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So you think that you have find the newest place in the state in order to catch your next trophy fish. Maybe a new stretch of water that the crowds don't know about. Or maybe it has to be that glacier lake deep in the heart of a non-motorized wilderness area. Well I hate to burst your bubble, but in order to catch that lunker you’re dreaming of, maybe you should revisit one of the ol fishin' holes that happens to be in the metro area. My friends 28" Rainbow from Chatfield reservoir might convince you of this much like it did me.
It seems almost like selling your soul to the Devil, telling your fishing buddies that you want to head down to Chatfield. You'll here all sorts of smack talk once they figure out that you are going there not for water sports but for fish. They'll tell you about someone they know almost being killed by a runaway jet ski or maybe you'll hear the one about the group of kids late into the night blasting their music so loud you couldn't hear your own outboard. If you run into one of these tall tales, believe their every word, they are most likely telling the truth. The crowds there are enormous and the manners are non-existent. No matter how you look at it fishing Chatfield reservoir is a challenge, not so much to test your fishing skills but more about testing your patience.
In the Springtime I can assure you that it's all worth it. We've been fishing Chatfield for quite a few years now and we haven't changed our strategy much. We have been able to reel in 16" to 20" Rainbows with extreme consistency. In the spring we fish from east shore right around dark and in the summer we move our system to the Dam side of the lake.
The spring is the best time to fish Chatfield I have found. The water is cooler, the traffic lighter and Dever Water releases more flow down the Platte to make room for run off in the upstream lakes. This all means to the fisherman that trout are hungry and happy to visit the shallow water, which a cast from shore can find. On the east side of the reservoir near the old rookery, the bank is steep and the completion is light. We like to shoe up around either dusk or before the light is up. From the southern part of the east bank, about 100' (pending on the water levels) from shore the Platte river creates a deep channel in the lake for the trout to travel and feed. If the water is still high enough a descent cast will get you into that channel. We like to use a clear floating bubble; the bubble should be able to slide up and down the line. We tie on 3 to 4 foot of leader and dangle a large tasty night crawler on the end. Leave your drag open after you cast and let the current take your bait where it wants. Don't bother setting the hooks when your line starts to take off these fish are very aggressive. By leaving the drag open you give the current a chance to help present the bait and the worm will be able to find its' natural depth sliding up and down the plastic bubble. We find that filling the bubble about half with water and casting 6 to 8 lbs test works best.
Take your time with this, be patient and let the high water in the spring work for you. When the levels lower and the water warms up don't bother with this location or technique. That's when you'll need to leave town and get to those unknown lakes. There maybe be better water in Colorado, there will definitely be more scenic lakes, but if you want to find good trout after work or with the family give Chatfield on a spring evening a shot, that 28" Rainbow on the wall did.
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