Where to Go North Slope Lakes
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Anglers Covey retail manager Dillon West
SUMMER HOURS 6am to 6pm Daily
NORTH SLOPE RECREATION AREA IS NOW OPEN FOR THE SEASON!
Report Date: 5/27/2026
Current Conditions
Our favorite "Close to Home" fishery is open and fishing very well. Fish are feeding opportunistically all over the lake but are favoring points, coves, and windblown shorelines. Access is great at both reservoirs right now too. South Catamount has a lot of stocker sized rainbows. North Catamount is fly and lure only. The persistent angler may even be able to get into some good sized lake trout. Fish DEEP. You can launch float tubes or kayaks on both lakes.
Its a $5.00 fee to get up to the lakes via the Pikes Peak Highway.
Tactics:
Static indicator rigs were working great over the weekend and we even saw some good dry fly opportunity later in the day. If you want to target Lake Trout, try throwing some larger white streamers.
Hatches:
There are some chironomids and even some caddis hatching right now. Smaller terrestrials (ant, beetles, small hoppers) will be coming into play soon.
Tips:
South Cat- Low water and just freshly stocked. Lots of stocker sized rainbows in here.
North cat- The farther you walk, the less people you will see. Explore the lake!
Weather:
Short Term- Cool and wet is the forecast. We will see conditions more akin to March than late May. This little stretch of cooler and wetter weather has sure been nice. After record warmth in March, its nice to see things stay cool and even get some rain. We will see some decent precipitation chances this whole week. Temps will be in the 60's and should see some afternoon rain each day. Higher up on the mountain, we could even see some accumulating snow. Things will briefly dry out on Saturday and Sunday and we should have a good amount of sun. Winds look calm for the most part, but could get intense with the arrival of a thunderstorm. This is the time of year where you want to keep your head on a swivel, especially up here. The storms can come in fast and furious. Be prepared!
Long Term- At the conclusion of the weekend, we will return to more of a daily rain pattern. Each day is a carbon copy of the next and you can expect afternoon thunderstorms each day next week. Temps will be nice in the 60's and 70's and some of the storms could get rowdy. In all, it will be well below average temps and above average precipitation chances as we head into June. And to be honest, this is the best case scenario for the dry winter we had. Longer range forecasts are keeping this overall pattern in place, but as always we will have to wait and see. If the jet stream shifts even a little bit, we could be in for some hot and dry conditions.
- Chubbies, royal, yellow, sizes 12-14
- Amy's Ant, olive or purple, sizes 14-16
- Stubby chubby, orange, size 16
- Parachute Adams, sizes 16-20
About North Catamount Reservoir
North Catamount Reservoir on Pikes Peak is flies and lures only. It has mostly rainbows and cutthroat trout and is known for having large Mackinaw. There is no fishing access from the dam. There is a charge of $5 to drive up Pikes Peak Highway to gain access to the three main reservoirs (North and South Catamount and Crystal Reservoir). Be sure to tell them at the gate that you are fishing and not going to the top of the Peak so you don't get charged the full amount to drive the full distance.
About South Catamount Reservoir
South Catamount Reservoir is located just a 5 minute drive up Pikes Peak highway below North Catamount Reservoir. It is basically the same still water fishery as "North Cat" only with slightly less strict regulations because bait fishing is allowed. These reservoirs are the Colorado Springs city water supply with relatively little access to commodities such as restrooms, camp sites and boat ramps. Flies to come armed with are streamers, such as a brown and black wooly bugger, egg patterns, copper johns, hares ears, and prince nymphs. Tell the people working the gate that you are going fishing so you don't pay the higher fee to go to the top of Pikes Peak.
Hours of Operation
May 1 – Thursday before Memorial Day: 9:00am – 4:00pm
Friday before Memorial Day - Labor Day: 7:30am – 7:00pm
Tuesday after Labor Day - Sept 30: 7:30am – 6:00pm
Oct 1 – Third Sunday of October: 9:00am – 4:00pm
In addition, the Recreation Area is closed to fishing during the Pikes Peak Hill Climb Race
Another Stillwater option, when these lakes open there is abundant opportunity on the fly. North catamount in particular, holds some very nice lake trout that can be taken cruising the shoreline. Slow stripping streamers is my favorite method to fish here. Don’t overlook the dry fly opportunity throughout the summer as well
Jon Easdon, Guide and Director of Services
This is an area we specialize in and are permitted to guide, so give us a shout if you have any questions or if you are interested in allowing one of our Orvis-Endorsed guides showing you how to conquer North Slope Lakes.