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Aurora Reservoir Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Denver's clear suburban trophy pond: big trout, big walleye and a no-gas-motor calm.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
12 cfs
Air / High
91 / 91 F
Wind
SSW 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 393109104464500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Aurora Reservoir lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The river is running 12 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind SSW around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1003 hPa and a high of 91. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

White bassFair

The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Similar at 89 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from CHERRY CREEK NEAR PARKER, CO.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 393109104464500.

17365512 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp91 F
High / Low91 / 61 F
WindSSW 5-14 mph
Pressure1002.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 8%
Sunrise / Sunset06:29 / 19:25
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 91/61 F, wind 19 mph, rain 8%

Fair or better. A 19 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Aurora Reservoir: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Aurora Reservoir calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
White bass
Northern pike
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Aurora Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 89 F, wind to 16 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 86 F, wind to 16 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 84 F, wind to 21 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Colorado requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Trout: 4/day. Walleye: 18-inch minimum, 3/day. Electric motors only. Confirm with CPW/Aurora Water.

Access

Single ramp and rental center; 8-mile shoreline path makes bank access continuous (fee area).

About this water

820 acres in Arapahoe County, CO. Aurora Water recreation reservoir; electric-only, famously clear.

Fishing Aurora Reservoir: the full guide

The quiet giant of the metro

Aurora fishes bigger than its 800 acres: rainbow stockers grow to trophy class in the clear, electric-motor-only water, walleye reproduce enough to matter, and the shoreline path makes bank fishing genuinely productive. Ice season brings some of the metro's biggest hard-water trout.

Trophy trout, suburban address

CPW stocks Aurora heavily and the no-gas rule lets fish grow: rainbows past 10 pounds surface every season, trolled leeches and bait rigs from the shoreline path accounting for many. Winter ice (when safe) produces the metro's biggest hard-water trout with shocking regularity.

The walleye experiment that worked

Aurora's walleye reproduce enough to sustain quality: jig the dam face in April, drag bottom bouncers on the flats in June. Add smallmouth on the riprap and the occasional wiper surprise: a complete fishery inside a bike-path loop.

The urban trophy program

Aurora runs Denver's quality-managed fishery: no gas motors, walk-and-bike shoreline, and a stocking program (trout by the truckload, walleye, wiper) tuned for the metro crowd. The archery-range side's deep water holds summer trout for leadcore trollers in kick-boats; bank anglers score all winter on inflated crawlers. A trophy-regulation smallmouth herd patrols the riprap: urban fishing without the urban compromise.

Common questions

Can you really catch 10-lb trout at Aurora?

Every season produces a few: stocked rainbows that survive two winters reach trophy class on the mysis-free but rich forage. Early ice and late fall are the giant windows.

Is fishing good at Aurora Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Chatfield Reservoir22 miBear Creek32 miEvergreen Lake36 miClear Creek (Golden)37 miSouth Platte River (Deckers)39 miBig Thompson River52 mi
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