Loveland Fishing Club Blog

Surely, someone will raise their rod in triumph this year.    In a 2025 day that will live in infamy, Colorado's legendary Loveland Fishing Club's finest anglers were completely skunked at last year's Club Derby. The embarrassing outcome, or lack of outcome I guess, was the first in club history, held annually to determine who would crowned club champion and have their names forever embedded on the rotating Derby Champion Trophy. Last year's contest was held on the scenic shores of Flatiron Reservoir, with the winner supposed to be the angler catching the largest stringer of four trout. Instead, the entire contingent of competitors were completely and memorably Fishless . In this year of record heat and record drought, how do we avoid a repeat of 2025? Ha! Instead, this year the Derby will be held on the ponds of River's Edge Natural Area.  So join us at the Pavilion just west of Bass Pond sometime before 9 a.m. to plot your winning strategy. We'll fish from 9 ...

The race to catch the biggest fish of the year by a Loveland Fishing Club member heated up several degrees Monday, when Kevin Tarvin hauled in a whopping 23-inch largemouth bass from a local State Wildlife Area pond.  Ken says he landing several decent bass Monday "and it looks like they all are starting to pack on weight after the dismal heat - very healthy and getting fat." He estimates the 23-incher as easily 5-plus pounds. "Time to start carrying a scale, I guess." No need to guess about the length: Ken's tape measure clearly shows his prize at a scale or two over 23 inches.

 Loveland Fishing Club Vice President, a veteran angler from the land up north, is organizing a fishing expedition to South Dakota's legendary Lake Oahe, Aug. 31 to Sept. 3. "The target is walleyes," he says, "but smallies, catfish and other species are commonly caught. We will drive to Mobridge August 31.  It is a 9 hour trip.  We will fish with guides September 1 and 2 and return September 3.   The trip includes lodging, meals on the 1st and 2nd, and all fishing.  I assume you bring your own equipment or use the guides. The cost is $720 plus tax per person.  Additionally, a SD license is required.  This is $26/day. The outfitter is Wings and Walleyes, Selby, SD. Please contact Kurt at 970-381-5982 if you wish to sign up.  He has the names of people who showed interest at this week's general meeting and has contacted them. 

 By Kurt Henkenius Rumor has it at least one brave LFC member has already fooled a fish with one of the wonderfully weird lures from our July meeting. If you haven’t tried the urchin or horsefly yet, your tackle box is missing out on some mischief. The grand prize will be handed out at the annual picnic — bragging rights included. And good news: even more oddball lures will be up for grabs at the August meeting. More on the status of theOddball Lure Throwdown will be revealed at this Tuesday's general meeting, 2 p.m. at the Chilson Center. Below is the the first known victim: a gullible bass that fell for a lime green fuzzy dice. Winner of the yet-to-be disclosed "great prize" for using an oddball lure will be selected by a prestigious committee of club legends. 

  By Jocelyn Rowley | Loveland Reporter-Herald Originally Published: August 5, 2026 At a Glance Location: Horseshoe Lake (flowing into the Boyd Lake inlet). Cause: Extreme heat, low water levels, and severely depleted oxygen levels. Impact: Thousands of fish lost (primarily common carp, along with walleye, white bass, shad, and catfish). Boyd Lake Status: CPW confirms Boyd Lake’s existing fishery remains unaffected and safe. For months, Bill Prater watched Horseshoe Lake slowly disappear. From his home a few hundred yards away, the past president of the Loveland Fishing Club saw the privately owned reservoir shrink into a patchwork of isolated pools as places that had held water earlier in the summer gradually became mud flats. So he wasn’t naturally surprised when the lake’s fish began dying and floating through the inlet to Boyd Lake. “The lake is essentially emptied, and that’s when the die-off really took hold.” — Bill Prater , Loveland Fishing Club Past President What fol...

Warming: photos at the bottom of this article may be disturbing. By Bill Prater Horseshoe Lake, the privately owned, shallow reservoir across the street from Boyd Lake State Park, has been drained of virtually all water, choking Boyd's Marina Bay with thousands of dead and dying fish. The water in both reservoirs is owned by the Greeley & Loveland Irrigation Company, which uses the water for agriculture and the City of Greeley's municipal water. Boyd is leased to Colorado Parks and Wildlife for public fishing and other recreation. The irrigation company, which has not commented publicly about its actions, began draining water from Horseshoe last month as water evaporated from the shallow reservoir. It normally covers about 300 acres.  Only tiny pools and trickles of water remained in Boyd's Marina Bay Sunday, as the inlet was choked  with thousands of dead and dying carp, shad and catfish, along with opportunistic gulls and herons with a poor sense of smell. Colorado ...