Fishing Report For Standley Lake, CO

By Rick Seaman

April 9, 2025

Popular Fish Species Reports
Standley Lake Fishing Video
Available Fish Species
Today's Weather & Forecast
Fishing License
Map
Contact Info

Fishing Report Standley Lake, CO

Fishing Reports

Popular Fish Species Standley Lake, CO

Walleye

Current Report: Fair To Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good

After a mediocre ice fishing season, the water is starting to warm. Walleye are working their way into shallower water and starting to feed. Spring and Fall are the best season for catching walleye here, with Spring being prime time. Walleye will spawn in Spring, then move to flats, shoals, humps and ledges, off shore. Throughout Summer, early in the morning and from dusk to long after dark are good times to catch walleye. They primarily feed on gizzard shad and other small fish, close to the bottom. Blade baits, jigs, swimbaits and spoons are popular lure choices. Local anglers have reported catching walleye using spoons, deep-diving crankbaits, and worm harness spinners while trolling.

Smallmouth Bass

Current Report: Fair
Outlook: Fair To Good

Standley Lake is reported to be a decent smallmouth bass fishery. Locals here are focusing on rocky shorelines and points. Tube baits, and jerkbaits, are fooling a lot of smallies here. As the bass move into shallows, mid-range crankbaits are a good way to cover lots of water and the smallmouth here are prone to attack them. Topwater also catches smallmouth once the water gets into the mid 50's, and above. In Cold weather, the fishing can be quite good on cold, windy, cloudy and rainy days.

Rainbow Trout

Current Report: Fair
Outlook: Good

Rainbow trout are stocked in Standley Lake. These stocked trout are small catchable's - about 10", but after a year of growth, they are decent size. The diet of a rainbow trout consists of insects, small fishes and crustaceans. Successful anglers are using flies or small lures, imitating their natural food. Worms, mall spinners, miniature crankbaits and swimbaits are catching rainbows, as are nightcrawlers, salmon eggs and prepared baits.

Fishing Video

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, walleye, rainbow trout, brown trout, bluegill, yellow perch and wiper at Standley Lake in Colorado.

Standley Lake is a 1,200 surface-acre lake, with nearly 5 miles of shoreline. This relatively warm-water reservoir offers fishing for bass, walleye, catfish, perch and trout. No boats are allowed on the lake. For anglers wishing to fish from the bank there is considerable access.

Primary fish species to catch

Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.

Today's Weather & Forecast

Fishing License

Click here for a Colorado fishing license.

Map - Fishing & Access

Note: Video was prior to banning of boats on the lake.

Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".