Anglers from boat or shore can reel-in warm- or cold-water fish like rainbow and brown trout, largemouth bass, channel catfish, walleye, crappie, bluegill and wipers.
With this kind of variety, Trinidad Lake hosts a number of fishing tournaments each year. Add your own great catch by stopping by the office for a photo. Check the park's main page for fishing updates.
The lake is stocked with an amazing 50,000 trout each year. Be sure to check the conditions page for the current fishing report. Fishing is permitted anywhere on the lake except in the boat launching and docking area.
Fish Advisory
The Colorado Health Department has issued a consumption advisory for walleye and saugeye over 18 inches at Trinidad Lake. Due to the possible presence of mercury in these fish, pregnant women, women who are nursing or who plan to become pregnant and children under six years of age should not consume walleye or saugeye over 18 inches in length. Others should not consume more than one 8 oz. serving per month of walleye or saugeye over 18 inches. This advisory does not apply to any other fish species.
Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Advisory
The program to prevent the spread of Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) such as zebra and quagga mussels in Colorado's waterways will continue this year. ANS inspections will resume at the Boat Ramp sometime after mid-April between the hours of 7 am and 7 pm, seven days a week.
Zebra mussels were discovered at Lake Pueblo last year and vigorous inspection programs have been implemented at many Colorado State Parks, including Trinidad Lake, to prevent the mussels from spreading. Zebra mussels are a non-native, invasive species that spreads rapidly through waterways, clogging water distribution systems and hydroelectric facilities. Quagga mussels, which are related to zebra mussels, have been confirmed in several other reservoirs in Colorado.
Trailered boats are the primary way that mussels are spread. The adult mussels attach to boats, aquatic plants carried by boats, bait buckets and other water recreation equipment. Microscopic larvae are transported in water held in the live well, bilge, engine cooling system, bait buckets, and ballast tanks. Once the boat is transported to another body of water, the adult mussels can migrate off the boat or larvae can be deposited into the new water.
There are no reported cases of ANS currently at Trinidad Lake and it is the intent of Colorado State Parks to prevent ANS contamination. The public is encouraged to support the preventative program.
All boats will be inspected before launch and when coming off the lake. Colored seals will be attached to inspected boats leaving the lake. This should simplify the inspection process upon return. A normal boat inspection should take around five minutes.
To protect Colorado waters from aquatic invasive species (ANS), Colorado State Parks encourages all boaters to take a few simple, precautionary steps every time they go to a lake, river or reservoir. Before leaving a lake or other waterway, boaters should:
- DRAIN the water from the boat, live well and lower unit of the engine.
- INSPECT all exposed surfaces.
- REMOVE all plant and animal material.
- CLEAN the hull of your boat.\
- DRY the boat, fishing gear, and equipment.
