Twin Lake Reservoir

We headed up the Poudre River on Highway 14 this weekend without much of an agenda. We had a tent, a cooler full of beer and food, and our poles. What else could you possibly need? The original plan was to fish Trap Lake and Peterson Lake which are up the Long Draw Road. Those plans were thwarted before we even pulled out of the driveway due to Long Draw Road being closed until the end of July. No biggy though, our only agenda was to catch a few fish and enjoy what the Northern Colorado mountains had to offer.

We sketched out a tentative plan to drive deep into Pingree Park. I hadn't spent a whole lot of time in Pingree Park so I was excited to discover some unknown territory. Comanche Reservoir seemed like a viable destination and would provide a two mile hike in. I tend to prefer destinations that weed out the not-so-dedicated anglers. The plan was to look for a campsite along the way, set up the tent, and hit Beaver Creek Trail for the hike up to Comanche Reservoir. After fishing for the afternoon, we'd come back down the trail and return to our campsite.

Just after passing Jack's Gulch I noticed a little blue spot on the map that was labeled "Twin Lake Reservoir". There appeared to be a road to it so I figured this might be a good spot to look for a campsite. When we finally saw the sign for Twin Lake Reservoir, we couldn't believe this was the road to it. The first quarter mile was very steep and extremely rocky. Thankfully, the Jeep made quick work of it and we were through the roughest part. The rest of the road, which is about a mile, was still fairly steep but it was the rockiness and huge ruts that were the most challenging.  We made it to the top and found the parking lot. A short (100 yards or so) walk put us on the water at the dam.

It didn't take us long to find a campsite. By "campsite", I mean a place to put up a tent and a ring of rocks. These are not maintained or numbered campsites. There are no bathroom facilities, no drinking water sources and certainly no power. There were a handful of "sites" around either side of the damn. We found a perfect spot nestled behind pine and aspen trees within 30 feet of the water. The site took a little work but in a short time we had the fire pit dug and a spot for the tent. After hauling in our gear and getting organized, we were ready to start chucking lures.

My general plan of attack for a new body of water is centered on color. Fishing with a partner, or even two, simply expedites the process. I tied on a gold and green spoon while my partner began throwing a green and yellow crocodile. After ten casts of each, we’d change colors again until we found that magic color. Well, that magic color wasn’t presenting itself as easily as I had hoped. We both exhausted all of the various color combinations in our boxes before lethargy began to set it. It was time to try the bottom and have some lunch in the shade.

I wish I could tell you the bottom was different. I was starting to question whether or not there were ANY fish in this lake. I just wanted some sort of a sign that this lake was fishable. A bit. Some minnows. Anything. We talked to a couple of anglers that passed us on the trail and realized we weren’t the only ones striking out. With that, we headed back to our campsite to find something else to occupy our time.

Despite the lack of fish, it was a beautiful experience, with perfect company, at the perfect time of year, in the perfect location. I plan on returning to Twin Lake Reservoir but not for the fishing. If I do fish it again, it will most likely be in my belly boat with a fly rod and plenty of stoneflies.  

This Angler