Rifle Gap Reservoir

The week of: April 29th, 2019

Weather Conditions: Cool mornings but warming days. Relatively calm but nasty spring storms moving trough.
Water Conditions: Temperatures are in the 50s and creeping up to the mid 50s by afternoon. The water is clear like usual and starting to come up although the lake is still about 20ft low. Weed growth is starting to develop.

Rifle Gap Reservoir has been fishing great the past week. Pike can be found in shallow bays, anywhere that has weed growth and current holds promise. The water is super clear so stealthy boat work and long casts have been key. Suspending jerkbaits and big swimbaits with natural finishes have been most effective. The smallmouth bass are prespawn but starting to move up on rocky points and shorelines. Small swimbaits and hair jigs have worked best and jerkbaits if there’s wind. Walleye are scattered but trolling tiny crankbaits in 12-20ft near the bottom has picked up a few. Both the bass and walleye bites should improve as the water warms up. I haven’t spent much time trout fishing but I’ve seen them surfacing all over the lake. The next month should be some of the best fishing all season long. As always please remember to practice catch and release, especially this time of year when fish are spawning. Tight lines!