UPDATE 09/25/2023: Water temperatures are currently ~70 degrees. Trout stocking will begin in the first week of October, when water temperatures are expected to be around 65 degrees. You may call our park entrance station at (303) 678-9402 if you have questions regarding fish stocking.
There are 11 fishable ponds at St. Vrain, that are stocked on a regular basis.
Ice fishing is allowed on all ponds except Pelican Pond, which has an aeration system that makes ice extremely dangerous. Ice fishing is not recommended when ice is less than 4" thick, cracking, or pocked. Check ice conditions below for updated information.
Bald Eagle Pond must be fished with artificial flies and lures only. No bait of any kind is permitted.
Bald Eagle Pond and Blue Heron Reservoir are trophy bass fisheries: all bass caught on these 2 ponds must be immediately returned to the water!
Only 1 catfish in your standard bag and possession limit can exceed 20" on Blue Heron Reservoir. All others kept must be smaller.
Blue Heron has produced some good sized Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, and Walleye/Saugeye on jigs and lures.
Trout fishing is very productive from fall through spring, especially for ice-fishing. Stocked trout are not picky and will be easy to catch by any legal method using a fly, lure, or bait. However, trout populations do very poorly in the summer at St. Vrain as water temps can reach the mid 80s.
Bluegill, Sunfish, Pumpkin Seed, and other smaller fish and panfish will do well on small jigs, flies, and spinning lures; anglers also have luck with small live bait on ponds where it is legal to use bait.
Bass, Saugeye, Perch, and Crappie do well on jigs, spinners, streamers, poppers, seasonal flies, or live bait rigs where allowed. Water temperature and spawning time will effect productivity.
Carp and Catfish are plentiful, but fairly picky. Smelly bait, where legal, is productive. Cottonwood seed and topwater flies can be productive in the summer in the shallows for Carp.
Pike and Walleye/Saugeye will also chase larger swim baits and spoons, but we recommend suspending only a few feet down, as most ponds with Pike are very shallow at St. Vrain. Pike and Walleye/Saugeye will also chase streamers and poppers, but will usually require some form of a leader to prevent breaking free.
Check the state Stocking Report for trout stocking. For more information, see Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s
Statewide Fishing Report pages, including
Conditions. The Colorado Fishing Atlas allows users to search for fishing opportunities by species, specific interest or proximity to your home or destination. To stay informed of fishing conditions and much more, please sign up for our Fishing eNews and Fishing Report.
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