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Chatfield Reservoir Fishing Report

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

Denver's backyard big water: walleye eggs for the whole state, smallmouth on the dam rocks and paddleboard armadas dodged at dawn.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
92 / 94 F
Wind
NE 7 mph

Sources: 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.

Chatfield Reservoir sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 7 mph, rising pressure near 1002 hPa and a high of 94. 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.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeGood

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

Yellow perchFair

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Similar at 91 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.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp92 F
High / Low94 / 60 F
WindNE 7-17 mph
Pressure1002.0 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 6%
Sunrise / Sunset06:31 / 19:26
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 · Showers, 94/60 F, wind 16 mph, rain 6%

Fair or better. A 16 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Chatfield 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.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

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.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Chatfield 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
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
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 Chatfield Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 94 F, wind to 14 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 89 F, wind to 16 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 87 F, wind to 14 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

Colorado license. Walleye: spring closure windows for egg operations: check CPW dates. ANS inspection required.

Access

Chatfield SP ramps (north/south), marina; shore access throughout the park.

About this water

1,500 acres on the South Platte, Douglas/Jefferson counties, CO. Denver's walleye brood water.

Fishing Chatfield Reservoir: the full guide

The metro workhorse

Chatfield anchors Denver's southwest corner: 1,500 surface acres doing double duty as the metro's playground and one of Colorado's key walleye brood lakes (spring spawn operations here stock the state). The fishery balances traffic with output: walleye, smallmouth, quality largemouth in the coves and trout through the cold months.

Walleye at the source

Spring staging on the dam's riprap and the points (jigs at dusk: the pre-spawn window before closures protect the operation: check dates), summer schools on the 15-25-ft flats (bottom bouncers between the wake boats' hours), and fall's jigging bite back on the rock. The state's egg-take makes this walleye water by mandate: the population stays stocked.

The rest of the rotation

Smallmouth work the dam face and gravel (Ned rigs: metro Colorado's most reliable bronze), largemouth hold the Plum Creek coves' wood, trout stock heavily October-April (the shore soakers' season), and the gizzard shad base keeps everything fat. Crappie and wipers cameo: the reservoir surprises annually.

Front Range practicalities

The state park runs ramps, inspections (ANS mandatory) and the summer crowd machine: fish 5-9 AM or October-April to own the water: and the paddle fleet owns midday June-August: schedule accordingly. The South Platte inflow and the reuse projects shift levels: the park posts elevation: structure follows it.

Common questions

When is walleye fishing best at Chatfield?

The dusk jig bite around the spring staging (mind the closure dates: the egg-take matters) and October's return to the rocks. Summer runs early-morning flats between traffic.

Is Chatfield too crowded to fish?

Midday summer, yes: dawn and the cold months, no. October-April the reservoir belongs to anglers and the trout plants: the metro's quiet season secret.

Is fishing good at Chatfield 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

Bear Creek13 miEvergreen Lake15 miClear Creek (Golden)20 miSouth Platte River (Deckers)21 miAurora Reservoir22 miTarryall Reservoir37 mi
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