If you’re like me, you love catching smallmouth bass. Heading out for a day on the water in Colorado to catch hard-fighting smallies can be rewarding and lots of fast action.
Smallmouth bass can get a bad rap. They’re often overlooked for more prestigious species, such as trout. In some waters, bass are non-native species considered unwelcome invaders who tend to take over the place. But on the flip side, Colorado has incredible smallie fishing … and it’s a blast.
Rivers, ponds, and lakes throughout the state have plenty of smallmouth bass to keep you busy. There are places where the size will put your gear through its paces. Be sure to check your knots often!
The Eastern Slope is well managed for smallies, with several lakes holding monsters. The Western Slope has even more. Some areas have catch-and-keep regulations to thin burgeoning populations.
Places like the Yampa River and John Martin Reservoir give anglers the chance to have 50+ fish days. That’s incredible no matter where you fish.
Breaking away from fly fishing for the more esteemed trout and diverting your attention to smallmouth bass takes a shift in perspective. I grew up as an avid trout guy, but that all changed with the first 5-pound smallie I caught.
I was pretty sure there was an infuriated Tasmanian devil on the line that would come spinning out of the water, wreaking havoc. Luckily it was a red-eyed smallmouth bass and not the cartoon character. I’ve been hooked ever since.
That’s where Colorado comes into play. The state has the numbers and water quality to grow some real hogs.
If you’re looking for a place to catch plenty of fish and have loads of fun, read on for the best smallmouth lakes and rivers in Colorado.
But first, just a few details to get you off to a successful start in any of these waters.
Gear and Tactics
First, you’ll need a rod with a bit more backbone than your ultralight trout rod. A 6’6” or 7’ medium fast action rod will handle them. Back that up with some 10- to 12-pound mono or 15-pound braid.
Use a fluorocarbon leader to hide the line as much as possible in clear water. I don’t recommend fluorocarbon in silty or muddy water. A small nick will make the line stand out like a sore thumb.
Use the typical bass baits. Soft plastics, crankbaits, swimbaits, and jerkbaits will catch them. Set up a Texas Rig with a Senko in natural colors like watermelon flake.
Generally, natural colors work best in clear water, while more colorful presentations are good for cloudy water.
The lures will look very similar as they do for largemouth bass, only smaller. Big bass of any species will still hit bigger lures and might keep the smaller fish away. It’ll be a slower day for numbers but more rewarding if fish size is most important.
Colorado’s Best Smallmouth Bass Fishing Lakes and Rivers
If you start your smallmouth bass fishing trip in Denver, you don’t have to travel far before you’re surrounded by ponds full of smallies. Colorado Springs and Pueblo certainly have their fair share of great waters.
Or if you are headed to the wide open corners of the state, you’ll find epic smallmouth bass fishing near Grand Junction and Craig in Western Colorado.
Best Front Range Smallmouth Fishing
These Front Range fishing spots are a comfortable drive from the Denver, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs areas.
Aurora Reservoir
Aurora Reservoir, aka “Atown,” has set the state record for smallmouth bass. It’s also just 20 minutes east of Denver, on the outskirts of Aurora.
Smallmouth bass are spread out everywhere along the shoreline. Search for them in the brush and rocky areas where they can duck behind structure. Bass love hiding out and ambushing their prey.
Target smallmouths with crankbaits and spinners. Cast along the shoreline and retrieve slowly past cover.
Finessing soft plastics like worms and crayfish, either Texas or Carolina rigged, work great when the fish aren’t participating in your power-fishing plans.
Swimbaits work great here, with the benefit of bringing in bucketmouths along with the smallies. Work your way around the brush on the south end. Jigs and lipless cranks work along the dam area.
The best times here are mornings and evenings during the week. Weekends get crowded.
Walleye, wipers, catfish, and rainbows round out the list of game fish in Aurora.
Always check the current regulations before heading out to stay up to date on the fishery. As water levels fluctuate, Colorado Parks & Wildlife can change the rules.
Horsetooth Reservoir
In the hills just west of Fort Collins, you’ll find Horsetooth Reservoir. There are almost 20 miles of accessible shoreline from the shore or by boat.
Horsetooth Reservoir has a lot of fish in it: Smallmouth bass, black and white crappie, bluegill, walleye, brown trout, rainbows, perch, white bass, cutbows, tiger muskies, catfish, and maybe the kitchen sink.
There’s plenty of rocky shoreline holding smallmouth bass, which grow to a decent size. Start your pursuit in the spring as soon as the ice comes off. Smallies begin to get active around the same time as the trout.
May through early July are prime smallie months at Horsetooth. The water has warmed enough that even the most sluggish fish are ready to attack a stick bait or crank.
As the weather heats up and the bass move deeper, it’s time to switch tactics to soft plastics and a more finesse style approach.
Mid-September turns the bite back on like a light switch. Bass are hungry, aggressive, and looking to get fat before winter. Hit the lake early with topwater lures and enjoy some smallie surface action.
You’ll most likely catch a few largemouth bass as well, and perhaps some walleye as well. I’m sure that would just ruin your trip, so maybe avoid Horsetooth Reservoir and leave it to me.
The summer months are either busy or completely packed. The water can look like a used boat sale on Saturdays, so it’s best to head out on a weekday. The perfect trip would include early or late hours Monday through Friday.
There’s plenty of lodging around in town and lakeside. Camping is an option as well.
Quincy Reservoir
Quincy Reservoir is close to Aurora Reservoir, just east of Denver. The smallmouth fishing here is top-notch.
Artificial flies and lures are required, so there’s no bait fishing allowed.
Smallmouth bass are everywhere in Quincy. Use the walking trail around the lake to find the best spots for shore access. There’s a fishing pier as well.
Spring and fall are the hottest fishing here, though good numbers can be caught nearly year-round.
Bigger smallmouth bass have been caught here, and some think the next state record is hiding out in Quincy.
Catfish, largemouth bass, trout, and tiger muskies are on the menu here as well. The lake isn’t very big, but the good action and potential record holder makes it worthwhile.
Southeast and Southern Colorado Bass Fishing
Southeast Colorado has epic smallmouth bass fishing opportunities. Pueblo and Las Animas are the main places to stay in the area, though the lakes offer camping.
Durango is the launching point for several southern fisheries.
Pueblo Reservoir
Pueblo Reservoir, a.k.a. Lake Pueblo, is full of smallmouth bass, and it’s conveniently located on Pueblo’s west side.
The lake stays open year-round and rarely, if ever, freezes. That’s great for bass fishing. You can start your quest to land your PB in early March.
Smallmouths are known to hold around the points and drop-offs along the shoreline. The shoreline is full of rocks that provide excellent cover for the bass.
Work the shoreline at an angle, casting to one side and then working your way around to the other in a 90° pattern. There’s enough cover in the area that you should find them without too much searching.
Crayfish patterns are killer here, along with shad and bluegill imitations. Fish shallower in the spring and fall, then go deep in the heat of the summer.
Finesse is the best approach in the summer. The fish are deep and sluggish. Try your luck with a Ned rig or a wacky Texas rig. In the mornings, you can even toss Senkos wacky without a weight. If the distance is an issue, use a weighted hook.
Lake Pueblo has campgrounds and facilities for just about everything you’ll need. If they don’t have it, head into Pueblo, which is right down the street.
Pueblo Reservoir also is among the best catfish fishing lakes in Colorado.
Valco Ponds
Valco Ponds are near the dam at Pueblo Reservoir.
Smallmouth bass fishing in the ponds is nothing short of epic. There’s a real possibility for a 20- to 30-fish day, with most bass being in the 2-pound range.
Rumor has it the next smallmouth record will come from here, most likely caught by a shore angler.
Start your day early to avoid the heat when the bass stop biting. Evenings are equally good, particularly around sunset. Spend the daytime either reading a book or fishing in nearby Lake Pueblo, a.k.a. Pueblo Reservoir.
Valco Ponds make a great fall fishery. The cooler temps bring the smallies out of their heat-induced slumber and turn them into top predators. Hit them with crankbaits, and you’ll find fast action.
Largemouth bass also are here in solid numbers, so you’re likely to catch a few of them in a mixed bag of bass.
Spring is great because the ponds rarely freeze over, so the fish are active as early as March.
Avoid Valco Pond 4. Most of this one is private property, with only a small portion open to anglers.
John Martin Reservoir
John Martin Reservoir, or “Jmart,” is well known among Colorado’s bass anglers. It’s a bit of a trek to get to, but the fishing is well worth the gas money.
Jmart is about two hours east of Pueblo near the town of Las Animas. The town has lodging and food, plus several campgrounds at the lake.
Boat and shore fishing are great here. The best shore spots for smallmouth are the northeastern area. Plenty of rocky habitat throughout the area draws in big bass.
The shallower section by the inlet is loaded with submerged brush and trees. It’s an excellent spot to target both smallmouths and largemouths.
Try for some crappie or saugeye (walleye’s hybrid cousin) while you’re at it. Catfish and wipers round out the list.
DeWeese Reservoir
DeWeese Reservoir is just outside the town of Westcliffe. It’s about a 30-minute drive from Pueblo and has excellent shoreline access, camping, and boating.
The shoreline is mostly rocky with some submerged brush. Fishing for smallies starts around mid-April in the upper bay near the dam. The shallower southern end is also a great area to focus on.
Boating is allowed for fishing and hunting purposes only, so you don’t need to worry about jet skis running around.
The shoreline can be pretty steep in spots, but there’s good fishing once you get to the water.
Besides smallmouth bass, there are rainbows, browns, kokanee, tiger muskie, and bluegill on the menu. The regulations state that tiger muskies must be over 36” to keep.
The kokanee were planted a few times, though it’s not 100% that they’re self-populating.
Navajo Reservoir
Nearly 3,000 acres of fishable water on the Colorado side of Navajo Reservoir is waiting for the avid bass angler. The majority of the big lake is in New Mexico. You can get to the Colorado portion by heading southeast from Durango for about an hour.
Smallmouth bass fishing begins around late March or early April. Plan your trip in advance to get a camping spot or hotel reserved. Once word gets out that the bass bite is on, the place fills up.
Bass have a ton of cover available throughout the northern end of Navajo Reservoir. Submerged rocks, trees, and brush fill the bottom of the lake.
Boat anglers tend to do better than shore fishing. In the heat of the summer, the bass head deeper, and a boat will put you right on top of them.
Afternoons aren’t great during hot weather, so either head out early or start fishing in the evening.
Spring and fall are the prime times to come to Navajo Reservoir. The smallies get very active early in the season and end with a flourish in the fall.
Campgrounds are found along the lake’s northern end, and a resort is nearby. If you’re targeting fish from a boat, you can stop at the visitors center to pick up licenses for both Colorado and New Mexico.
Western Colorado Smallmouth Bass Lakes and Rivers
Grand Junction, Craig, and Rifle are the focus of the western smallmouth bass fishing waters in Colorado. The bass fishing in these areas is some of the best in the state.
Yampa River
The Yampa River flows through Craig, and that’s a perfect place to set up your base camp.
Smallmouth bass are everywhere in the Yampa River. So much so that there’s a catch and keep order on them with no limit.
Craig is the starting point of this incredible smallmouth fishery. It has several easy access points and anything you might need for an extended trip. The Yampa River is worth fishing for an extra day or two.
If you’ve ever caught a smallie, you’ll have no issues catching plenty of them on this river. Fish up to 4 pounds are regularly pulled out, and some larger ones must be in there.
Craig has all the lodging and food you’ll need to fish that section of river. Camping along the river in several designated campgrounds provide riverside access elsewhere.
Elkhead Reservoir
Elkhead Reservoir is about 10 miles east of Craig. It’s a four-hour drive from Denver, so it’s definitely an overnighter if you’re heading out from the city.
The smallmouth bass in Elkhead are almost so numerous as to cause stunting.
There are multiple easy access points with submerged cover and rocky structure around the lake.
Put a crankbait on and spend the time counting the numbers you catch. Hitting 50+ days are not only possible but probable if you keep casting.
Boats are great here. Head to the Elkhead Creek area and either jig or cast topwater lures around the coves and trees.
Square bill crankbaits will do the trick around the entire lake. Use crayfish or shad patterns.
All smallies are catch and keep in this reservoir, along with the invasive northern pike that have also taken up residence here. Unfortunately, the river below has some native species that look like Twinkies to hungry smallies.
Colorado River
The Colorado River is a smallmouth haven.
The surrounding ponds and impoundments hold even more smallies, giving anglers a wide range of fishing opportunities.
The river trail system in Grand Junction takes you along 20-plus miles of river shore and tons of bass-holding water.
The size of the river and untold numbers of floods means lots of large trees and logs have created fantastic habitat for fish throughout the area.
Fishing for smallmouth bass stays consistent from Grand Junction to the Utah border.
Fishing is good throughout much of the year, though it suffers a bit in May and June due to runoff.
Largemouth bass, catfish, pike, and other toothy things also are cruising around in the river along with smallies.
Plenty of accommodations and campgrounds are scattered along the river, so finding a place to camp or stay is easy.
For a bonus selection, the Connected Lakes in Grand Junction add more smallmouth action to the mix in this area. These riverside ponds can have truly outstanding fishing.
The river and other waters surrounding these ponds are also full of smallmouths. Spend some time here and see if you can bring in a monster. Just avoid it on the weekends in prime months, when it’s shoulder to shoulder.