Ridgway Reservoir Fishing Guides
A state park reservoir on the Uncompahgre with the San Juans filling the skyline, stocked heavily with trout and holding a solid kokanee and smallmouth population.
Guides on the Ridgway Reservoir
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About the Ridgway Reservoir
Ridgway Reservoir lies in the Uncompahgre valley between the town of Ridgway and the farm country running north toward Montrose, with the Sneffels Range and the rest of the northern San Juans standing up directly to the south. At around a thousand acres it is a substantial water by southwestern Colorado standards, and the state park that surrounds it is one of the better developed in the region, with three campgrounds, a marina, a swim beach and enough shoreline trail to make bank fishing practical along much of the east side. The elevation is moderate for Colorado at just under seven thousand feet, which gives a longer open water season than the high country reservoirs.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife stocks rainbow trout in quantity and the reservoir also carries brown trout that come down out of the river above. Kokanee salmon are the species that brings people back, running strongly here and providing both a summer trolling fishery and an autumn spectacle as they stage toward the inlet. Yellow perch are abundant and often overlooked, smallmouth bass have taken well to the rocky western shoreline, and largemouth and crappie occupy the shallower coves at the upper end. Mountain whitefish turn up regularly, a reminder that this is a river impoundment first.
The gauge reports reservoir elevation, and the pool here moves on an irrigation schedule through the summer as water is released down the Uncompahgre toward the farms of the lower valley. That drawdown is worth tracking because it changes the fishery week to week: as the level drops the rock structure along the west shore becomes reachable from the bank, the coves at the inlet shallow out, and the trout and kokanee concentrate progressively toward the deeper water near the dam.
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The photo at the top of this page is not Ridgway Reservoir.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
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Pool right now
- 24 hours+0.20 ft ↑ rising
- Storage67,060 acre-ft
Reading taken 1h ago at USGS 09147022, RIDGWAY RESERVOIR NEAR RIDGWAY, CO. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
Ridgway - the town immediately south, with lodging, supplies and the nearest tackle.
Ridgway State Park - the park around the reservoir, with campgrounds, a marina and the main boat ramp.
Uncompahgre River - the inflow above the reservoir and the river below the dam, both fishable water.
Montrose - the larger town twenty miles north, with the regional airport and full services.
Ouray - the mountain town ten miles south, at the head of the valley beneath the San Juans.
Dallas Creek - the tributary entering at the southwest, with walk in access on park land.
Telluride - an hour southwest over Dallas Divide, with the nearest resort lodging and services.
Seasons
Spring: ice off comes early compared with the high reservoirs and the stocked rainbows are easiest to reach from the bank.
Summer: the main trolling season for kokanee and trout, with irrigation drawdown beginning to reshape the shoreline.
Fall: the kokanee stage and colour up, the pool is at its lowest and the smallmouth fishing on the exposed rock is at its best.
Winter: ice forms most years and the perch fishing through it is the quiet strength of the reservoir.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Ridgway Reservoir?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Brown Trout, Kokanee Salmon, Largemouth Bass, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch on the Ridgway Reservoir in Colorado.
Where can you access the Ridgway Reservoir?
Ridgway - the town immediately south, with lodging, supplies and the nearest tackle. Ridgway State Park - the park around the reservoir, with campgrounds, a marina and the main boat ramp. Uncompahgre River - the inflow above the reservoir and the river below the dam, both fishable water. Montrose - the larger town twenty miles north, with the regional airport and full services. Ouray - the mountain town ten miles south, at the head of the valley beneath the San Juans. Dallas Creek - the tributary entering at the southwest, with walk in access on park land. Telluride - an hour southwest over Da...
When is the best time to fish the Ridgway Reservoir?
Spring: ice off comes early compared with the high reservoirs and the stocked rainbows are easiest to reach from the bank. Summer: the main trolling season for kokanee and trout, with irrigation drawdown beginning to reshape the shoreline. Fall: the kokanee stage and colour up, the pool is at its lowest and the smallmouth fishing on the exposed rock is at its best. Winter: ice forms most years and the perch fishing through it is the quiet strength of the reservoir.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Ridgway Reservoir?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Colorado agency site: https://cpw.state.co.us/rules-and-regulations