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Fishing McPhee Reservoir: what the data says
4,335-acre reservoir near Montezuma County. The lake tops out around 262 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Largemouth Bass fishing at McPhee Reservoir
Spring largemouth bass on McPhee Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at McPhee Reservoir
Spring smallmouth bass on McPhee Reservoir hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Sharp break, a drop-off in about 42.20045602291474 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Common Carp fishing at McPhee Reservoir
Spring common carp on McPhee Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 3 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 30 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring common carp. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday |
Crappie fishing at McPhee Reservoir
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Walleye fishing at McPhee Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Sharp break, a drop-off in about 20.648851409423184 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Yellow Perch fishing at McPhee Reservoir
Spring yellow perch on McPhee Reservoir hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
McPhee Reservoir also holds kokanee (30 to 70 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), brown trout (25 to 60 ft in summer), rainbow trout (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 223 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 118 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 66 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 66 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 42.20045602291474 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 20.648851409423184 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Shallow flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 4.923814569142743 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 2.161706052344474 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 2.131812997857339 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 1.970798407663455 ft
Common questions
How deep is McPhee Reservoir?
McPhee Reservoir is about 262 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in McPhee Reservoir?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, rainbow trout, yellow perch, common carp, brown trout, kokanee on McPhee Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on McPhee Reservoir?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish McPhee Reservoir?
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Puett Reservoir · Groundhog Reservoir · Trout Lake · Andrews Lake · Lemon Reservoir · Silverjack Reservoir
See how McPhee Reservoir stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Colorado · best smallmouth bass lakes in Colorado · best walleye lakes in Colorado · best crappie lakes in Colorado
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