For many anglers, Colorado is a trout fishing paradise!
The state is home to over 6,000 miles of streams. It also houses over 1,300 lakes and reservoirs. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the state also holds approximately three-dozen warm-and-cold water fish.
Colorado also contains some of the top waters in the country. Gunnison County, for instance, offers incredibly fishing and scenery. Gunnison Lake offers some of Colorado’s premier brown and rainbow trout fishing. Other sites, like Blue Mesa Reservoir, features some of America’s best cokanee salmon fishing.
But you can find excellent fishing outside of Gunnison, too. Top waters like the Animas and Roaring Fork River both have excellent trout fishing.
Colorado Master Angler Program
Like many other states, Colorado offers a recognition program for successful anglers. The state’s master angler program, however, keeps fishing conservation in mind.
To ensure that fisheries remain healthy and well-stocked, Colorado Parks & Wildlife encourage anglers to catch-and-release their trophy fish. They also provide a downloadable brochure of qualifying sizes and regulations.
To qualify, anglers must catch fish of a certain length. While Colorado fishing state records are based upon weight, the master angler program only looks at the length of the qualifying fish.
Colorado State Fishing Records
Below, you will find a list of the Colorado state fishing records.
| Species | Weight | Length | Location | Angler | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Eel | 3 lbs 1 oz | 35.25″ | Flagler Reservoir | unknown | 1996 |
| Arctic Char | 3 lbs 12 oz | 20.5″ | Dillon Reservoir | Marshall Brenner | 1994 |
| Arctic Grayling | 1 lbs 10 oz | 17.25″ | Big Creek Lake | Derik Drinnen | 2002 |
| Black Crappie | 3 lbs 4 oz | 17″ | private pond | Clint Couch | 1990 |
| Blue Catfish | 20 lbs 1 oz | 32.75″ | private pond | Joe Poss | 1976 |
| Bluegill Sunfish | 2 lbs 4 oz | 11.5″ | Hollenbeck Reservoir | Nicholas Toczek | 1988 |
| Brook Trout | 7 lbs 10 oz | Upper Cataract Lake | George Knorr | 1947 | |
| Brown Trout | 30 lbs 8 oz | 36.4″ | Roaring Judy Ponds | Alan Schneider | 1988 |
| Bullhead | 5 lbs 1 oz | 23″ | private pond | Uldene Kuretich | 1993 |
| Carp | 35 lbs 5 oz | 38.75″ | Glenmere Park Lake | Adam Wickam | 2001 |
| Channel Catfish | 43 lbs 6 oz | 40.5″ | Aurora Reservoir | Jessica Walton | 2010 |
| Chinook (King) Salmon | 11 lbs 0 oz | 28.5″ | Williams Fork Reservoir | Helen Eaton | 1989 |
| Cutthroat Trout | 16 lbs 0 oz | Twin Lakes | George Hranchak | 1964 | |
| Freshwater Drum | 17 lbs 3 oz | 32″ | Lonetree Reservoir | Faye Lancamp | 1978 |
| Golden Trout | 3 lbs 12 oz | 22.5″ | Kelly Lake | Donal OLeary | 1979 |
| Grass Carp | 51 lbs 0 oz | 42″ | Prospect Park Lake | Cody Moreland | 2010 |
| Green Sunfish | 1 lbs 5 oz | 11.6″ | N/A | Joshua Robinson | 2001 |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 1 lbs 8.5 oz | 10.75″ | N/A | Jeff Robinson | 1986 |
| Kokanee Salmon | 6 lbs 13 oz | 27.5″ | Spinney Mountain Reservoir | Will Arduino | 1986 |
| Lake Trout | 46 lbs 14.6 oz | 42.6″ | Blue Mesa Reservoir | Larry Cornell | 2002 |
| Largemouth Bass | 11 lbs 6 oz | 22.5″ | Echo Canyon Reservoir | Jarrett Edwards | 1997 |
| Northern Pike | 30 lbs 11 oz | 46.5″ | Stagecoach Reservoir | Tim Bone | 2006 |
| Rainbow Trout | 19 lbs 10 oz | 34″ | Morrow Point Reservoir | Lee Cox | 2003 |
| Rock Bass | 1 lbs 1.25 oz | 10.6″ | Ramah Reservoir | Timothy Fisk | 1979 |
| Sacramento Perch | 1 lbs 14 oz | 13.25″ | Banner Lakes | Dana Wilfong | 1974 |
| Sauger | 3 lbs 6 oz | 21.5″ | Horseshoe Reservoir | Jeff Riddle | 2011 |
| Saugeye | 10 lbs 14 oz | 28.5″ | John Martin Reservoir | Rocklyn Beise | 2001 |
| Smallmouth Bass | 6 lbs 11 oz | 21.5″ | Aurora Reservoir | Raymond Ong | 2011 |
| Splake | 18 lbs 15 oz | 32″ | Island Lake | Robin Perkins | 1976 |
| Spotted Bass | 4 lbs 7 oz | 16″ | Valco Ponds | Michael Hardin | 2005 |
| Striped Bass | 15 lbs 11 oz | 34.25″ | CF&I Reservoir #2 | Manuel Aguilar | 2009 |
| Tench | 5 lbs 6 oz | 20″ | Home Lake | Craig Curtis | 1998 |
| Tiger Muskellunge | 40 lbs 2 oz | 53″ | Quincy Reservoir | Jason Potter | 1994 |
| Tiger Trout | 4 lbs 6 oz | 21.5″ | N/A | Ben Kraft | 2000 |
| Walleye | 18 lbs 13 oz | 34″ | Standley Lake | Scott Regan | 1997 |
| White Bass | 4 lbs 7 oz | 18″ | Blue Lake | Pedro Martinez | 1963 |
While we check periodically for updates to record fish for every state, sometimes new records slip through the cracks. If you see any stats that need updated, please let us know in the comments below.
Comments are closed.