Purgatoire River below Trinidad Lake Fishing Guides
The tailwater below Trinidad Dam, a cold release reach that carries trout through a stretch of southeastern Colorado plains where trout have no business being.
Guides on the Purgatoire River below Trinidad Lake
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About the Purgatoire River below Trinidad Lake
The Purgatoire River below Trinidad Lake is a short tailwater in country that looks nothing like trout water. Trinidad sits where the high plains meet the foothills, the surrounding landscape is pinon, juniper and grass rather than spruce and aspen, and the river above the reservoir is a warm, flashy plains stream for much of its length. Below the dam it becomes something else entirely. The release comes off the lower part of the reservoir and holds a temperature through the summer that the river could never manage on its own, and that single engineering fact creates several miles of genuine trout habitat at an elevation and latitude where it would otherwise be impossible.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife manage the reach accordingly, stocking rainbow trout and supporting brown trout that hold over and reproduce in the cooler pockets. The fishing is best close to the dam and tails off with distance as the water picks up warmth heading toward town and out onto the plains. Further down the character shifts and smallmouth bass, channel catfish and carp take over, so a single day on the river can move from trout to warmwater species over a few miles, which is unusual and makes the reach worth exploring beyond the first pool.
The gauge sits immediately below the dam and reports discharge and stage, and on a tailwater that record is the most important thing an angler can check. The Purgatoire is an irrigation river and the release is set to downstream demand rather than to the fishery, which means flows can change substantially and quickly through the season. A steady low release makes the reach wadeable and fishes well; a sudden irrigation call can push the river up hard within hours and put the whole stretch out of condition until the demand passes.
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Access
Trinidad - the town a few miles downstream, with lodging, supplies and the nearest tackle.
Trinidad Lake State Park - the park at the dam, with the closest parking and trail access to the tailwater.
Trinidad Lake - the reservoir above, a mixed warmwater and trout fishery in its own right.
Long's Canyon - the side canyon entering the reservoir south of the dam, with park trail access.
Cokedale - the historic village west of the reservoir, up the Purgatoire valley.
Raton Pass - the crossing south into New Mexico, the nearest route to further trout water.
Pueblo - eighty miles north, with the closest airport and the fullest range of services.
Seasons
Spring: runoff and early irrigation demand make flows unpredictable, but the fishing between the surges is very good.
Summer: the coldest water of any reach in the region, holding trout while the plains rivers around it go unfishable.
Fall: irrigation demand ends, flows settle and stabilise, and this becomes the most reliable fishing of the year.
Winter: low steady releases and very little pressure, with the trout concentrated in the deeper pools near the dam.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Purgatoire River below Trinidad Lake?
Anglers target Brown Trout, Carp, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, White Sucker on the Purgatoire River below Trinidad Lake in Colorado.
Where can you access the Purgatoire River below Trinidad Lake?
Trinidad - the town a few miles downstream, with lodging, supplies and the nearest tackle. Trinidad Lake State Park - the park at the dam, with the closest parking and trail access to the tailwater. Trinidad Lake - the reservoir above, a mixed warmwater and trout fishery in its own right. Long's Canyon - the side canyon entering the reservoir south of the dam, with park trail access. Cokedale - the historic village west of the reservoir, up the Purgatoire valley. Raton Pass - the crossing south into New Mexico, the nearest route to further trout water. Pueblo - eighty miles north, with the clo...
When is the best time to fish the Purgatoire River below Trinidad Lake?
Spring: runoff and early irrigation demand make flows unpredictable, but the fishing between the surges is very good. Summer: the coldest water of any reach in the region, holding trout while the plains rivers around it go unfishable. Fall: irrigation demand ends, flows settle and stabilise, and this becomes the most reliable fishing of the year. Winter: low steady releases and very little pressure, with the trout concentrated in the deeper pools near the dam.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Purgatoire River below Trinidad Lake?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Colorado agency site: https://cpw.state.co.us/rules-and-regulations