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Horsetooth Reservoir Fishing Report

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

Fort Collins’ front porch: a foothills reservoir where smallmouth own the rocks and walleye prowl the depths below the sandstone tooth.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
91 / 92 F
Wind
SE 15 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.

Horsetooth Reservoir offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind SE around 15 mph, rising pressure near 1003 hPa and a high of 92. Water sits around 73 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

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.

Rainbow troutGood

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassFair

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

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.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp91 F
High / Low92 / 58 F
WindSE 15-19 mph
Pressure1002.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 2%
Sunrise / Sunset06:31 / 19:27
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 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, 92/58 F, wind 15 mph, rain 2%

Fair or better. A 15 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

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.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

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.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

When to come: the Horsetooth 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
Smallmouth bass
Largemouth bass
Northern pike
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Horsetooth 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. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 89 F, wind to 15 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 89 F, wind to 17 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 85 F, wind to 16 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 plus Larimer County day pass. Walleye and bass under standard CPW limits: check current rules, especially spring walleye closures near the dams.

Access

Inlet Bay, South Bay and Satanka ramps; bank fishing along the east-side road pullouts and county open spaces.

About this water

A 1,900-acre foothills water-supply reservoir west of Fort Collins, Larimer County, Colorado, six miles long beneath Horsetooth Rock.

Fishing Horsetooth Reservoir: the full guide

Six miles of edge water

Horsetooth fills a narrow hogback valley west of Fort Collins: six miles long, rarely half a mile wide, with rock structure essentially everywhere. That geometry makes it a bank angler’s reservoir as much as a boater’s: nearly every point, rockslide and cliff edge drops fast into fishable depth. Smallmouth bass are the signature fishery, backed by walleye, largemouth in the coves, trout in the cold months and crappie and bluegill in the flooded brush.

Smallmouth on the rocks

From April into June, smallmouth push shallow to spawn and a tube jig, Ned rig or jerkbait worked along the riprap and rockslides gets bit all day. Summer fish slide to 15-25 feet on the main points: drag football jigs and drop-shot minnows. The bite reopens shallow in fall. Numbers are the norm and three-pounders the trophy: light line and bottom contact win.

The walleye and the rest

Walleye track the shad schools: jig the inlet flats and dam faces early season, troll bottom bouncers along the 20-foot contour through summer, and vertical-jig deep in fall. Winter and early spring bring stocked and holdover trout close to shore for bait anglers at Satanka and the dam coves. Crappie stack in the submerged brush of the Inlet Bay arm each spring.

Working the park

Larimer County runs the reservoir: ramps at Inlet Bay, South Bay and Satanka, day-use fees, and swim-beach closures that leave anglers plenty of room. Afternoon west winds funnel hard through the valley: mornings are calmer and safer for small boats. The water can drop substantially by fall for irrigation: ramps extend but plan around the levels.

Common questions

Is Horsetooth better from bank or boat?

It is one of Colorado’s best bank-fishing reservoirs: the east-side pullouts put you on deep rock in a short walk. A boat mainly buys you the west-side cliffs.

What is the best smallmouth window?

May and early June, pre-spawn through spawn, on the rocky shorelines. October is the quiet second season.

Does it get crowded?

Summer weekends bring heavy boat traffic and swimmers: fish dawn, fish weekdays, or fish October through April when the lake goes quiet.

Is fishing good at Horsetooth 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

Boyd Lake11 miCache la Poudre River13 miBig Thompson River25 miLake Granby46 miClear Creek (Golden)57 miBear Creek62 mi
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