07/18/2025
7/18/25 Blue Mesa Fishing & Conditions Report: To the teams of firefighters fighting the South Rim Fire, as well as several other fires across Western Colorado, thank you so much for your incredible efforts, and we pray you all stay safe out there!
Despite the misinformation going around, Blue Mesa is still open to boating on the East end of the lake. You can launch at the Elk Creek and Iola Boat Ramps. See the full update below.
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💧 Water Level: 33.8 feet below full (65.56% capacity). Dropping water levels now through October.
🌊 River In-Flow: Gunnison River 435 cfs
🌡️ Water Temp: 67°- 68°
🛥️Boat Ramp Hours:
Lake Fork Ramp: Closed For Launching
Elk Creek Ramp: Open 6:00 am - 8:00 pm Daily
Iola Ramp: Open 6:00 am - 8:00 pm Daily
Steven’s Creek: Closed
Ponderosa: Closed
Elk Creek Marina Store: OPEN 8 am - 4 pm Daily
Lake Fork Marina Store: OPEN 8 am - 4 pm (Closed Tuesday & Wednesday)
Sapinero Store: CLOSED For 2025 Campground Open
Oasis Campsites Store: OPEN
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⚠️ Lake Conditions Report:
🚨 West End/Sapinero Basin Closure: The Superintendent has closed the Blue Mesa Reservoir West of the Middle Bridge to all boating activities on the surface of Blue Mesa, including motorized and non-motorized vessels, due to use by firefighting aircraft. The closure period is from 10 am to 8:30 pm daily and will remain in effect until further notice.
🛳️ NOTE: The Iola (eye-o-la) and Elk Creek boat ramps are open for launching, as well as the Iola and Cebolla basins for boating. (If you are not accustomed to loading your boat in the wind, we recommend launching at Elk Creek. The Iola boat ramp doesn’t have much of a wind break, and the afternoon winds can make loading your boat very difficult.)
🟢 Algae: Despite the lake warming, we aren’t seeing very much algae in the Iola Basin right now, which is great news!
🚗 Highway Traffic: Traffic is wild right now, and we’re seeing way too many close calls, especially at spots where there’s no turning lane.
*If you’re heading west and planning to turn at North Willow, Dry Creek, or the Bay of Chickens, check your mirrors and watch for traffic BEHIND you. You’ll have to stop on the highway to wait for oncoming traffic, and drivers behind you don’t always pay attention or slow down in time.
Take it slow, use your signals early, and give plenty of space when you can. Stay safe out there!
🏊♀️ Watch For Swimmers: Use caution when motoring. Watch for rafts, paddleboards, rowers, swimmers, tubes, etc. We’ve seen some very close calls between boats and other vessels. Boaters. KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN and slow down in high-traffic areas. Paddleboarders and Kayakers wear your life jackets at all times, and keep in mind that boaters can’t see you around corners.
🦌 Watch for wildlife! Wildlife babies are all around Blue Mesa right now, and more will arrive in the coming weeks. Although they are adorable to look at, DON’T touch or harass them. Give them space!
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🎣 Open Water Fishing Report:
Shoreline Fishing: Shoreline fishing in the summer can be tricky because of warmer water temps pushing the trout out deeper. We recommend fishing during the cooler hours of the day, like early morning or in the evening around sunset, when the trout venture back into the shallows to feed. Perch and Crawdad colored/patterned lures work great in the summer.
One species in Blue Mesa that prefers warmer water is the Perch, so they can usually be caught from the shoreline all summer long. Casting a spinner around can help you find the schools of perch. Once you locate them, you can switch over to a slip bobber or dropshot rig to catch them. Our top soft plastic colors this week have been Olive, Whipper (juvenile Crawdad pattern), and Red.
Lake Trout: Trophy Lake Trout season is officially over. There are still some giants hanging out deep (120–150 feet), but the bite windows are short, and the risk of trauma to the fish is high. If you do hook into a big one down deep, take it slow on the way up, watch for lots of air bubbles before landing the fish. Don’t put it down on the hot deck of the boat, and be sure to release it quickly and in shallow water to give it the best shot at safely returning to the depths.
Laker Pups, on the other hand, are fishing great! You’ll find them scattered lake-wide, with higher numbers hanging in that 70–100 foot zone. They’re aggressive right now and hitting both tube jigs and trolled baits.
Brown Trout: These fish can be caught 20 to 80 feet deep with several different techniques. If you are fishing for them near the shoreline, they are related to the bottom, and jigging is the most effective technique for catching them. Tubes, curly tails, and marabou jigs all work very well in perch and crawfish patterns. Other methods include suspending jerkbaits and various crankbaits cast around rocky structures. For anyone trolling for them, squids and billfish paired with matching dodgers have been highly effective in the morning. Our go-to colors this week have been Purple and Pink.
Rainbow Trout: Roaming from the surface to 30 feet deep. These fish are very aggressive and are willing to bite most presentations, whether utilizing a cast and retrieve or jigging technique. Otherwise, trolling near the surface is also very effective, using spoons, spinners, and typical Kokanee-type gear.
Perch: Anglers are catching them both from the shoreline and watercraft. They are still a bit picky, but when you find an active school, the bite can be incredible. Various rigs and methods have proven successful, including small jigs, drop-shot rigs, worms, and salmon eggs. Adding a piece of worm or the addition of artificial scent, such as crawdad or nightcrawler, will help entice them to bite as well. (Remember, there are no limits on Perch since they are an invasive species!)
Kokanee Salmon: Anglers are catching good numbers of Kokanee so far this season. The majority of them are being caught from 35 feet down to 55 feet deep. Trolling bright fluorescent spinners, squids, and RMT Billfish squids behind dodgers have been the most productive setups. The majority of fish being caught are young fish. Releasing the young fish will be important to continue to grow the population and support future spawning runs of mature fish.
Kokanee live on average for 4 years, so releasing the 2 and 3-year-old fish will help maintain spawning populations (and fun fishing!) for years to come.
If you want to release a caught Kokanee, leave it in the net and try not to touch it at all. Remove the hook and return it to the lake as quickly as possible. They are fragile fish, but minimal handling will ensure a quick, successful release.
Here’s a breakdown of the age as it relates to their size, so it’s easier to determine what age class is being caught:
This years Fry (1yr Olds) = 5”-7”
2yr Olds = 9”-11”
3yr Olds = 13”-15”
4yr Olds = 17”+
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🌤️ Upcoming Weather Conditions:
The weather has been a bit unpredictable lately; days that are supposed to be rainy often don’t have any, and days that are supposed to be sunny are met with torrential downpours, so be prepared for changing conditions this weekend. The current forecast looks sunny with minimal clouds, highs in the low 80s, and overnight lows in the upper 40s.
*Be safe out there, and always check for the most up-to-date weather conditions before heading to the lake.
💨 Wind Forecast:
Typical afternoon gusts for this time of year, with winds starting around noon with gusts up to 28 MPH Saturday and 22 MPH on Sunday.
*We highly recommend getting the FREE Windy. com app to track the winds before your next Blue Mesa outing. We have used it for years! (The Windy app icon is a red square with a white W on it.)
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