Loveland Fishing Club Blog

 We've heard reports of some big brood trout in Carter Lake, and Dave Boyle confirmed them Monday, with a fat 20-inch plus rainbow. No word on what he was fishing with, or how she tasted...

But this relentless 2020 heatwave has apparently been good for fattening up the bluegills. I won't tell you where, but will say they may fall for a good old one-inch Gulp minnow, preferably on a 1/32-oz jighead and 4 pound line. Chartreuse if you can find one.  

I didn't know the option on the left was even an option. Found in Men's Forest Service latrine...  

    CPW cancels voluntary fishing closures for Southwest Colorado   DURANGO, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife has lifted voluntary fishing closures on some southwest Colorado rivers that were implemented in mid-August. Waters in the streams have cooled down and anglers can fish again throughout the day.   “We want to thank those who honored the voluntary closures,” said John Alves, senior aquatic biologist for CPW’s Southwest Region. “We know it’s tough to curtail fishing activity, but we also know that anglers know the importance of helping to sustain Colorado’s trout populations.”   CPW asked for the voluntary action because hot weather had caused the temp...

  STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. - Visitors to Steamboat Lake State Park may see water levels dropping over the next few days as water is released from the reservoir.  Park Manager Julie Arington says the release into the Yampa River will augment flows and serve several purposes. “This water will be put into the river system for the benefit of spawning mountain whitefish as well as the endangered fish that are found in the river downstream to the state line,” Arington said. “Park staff and our marina contractor will also be able to take advantage of the lower reservoir level to do some maintenance work on boat ramps and the marina docks.”  The lower levels will expose boat ramps, closing trailer-launched boating earlier than usual this fall. Hand-launched boats will still be allowed as long as they complete aquatic nuisance species inspection, have proper safety equipment and current registration.   “We understand th...

  Photos and videos courtesy of Jason Clay/CPW   DENVER - Colorado Parks and Wildlife is stocking its alpine lakes in the northern half of the state, which there are 330 selected to receive roughly 380,000 trout dropped from the sky this year. Forty of those lakes and 70,000 of the fish - 65,000 cutthroat trout and 5,000 golden trout - took off Wednesday from the Granby Airport and were air-dropped into the pristine high-elevation lakes in Boulder, Grand, Jackson and Larimer counties [WATCH AS FISH DROP FROM THE SKY] The trout were reared at the Mt. Shavano Hatchery in Salida and driven up Wednesday to the Granby Airport starting at 4 a.m. by Fish Culturists Doug Sebring and Taylor Woolmington. ...

  https://wgfd.wyo.gov/News/Aquatic-invasive-species-check-stations-close-(1) CHEYENNE  -  Boating season in Wyoming is winding down and so are the Wyoming Game and Fish Department aquatic invasive species check stations. Check stations throughout the state have started to close. However, it is a requirement that any watercraft transported into Wyoming from March 1 through Nov. 30 must undergo a mandatory inspection by an authorized inspector prior to launching.   “Boaters who need to get their watercraft inspected between now and the end of November can stop by a Game and Fish office or any private certified inspector,” said Josh Leonard, Game and Fish AIS coordinator. “Any watercraft that has been in a water infested with zebra/quagga mussels within the last 30 days is required to undergo a mandatory inspection by an authorized inspector prior to launching during all months of the year.” Game and Fish has a  list of private inspectors online , as well as addit...

 After seven months without Bill wasting valuable fishing tackle money on a haircut, the lovely Linda  looked over at her spouse and, for one of the first times in a 52-year marriage, expressed her disappointment. A short domestic struggle ensued, with me surrendering like an under-sized bluegill snagged on one of Dan Barker's slow death walleye hooks. Today I face the prospect of a coming ice fishing season with nothing but a few short gray hairs between me and a frostbitten skullcap... Anyone else faced a barber or grumpy spouse lately?

  International Dark Sky Association ORCHARD, Colo. - Jackson Lake State Park in Morgan County has been designated as an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association, becoming just the fifth park and eighth total location in Colorado to receive the designation and the only site located east of I-25. The International Dark Sky Places (IDSP) program consists of roughly 150 certified IDSPs in the world, 95 of which are located in the United States and 74 of those are west of the Mississippi River. Jackson Lake becomes just the 19th state park in the country to receive the designation and the only state park in Colorado. CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 41 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approxim...

  By Bill Prater It's important for all you anglers joining our fine club in 2020 to know that fishing is not always done in a drought and a firestorm. Sometimes we also get to fish in a blizzard...  I for one will admit it. I have no absolutely no idea what this week's abrupt switch from 100 degree weather to sub-30 will do to fisheries already threatened by drought, scorched earth and irrigation drawdowns. Premature shad dieoffs, I'd guess. Based on events of the past six months, I'd say we're about to suffer from the arrival of one more damned thing after another.  Still, in a year gone mad, these latest climatic developments at least give us something to ponder besides sheer terror over the economy, elections and the upcoming flu/Covid 19 season. As wretched as 2020 has been, you can't deny this is an intriguing time to be a Colorado angler.  Nothing is "normal" any more, including easy access to our favorite types of bait and tackle. So we are enc...

  BRIGHTON, Colo. - Colorado Parks and Wildlife is announcing an emergency public fish salvage at Barr Lake State Park beginning Friday, Sept. 4.  Due to a combination of extremely low water levels, high water temperatures and a previous algae bloom, a major loss of fish is probable. CPW enacted the public fish salvage in order to optimize use of the fishery resource.  “We are experiencing low dissolved oxygen levels in the lake,” Barr Lake State Park Manager Michelle Seubert said. “This is one of the many factors we look at when determining if a public fish salvage is needed. We had an algae bloom in July and August in about 20,000 acre-feet of water that grew algae and now all that algae is dying in about 4,000 acre-feet of water. So, lots of decomposition in a small body of water is contributing to the low dissolved oxygen levels.” ...

  LAKE GEORGE, Colo.  - Eleven Mile State Park is experiencing natural algae blooms that may be harmful to dogs and humans as a result of a number of things including warmer temperatures, stagnant waters and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus coming into the reservoir. Due to elevated levels of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) growth, the park is prohibiting the activities of paddleboarding, swimming and wading in the water. Dogs are also prohibited from entering the reservoir.   Those restrictions will remain in place until tests provide acceptable conditions.  For more information on blue-green algae, please  click here , or watch this  video  from CPW's water quality section that explains blue-green algae.