hello. im currently working overseas and will probably be returning to the states in the spring. im a little tired of the Washington DC area and the real estate prices are too high.

how is the bass fishing in colorado? are bass over 5 lbs common? are there any smallmouth waters?

any info youd like to give will be greatly appreciated. from what people have been telling me, CO seems like the place im supposed to be. if the fishing is good, im sold.

thanks

-z

There are bass in the eastern part of the state. But real estate prices are VERY high.

Hunting. Thats why I would move there

I lived in Denver for 17 years (1981-1997). The hunting is outstanding for a variety of birds and big game. However, the bass fishing is way below average and the season is just as limited as it is in most northern states. I love Colorado, but if bass fishing is an overriding consideration, it's not the right state.

I live in Grand Junction, a city of about 130,000 in western colorado, near the Utah border. There are some pretty good bass fisheries in Colorado. A nice bass is 5 - 6 pounds, but there are a few bigger than that in some lakes. We have a longer growing season and warmer water than most northern states.

If you want world class bass fishing, Colorado isn't the place though. We do have one world class smallmouth fishery, and that is the Yampa River. Four - five pounders are common there.

If we had better management and a fisheries agency that didn't hate nonnative fish, our bass fishing would be pretty good.

Utah is nearby to where I am, and it has better bass fishing, especially in Powell.

I personally would live in Colorado Springs in a heartbeat....not the greatest state in the world for Bass fishing but I sure love the area and having lived in NM for so many years am a big fan of those high altitude cold water lakes and streams in northern NM and southern Co.....definitely more of a trout kind of place, but absolutely freakin' beautiful all year round (if you like all of the seasons)...my $.02

Plus Lake Powell ain't too far away...by western standards...

Central California, is where you want to be.!!

I live near Modesto we have the stanislaus, with LM , stripers, trout, catfish, small mouth.  the Tuolumne with great small mouth fishing, LM, stripers, perch. Dry Creek great SM, perch,catfish. And the delta, with LM over 10 lbs and LM over 5 lbs plentiful, Good catfishin, Great striper fishin!!, Pedro great bass lake. Melonnes another great lake. good stream fishin for trout near sonora.

All within 1 hr!!!!!!!!

With housing prices dropping , some great buys!!!!!

badog

I lived in Denver for four years after growing up in Memphis and Knoxville, TN, and the bass fishing there is doing just fine.  Are you going to get a world record? no, but you will catch alot of 5-6 lb bass, have great small lake fishing, and have the bonus of pike, tiger muskie, and world class trout in many of the same lakes.  I'm in DC now and wish I hadn't left

If you are considering moving to Colorado, I would sell all your bass gear and invest in Fly Fishing.  There are some great trout streams out there.

I lived at the Summit (Breckenridge) for 7 months.  I had a blast and got to ski some of my favorite terrain in the country.  It's a beautiful area but other than that, I've only seen the airport.

well its official. i'll be living in a small town west of Telluride called Norwood. a friend of mine has a guest house in his backyard so ill be renting it and basically be jobless for 6 mos. (ive been working 84hr weeks for 2 yrs so i deserve a break.) this cabin will be a base camp while i explore the 4 corners area.

for what ive read, there are a few reservoirs nearby that hold smallies and large mouth. mcphee, puett, totten. and then farther southeast there is the navajo reservoir. anyone familiar with these waters or have any suggestions of good places to fish for brown or green bass? ill be doing alot of camping so i dont mind driving into Utah, Arizona or New Mexico.

looks like its trout country over there. im going to stick to spinning gear so i have alot of research to do to fish for these things.

any advice of good bass spots in southwest CO is greatly appreciated.

cheers

-z

I'm well East so I don't know those waters. But, there's a decent internet community that you might be able to tap into. Also, you can gather some info from the DOW (Dept of Wildlife), although compared to many states, CO's warmwater program is in it's infancy and not as well supported. But I believe there is some interest within DOW in changing this.  

I'm well East so I don't know those waters. But, there's a decent internet community that you might be able to tap into. Also, you can gather some info from the DOW (Dept of Wildlife), although compared to many states, CO's warmwater program is in it's infancy and not as well supported. But I believe there is some interest within DOW in changing this.

There is little to no management for warmwater gamefish in the western part of the state due to the presence of endangered fish in some Western Colorado rivers. In many cases removal efforts are underway. They have failed to increase numbers of native fish however.

The CDOW does not do a good job of listening to their employers (we the people). People on the West Slope hate the DOW for this and would like to see a total purge of the current makeup and philosophies of the DOW. They are some of the most corrupt and dishonest government bureaucrats you could ever think of, who care only about their agenda and will alter data to support it.

Hi Ice,

I don't know the West slope at all. Along the FR and plains the DOW is recognizing the potential value of warmwater fisheries and there is talk of such interest and some research beginning. Back in NY, the fisheries research was well established, and there was tons of expertise to draw on. Here it's a diff story.

As to the endangered species, I know nothing about the issue in W CO, but do know that ES are a federal issue, and likely the impetus for action is out of DOW hands. But, again, I don't know the details.

Corruption stinks, I am just out of the loop there.

Hi Ice,

I don't know the West slope at all. Along the FR and plains the DOW is recognizing the potential value of warmwater fisheries and there is talk of such interest and some research beginning. Back in NY, the fisheries research was well established, and there was tons of expertise to draw on. Here it's a diff story.

As to the endangered species, I know nothing about the issue in W CO, but do know that ES are a federal issue, and likely the impetus for action is out of DOW hands. But, again, I don't know the details.

Corruption stinks, I am just out of the loop there.

The DOW does a much better job of managing warmwater fisheries on the east slope. As for the lack of management on the west slope, the DOW has the final say about any removals or stocking restrictions. They must consent to ALL actions to feds take or the feds can do nothing. So they are every bit as guilty as the feds because they give them permission and then they actively participate.

I don't want to sound like a jerk, but why would you move to an area where it snowed? In an area like Colorado, I would have to admit it is very beautiful, but in the winter it snows. Lakes freeze, it gets super cold, you need chains etc to get around. Move to an area like California. I live in Santa Rosa, where I can go in any direction and have some of the greatest fishing around. 45 minutes, I'm at the beach. 1 1/2 hours, I'm at Clear Lake, where Steve Kennedy caught 122 lbs of fish in 4 days, 1 1/2 hours, I'm at Lake Berryessa, where we have largemouth, smallmouth, spots, and one of the float tube clubs (SCBBBC) had their tourney and big fish was 11.92. In 5 hours I can be at Lake Shasta, or 5 hours to Reno, Nevada if you like. We have it all. Where ever you choose to live, I hope you enjoy it and prosper. Just my .02.

Hey bigfruits, send me a email (garysmouse@yahoo.com) I live in Cortez and would be able to show you around some great lakes.

Gary