Fishing Report
March 20th, 2025
Welcome to the North Park Anglers’ fishing report!
Spring is trying to show up in North Park, but ice fishing is still the name of the game. Currently, the Buttes, Lake John, and all of our lakes still have 18-24 inches of ice on them. Due to warm temps and wind over the last few weeks, the ice thickness is inconsistent across the lakes. The ice is plenty thick enough for ATVs and Snowmobiles, but we do not reccomend trying to drive a vehicle on the lakes. If you do venture out onto the ice, Please use caution. The rivers are starting to show hints of open water here and there, but are not quite open enough to fish yet. We anticipate seeing fishable water on the rivers in the next couple weeks, and the lakes should start cracking in mid-April.
Please read further for more detailed info on our fisheries.
If you have any questions, please call the shop at 970-723-4215!
Fly Shop Hours :
Closed for the winter. We will open our doors in early April.
Delaney Buttes, Lake John, and Cowdrey Lake
The lakes are all still frozen solid. All three of the Delaney Buttes are plenty safe and fishable, with ice ranging from 18-24 inches thick depending on the spot. Lake John has similar ice ranging from 16-24 inches. The smaller lakes like Cowdrey, Seymour, Slack Weiss, and many of the other small lakes are thicker, with upwards of 22+ inches in most spots. There is some snow on the ice currently, but between wind and some warmer days, it is spot to spot. Fishing has been best from 4-14ft of water using tubes and other soft plastics, along with leeches, buggers, and other small streamer patterns. We expect the lakes to start cracking open around the middle of April.
High Country Lakes and Streams
Joe Wright, Chambers, and Big Creek are all frozen, but the ice thickness varies spot to spot. We’ve found ice ranging from 20-30+ inches thick. We anticipate the high lakes icing off in the middle of may.
Meadow Streams:
The meadow streams are starting to show tiny hints of open water, but are not fishable yet. We expect them to open up in the next couple of weeks. There isnt much snow in the valley currently, so we should see a good window post ice off on the small streams.
Meadow Stream Flows: Michigan and Illinois River flows
North Platte
(Canyon Section)
The Canyon is still frozen. We expect it to open up in the next few weeks.
North Platte River Flows: North Platte River Flows at North Gate Canyon
The Platte in the valley is still frozen. We expect it to open up in the next few weeks.
Note* The valley section is upstream of where the North Fork of the North Platte, Michigan, and Illinois Rivers dump into the Platte. The gauge we watch at North Gate, where we report flows from, will always be slightly more significant than what the valley section reads.
FYI: North Platte Flows in North Gate Canyon (Routt Access to Pickeroon)
0-750 CFS Good Wade fishing level
500-4000 Good Float/ Fishing Level
4000 and above is best for Whitewater
North Platte River Flows: North Platte River Flows at North Gate Canyon
