Where to Go Spinney Reservoir
Current Reports
Angler's Covey Bug of the Month
Check out the blog HERE
Check out the Bug of the Month Videos HERE
Photo- Covey Guide Josh Heney
SUMMER HOURS 6am to 6pm Daily
Report Date: 5/27/2026
Current Conditions:
Spinney has been a little slow this past week. Some anglers are finding success in float tubes and kayaks, but the shore fishing is getting tougher. There are a good amount of chironomids hatching right now and thats made for a couple of hours of steady action...If you are in the right place. Fish are gorging on the pupae and even adults. With the closing of Antero, a lot of the angling traffic has shifted to Spinney. Water temps are warming and thats really kicked things into gear. Anglers utilizing boats, kayaks, or float tubes have had a distinct advantage. This will allow you to cover more water. We have had some great windows of mellower wind as well. Be sure to check those wind forecasts here. As we progress into summer, the fish are starting to venture and feed out farther into the lake. Depths have varied, but we are seeing the most success in about 6-8 feet of water. The best fishing times have been earlier in the mornings, mid morning, and late afternoon. Its a good time to work the lake with indicator rigs or slow crawling flies. Be sure to start playing with your depth on your rigs now, some fish are feeding a little deeper.
Tactics:
Static indicator or slow crawling flies has been effective. This is also a good time to throw streamers. Location is the most important thing on this lake. Look for "flats" or areas that have some drop offs nearby. Always look for cruising fish too. If you see fish cruising that would be a good area to try.
Hatches:
As mentioned above, the big chironomid hatch is happening now and presents a great opportunity for fishing these subsurface. Static indicator fishing in some chop will be the most effective technique right now. These bugs are large, so be sure to use some of the larger profile, skinny and long midge larva and pupae. We are also starting to see some Callibaetis show up. With the warming water temps, its only a matter of time before these mayflies are going in full force. Make some plans to hit stillwater soon. Its good.
Tips:
Work tandem indicator rigs anywhere from a couple feet to about 8 feet down. When static indicator nymphing, its a good tip to "bump" your flies every once in awhile.
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. Things will briefly dry out on Saturday and Sunday and we should have a good amount of sun. After this week it will be nice to see the 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.
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.
NOW BOOKING STILLWATER TRIPS FOR 2026! KAYAK, FLOAT TUBE, OR WALK/WADE. EXPERIENCE OUR WORLD CLASS STILLWATER WITH ONE OF OUR EXPERTS!
- Red Assassin, olive/copper, sizes 14-16
- Taks Crystal Chironomid, sizes 14-16
- - Clearwater Pupa, Black, size 16
- - Balanced leather leach, black/olive, size 10
- - Mayers mini leach jig, brown, olive, black, sizes 14-16
- Double dirty Hippie, brown, size 2
- Humdinger, tan, size 2
- Double Gonga, grey, size 4
- Baby Swim Coach, brown/yellow, size 4
See below for Spinney Mountain Reservoir Map, or CLICK HERE for a downloadable PDF.
Spinney Reservoir is one of the best stillwater fisheries in the entire western US. The regulations are flies and lures only and you can harvest one trout over 20 inches. Fish species include: Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Brown Trout, Cuttbow trout, yellow perch, and Northern Pike. There are two boat ramps and several parking areas around the reservoir. It is a $9.00 daily pass fee to get in. Anglers bringing a boat make sure to clean it thoroughly because they are now inspecting for Zebra Mussels.
This is an area we specialize and are permitted to guide in, so give us a shot if you have any question or if you interested in allowing one of our Orvis-Endorsed guides to show you how to conquer Spinney Reservoir.