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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.
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