Best kokanee lakes in Colorado
15 Colorado waters list kokanee (official records or labelled estimates), 2 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Landlocked sockeye. A plankton-eating school fish glued to its preferred temperature band — find the school, catch a limit.
- Navajo Reservoir — 333 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- McPhee Reservoir — 262 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #2: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
- Granby Reservoir — 221 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, KokaneeWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
- Eleven Mile Res — 135 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Common CarpWhy #4: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
- Clear Creek Reservoir — 61 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, KokaneeWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Ruedi Reservoir — 246 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brown TroutWhy #6: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
- Shadow Mountain Reservoir — 24 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, KokaneeWhy #7: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
- Gross Reservoir — 299 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Lake Trout, Brown TroutWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
- Lemon Reservoir — 188 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee, SplakeWhy #9: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
- San Cristobal Lake — 89 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Grand Lake — 389 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, KokaneeWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
…plus 4 more Colorado waters holding kokanee.
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How to use this ranking
The order is a map-planning ranking, not a claim about today's fish population. It favors larger mapped waters and gives survey-backed contours a three-times data-quality boost. Agency population surveys, current regulations, access and recent conditions should make the final decision.
Compare maximum depth across 37,233 lake records · See Colorado waters with public access data
When to fish kokanee in Colorado
- Spring 10–30 ft — Schools roam the upper column over open water while it's cool — short leaders, slow trolls.
- Summer 30–70 ft — Kokanee compress into the 50-55°F band at the thermocline over the deepest basins — precise depth is everything.
- Fall 5–40 ft — Spawners turn crimson and gang up off tributary mouths and gravel shorelines; remaining fish scatter with turnover.
- Winter 20–80 ft — Deep suspended schools — an electronics game through the ice.
Also in Colorado: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best saugeye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes · best splake lakes
Kokanee elsewhere: British Columbia · Montana · Wyoming · Washington · California · Utah · New Mexico · Idaho