Anglers in southeastern Colorado have weeks to fish out two long-popular reservoirs before the gates close for good, the latest casualties of a drought that is steadily erasing the region's fisheries.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has declared a public fish salvage at Adobe Creek Reservoir — locally called Blue Lake — and neighbouring Thurston Reservoir, both near Lamar, from Friday 12 June until July 15. After that, access ends permanently. The water's owner, the Fort Lyon Canal Company, has told CPW it will not renew the recreational lease, drawing a line under decades during which anglers from Colorado and Kansas came for the catfish, crappie, saugeye and walleye.
With the clock running, CPW has suspended the usual limits and opened up methods rarely permitted in sportfishing. The salvage falls under Parks and Wildlife Commission Regulation 104.G. "We are allowing all legal angling methods, including all net and trap types, snagging and gigs, archery equipment, unlimited rods, trot lines and jugs," said Todd Marriott, CPW Area Wildlife Manager. "Because the window to salvage these fish is limited, we want to maximize the ability of sportspeople to remove fish for their benefit while helping utilize the resource." Crews are simultaneously relocating sportfish to other southeastern reservoirs, and CPW is reviewing whether to pull out the boat ramp and other facilities once the lease expires.
The decision mirrors one made only days before. On 1 June, CPW authorized an emergency salvage at Nee Noshe Reservoir, roughly 12 miles south of Eads on the Queens State Wildlife Area, after drought and reduced operations left it shrinking with little hope of refilling.
"Nee Noshe Reservoir is experiencing the effects of ongoing drought and reduced reservoir operations, and current conditions indicate the reservoir is unlikely to refill in the foreseeable future," said Jim Ramsay, CPW Aquatic Biologist. "With the potential loss of the fishery, this public salvage gives anglers an opportunity to utilize the resource while conditions still allow." That water has long supported walleye, saugeye, wiper, channel catfish, crappie and largemouth bass.
The conditions differ between the sites. Nee Noshe waives size, bag and possession limits but restricts anglers to methods already legal there, while Adobe Creek and Thurston additionally permit nets, traps, snagging, gigs, archery tackle, trot lines and jugs. A valid Colorado fishing license remains mandatory at all three.
CPW says it will flag any change, including the end of each salvage, with signs at the reservoirs and through its communication channels. Until then, the advice for anglers is plain: the fish won't be there much longer, so go while you still can.
