Less popular lakes may yield bonanza

The law of supply demands that ice anglers consider getting out of some well-worn ruts if they want to catch more trout.

Predictably, the same old hot spots draw ice anglers each year, even when the fishing at some of them isn't so hot and the next lake over the hill might be splitting its seams with fish.

So it goes with North Park, says fisheries biologist Ken Kehmeier, who stirs the piscatorial brew in the northeast mountain valley for the Colorado Division of Wildlife. He says ice anglers, as usual, have been streaming to Lake John and the three Delaney Butte lakes without giving a thought to some lesser-known spots along the way.

For example, Seymour Lake, which is nestled at the south end of North Park, not far from Muddy Pass, and Cowdrey Lake, north of Walden. Both are stocked to the gills with hearty rainbow trout that couldn't make the grade for waters protected against whirling disease.

Both are typical North Park lakes — fish factories rich in vegetation and insect life, which grow plump trout fast. Unfortunately, both Seymour and Cowdrey are shallow bowls, prone to winterkill caused by oxygen depletion under the ice.

Kehmeier believes the pair might escape heavy trout mortality this winter. But just in case, he is inviting ice anglers to partake in the banquet while it lasts.

"I'm hoping we're not going to lose everything. But with Seymour and Cowdrey you always run that risk," Kehmeier said. "Fishing has been fabulous at both those places. And anything we can do to get people away from John and the Buttes would be a benefit to both the people and the fishery."

Seymour, 80 acres, suffered total winterkill last winter. But at first ice-out the division plunked in 28,000 10-inch catchable rainbows, which have grown to 17 inches, plus 25,000 smaller trout that now measure 13 or 14 inches and 4,000 more catchables in the fall.

Cowdrey, 105 acres, is swimming with 34,000 catchables and about 50,000 sub-catchables, in addition to holdovers already there. It suffered a minor algae bloom late last summer and has a greater chance of winterkill this winter than Seymour Lake.

But so far the two fisheries are in excellent shape, if somewhat neglected by anglers. Their ice platforms are 18 to 20 inches thick.

He also rates the Hohnholz Lakes on the upper Laramie River as underfished and deserving of more attention from ice anglers.

"The Hohnholz lakes kind of get forgotten in the wintertime," he said. "But you can get there faster from Fort Collins than it takes you to get to North Park."

Kehmeier said both lakes are well-stocked with trout, Hohnholz No. 2 with Snake River cutthroats and rainbows, No. 3 with cutthroats and browns.

Directions to all the lakes he mentioned are available in the division's annual fishing regulation brochure, along with more popular lakes most ice anglers include in their routines. If you must stay in a rut, Kehmeier offers the following report from North Park's old standbys:

Fishing success has slowed lately at North Delaney Butte Lake, but East Delaney has been cranking out 18-inch rainbows much as it was before its reclamation with rotenone two summers ago. Lake John fishing has been so-so, but producing fair numbers of 20- to 22-inch trout.

More patient anglers might want to camp out on South Delaney, keeping in mind that bait isn't allowed on any of the Delaneys.

"South Delaney has the big fish," Kehmeier said. "You'll fish all day and only catch one or two fish, but you'll always have a chance of catching a 7- to 8-pound fish."

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