This week has been one with hit and miss storms. The Loveland area got enough rain to raise Boyd up a foot. The metro area lakes are staying pretty level. Horsetooth is rising while Carter is dropping. Looks like this coming week will be drier and in the 80’s and low 90’s. Should make for good fishing!
I hit Boyd a little for white bass and spent time chasing bass in area ponds. The white bass bite is still going strong at Boyd. Still keep looking for the boils in the morning and evening. Work those areas with top water and shallow baits - rattling cranks are starting to produce good numbers. Middle of the day try trolling from 10’ or shallower with smaller cranks at 2-3 mph. Pond bass fishing has been good with weedless frogs and wacky rigged stick worms.
Hot Bites:
Boyd - white bass are still the star out there. The evening bite is the most consistent but can be caught in the morning too. A few walleyes are still being caught trolling cranks and on bottom bouncers and spinners.
Carter - the walleye bite is solid. Use bottom bouncers and nightcralwers on the south end and east side.
Chatfield - remains high. Smallmouth along the dam and gravel pits edges in the no wake zone. Walleyes are back by the gravel pits, weeds, and old road beds using bottom bouncer and jigs with night crawlers. There is also starting to be a suspended bite for the walleye trolling cranks.
Cherry Creek - the walleyes are still really good. Reaction baits - jigging raps and blade baits along structure. Also a suspended trolling bite. Go with smaller cranks 20-40 feet behind planer boards.
Horsetooth - smallmouth are fishing good. Still some shallow and another good bite out in the 20-25 foot range. Jigs, drop shot, and swimbaits are your best options. Walleyes are really pushing out to the smelt schools - low light trolling with larger stick baits are producing the most bites.
Ponds - work the weed edges. Slower presentations like wacky rigged stick worms during the day and top water in the low light period.
Rivers - water flows are ideal for fishing any method you want to fish. Spinners, cranks, and jigs are working. The fly fishing is really good, with several hatches going on at eat river.
Bonus info - Glendo - the fast dropping has stopped and should start fishing good in the next week to 10 days.
WINTER SNOW PREDICTIONS
Right now the long range forecast is for an above normal snowfall. This should be good for river flows next year and keep our lake levels full starting next summer.
FLP FISHING TIP - Keep an open mind
This summer’s weather and moisture have really put our lakes in good shape. The rain we received helped the crops and reduce the demand for irrigation. I haven’t seen lakes at these high levels in August in a long time. Which is good for the fish but does provide some challenges for anglers, especially those who fish memories. You can’t head out to a lake and say “We are going to fish such and such because I always catch them there this time of year”. In many lakes, those typical spots are an extra 6-15’ deeper than normal, and pushing 20-30’ at Horsetooth. As you head out to hit the lakes, keep an open mind and fish the current conditions will improve the number of fish you catch.
FISHING FUNNIES