Boating Status: Open

ANS: Eurasian Watermilfoil

There are 11 fishable ponds at St. Vrain that are stocked on a regular basis. Bald Eagle Pond must be fished with artificial flies and lures only. No bait of any kind is permitted. Bald Eagle Pond and Blue Heron Reservoir are trophy bass fisheries: all bass caught on these two ponds must be immediately returned to the water! Only 1 catfish in your standard bag and possession limit can exceed 20" on Blue Heron Reservoir. All others kept must be smaller. Blue Heron has produced some good-sized Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, and Walleye/Saugeye on jigs and lures.

Trout fishing is very productive from fall through spring, especially for ice-fishing. Stocked trout are not picky and will be easy to catch by any legal method using a fly, lure, or bait. However, trout populations do very poorly in the summer at St. Vrain as water temps can reach the mid-80s.

Bluegill, Sunfish, Pumpkin Seed, and other smaller fish and panfish will do well on small jigs, flies, and spinning lures. Anglers also have luck with small live bait on ponds where it is legal to use bait. Bass, Saugeye, Perch, and Crappie do well on jigs, spinners, streamers, poppers, seasonal flies, or live bait rigs where allowed. Water temperature and spawning time will affect productivity.

Carp and Catfish are plentiful but fairly picky. Smelly bait, where legal, is productive. Cottonwood seed and topwater flies can be productive in the summer in the shallows for Carp. Pike and Walleye/Saugeye will also chase larger swimbaits and spoons, but we recommend suspending only a few feet down, as most ponds with Pike are very shallow at St. Vrain. Pike and Walleye/Saugeye will also chase streamers and poppers but will usually require some form of a leader to prevent breaking free.