bass are starting to cruise the shallows and can often be sight-fished. The best lure I found for the panfish is a small jig and twister under a float and for the bass, I was catching them on a ned rig with the new Crush City Ned BLT. I did notice some ponds are starting to get slime moss, in that case, I went with a wacky rigged stick worm to keep your lure from looking like Bill Murray in Ghostbusters. The fish in the lakes are moving, the warming water has them pushing shallower but most are still in transition and spread out. Target top spots and cover water to get the most bites.
HOT BITES
Cherry Creek - walleyes are still being caught trolling in the basin with leadcore. Some fish are starting to push shallow and being caught on jigs and bladebaits. The livebait bite should be starting in the next week to 10 days.
Union - walleyes and wipers are being caught. The fish are really moving, spend time covering water, and once you find the fish concentrate your efforts on that area. Trolling 1.5 mph has been the best speed.
Boyd - the inlet has stopped flowing and the fish are spreading out. Look for weeds associated with steeper breaks for warm water fish. Trout and white bass are being caught trolling shallow in the water column with #7 and #9 original Rapala minnows.
Horsetooth - the walleye are getting towards the end of spawning and starting to move to main lake points. Smallmouth are starting to push to the shorelines and coves. Trout are still good on jerkbaits.
Ponds - we are getting toward the tail end of the spring trout stockings, so now is the time to chase those trout still remaining in the ponds. The panfish and bass are good. Look in the shallower warmer areas for the most active fish.
CPW NEWS
Trout Stockings
Golden Gates Ponds
North Front Range - Prospect Pond #3, Ehrlich Lake, Centennial Lake, North Lake Park Pond, Flatiron Reservoir, Loveland Service Pond
NEW ANS HOURS
Boyd starting May 1 will be changing to 6 am to 9 pm.
FLP FISHING TIP - Always be open to learning
As anglers, we are always looking to get better. Learn new things to improve our fishing success. Those anglers who always keep learning are the ones who stay at the top of their game.
I witnessed this firsthand at an NPAA conference about 7 years ago, where I was sitting with Al and Ron Lindner, and just in front of us was Kevin Van Dam. I watched all 3 of them taking notes from a seminar given by a local high school angler who spoke just before their presentations. All 3 of these anglers are considered some of the best sticks of the last 30+ years and are still actively learning every chance they get.
Whenever you have a chance to learn something from any angler, actively pay attention and ask questions so you can use this the next time on the water.
This Saturday there is a great chance to learn from knowledgeable local anglers at Johnstown SCHEELS Fish Fest.
Dan and Jake are top-notch lake trout anglers who have caught countless trophy lake trout in Colorado and do a great job sharing their knowledge with other anglers. This seminar will help you learn the techniques to catch what might be your biggest fish of the year.
Matt and Evan are two of the people I go to when it comes to questions about Forward Facing Sonars. They stay on the leading edge of this technology and how to use it to improve your fishing success. If you are thinking about getting a unit or have questions about the unit you have, this is a can’t miss seminar!
I’ll be doing a walleye seminar geared at helping you catch walleyes throughout the year. Many anglers seem to struggle to get getting into walleyes at certain times od the year. The goal of this seminar is to improve your success during those struggling periods. I will also have a special offering for anglers looking to continue their learning about walleyes to the water.
The Youth Seminar is designed to be informative and a load of fun!! I’ve even heard there will be some minnow races, FYI - I’ll be giving a pep talk to minnow two before the races start and sneak an extra worm for additional energy. Bring your kids down for this one!!