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Best smallmouth bass lakes in Colorado

17 Colorado waters hold smallmouth bass. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Current- and rock-loving fighter. Lives around gravel, boulders and hard-bottom structure.

1. McPhee Reservoir — 262 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
2. Horsetooth Reservoir — 188 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
3. John Martin Reservoir — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
4. Cheesman Reservoir — 190 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
5. Chatfield Reservoir — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
6. Pueblo Reservoir — 135 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
7. Boyd Lake — 16 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
8. Trinidad Reservoir — 70 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Saugeye
9. Standley Lake — 96 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
10. Union Reservoir — 28 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
11. Boulder City Reservoir — 20 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Bluegill
12. Arvada Reservoir — 60 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
13. Puett Reservoir — 14 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Yellow Perch
14. Brush Hollow Reservoir — 45 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
15. Lon Hagler Reservoir — 24 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
16. Juniata Reservoir — 6 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Bluegill
17. Jim Baker Reservoir — 24 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill

When to fish smallmouth bass in Colorado

• Spring 3–12 ft — Gravel and rock flats near deep water; spawning happens on hard bottom.
• Summer 10–30 ft — Offshore rock humps and deep points; smallmouth suspend near bait.
• Fall 8–25 ft — Feeding hard for winter — long tapering points and rocky drops.
• Winter 20–45 ft — Deep, vertical presentations near rocky wintering holes.

Also in Colorado: best largemouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best saugeye 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 kokanee lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes · best splake lakes

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