Mike's Report
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Aurora Reservoir |
Chatfield Reservoir |
Cherry Creek Reservoir |
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Mike Kennedy, Parker |
CHERRY CREEK RESERVOIR: FALL CALL THE CONTACTS BELOW FOR CURRENT CONDITIONS. As the days shorten, temperatures go down and at least some of the boat traffic thins out, day time fishing will be easier. You may still have better luck fishing during the week or during low light periods. SPECIAL RULES: Bass limit is 5 must be 15-inches and walleye limit is 5 must be 18-inches with only 1 allowed over 21-inches. Fishing along the dam is prohibited from Mar 15 to Apr 15th from 4pm to 9am for walleye roe collection. CRAPPIE: Fish near the tower (where legal) or in Marina Cove. Use a crappie jig, tube or minnow. Vary your depth until you locate fish. Typically fish will be shallow during low light periods and deeper during the day, especially on bright high pressure days or when there is a lot of boat traffic. Try a jig, small spoon or minnow on a straight line or under a slip bobber. Use the smallest float you can get away with. Crappie will be feeding getting ready for the spring spawn an will be moving to shallow structure. CATFISH: Catfishing is one of the more consistent bites during the summer months with the best fishing at night. Fish chicken or turkey liver, worms, cut bait or stink bait in the upper end near the inlet of Cherry Creek or Cottonwood Creek; in Marina Cove, along the west bank of the Cottonwood Creek Channel, or off the dam. Nighttime is the best time to fish for cats. Use a Baitrunner reel or a reel with a clicker or risk getting your gear stolen by a bit cat. WALLEYE: The Walleye will move up out of the deepest holes in the lake and can be caught again along the dam and the channel banks. This can be a good time of the year to get a trhphy "eye" as they put on the feed bag preparing for winter. Walleye seem to prefer long skinny baits sometimes reffered to as stickbaits. Jerk baits also work well over the humps or along the riprap. Drifting or slow trolling a worm or minnow harness behind a planner board will be effective until the water drops below 60 degrees. Fishing during low light periods should also improve your chances. If you're fishing near the bottom use a floating harness to keep your bait up off the bottom. There are a lot of weeds and other debris on the bottom of Cherry Creek. Until the water gets drops below 60 and vegetation starts to die off there are weeds all around the banks and in shallow areas so use caution. If fishing is slow switch to more subtle techniques like jerk baits, jigs or tubes. Live bait is also effective when fishing is slow. If the action picks up switch to artificial. Most walleyes caught will be under the 18-inch size limit but bigger fish are in the lake. I caught a 10 1/2 pounder back last June and I've heard of several over 10 being caught last year. Try casting or trolling around the sand bar by the marina and over the old Cherry Creek channel from the tower heading south. Walleyes will also hit live minnows or shiners fished along the old Cherry Creek channel either on a harness and bottom bouncer, Lindy Rig or tipped on a lure or grub. Another place to try is in front of the shaded picnic tables on the west side of the lake. After a cold front or when fish are not biting, try vertical jigging spoons or jigs or suspending live baits under a slip bobber fished near the bottom. Also try a carolina rig with a scented, floating 4-inch Robo or 3X worm. Downsizing your offering and slowing down your presentation can help when fish are in an inactive or nutral mood. Low light periods will still produce the best results. Use planner boards when trolling crankbaits in shallow water and use drift socks or anchor when fishing in windy conditions. Now that the water temp is over 50-degrees trolling will start to be as effective as slow drifting, vertical jigging or still fishing. Alter your speed and size of lure until you find what they like. Also change the depth and location where you're fishing. TROUT: Trout is one of the easier fish to catch at Cherry Creek and fishing is usually pretty good with worms, salmon eggs or Power Bait. Fish just above the lake bottom 6-15 feet deep. Use a three hook trout rig illustrated on this web site. In early spring fish the inlets of Cherry Creek and Cottonwood Creek. Fish will be shallow and looking for moving water and sandy to small gravel bottoms. For one sure way to catch trout go to Fishing Basics page from the home page then click on trout rig. Three pieces of floating Power Bait fished near the bottom will greatly improve your chances of catching fish. Boaters will catch lots of trout up to 18-inches on live minnows. Trout fishing will continue to be good until the heat of summer when you'll have to fish deeper for them. Try Power Bait, Nitro, salmon eggs, worms or minnows. Boaters should slow troll worm harnesses, small Rapala's (Rapala C7 Countdown is a good option in rainbow pattern or gold.), spoons like the 1/8th oz Gold Kastmasters and spinners such as Dick Nite, Tazmanian Devils or Rooster Tails also work. Largemouth Bass: Bass are light sensitive so fishing during low light periods will be an advantage. Some people don't realize that there are some nice size bass in Cherry Creek. I caught a 2 pounder on top water at the end of June at first light right at the dam and reports of much larger bass being caught last year. Some fish are being caught on plastics and live bait but most catches are on small crankbaits along the dam. Cherry Creek has not been known as a great bass lake and most bass caught are by accident by anglers trying for crappie or walleye; however, since last year bass fishing has been good. DRIVING DIRECTIONS: Take I-225 to Parker Road and go south on Parker Road to the east entrance. The west entrance if off South Yosemite Street. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Valley Country Tackle, 4351 S. Parker Rd, at 303-680-3544 or call the park at 303-690-1166. |
