Blue Mesa Fishing Report, Week of September 28, 2026

This is a dated note, not today's gage and not a bite forecast. The homepage water list is the later reading. Use this page for the bank, the access, and the safety. Weather lines in it are that week's weather.

Blue Mesa Reservoir, week of September 28

Update, Oct. 1: the pool is still barely moving, and CPW lifted the Gunnison River closure above the lake on Sept. 30. Plan on hand-launch or shore only.

Conditions

• Ramps: NPS Curecanti lists Elk Creek and Lake Fork as hand-launch only due to low water. Iola ramp is closed and hand-launching there is unavailable. Stevens Creek and Ponderosa are closed until further notice.
• Weather: NWS Grand Junction has mostly clear, dry weather near Elk Creek through Sunday, with highs in the mid to upper 70s, lows in the upper 30s to low 40s, and winds 10 mph or less.
• Closures: CPW lifted the voluntary noon-to-midnight closure on the Gunnison River from the U.S. 50 bridge to the Blue Mesa standing water line on Sept. 30. CPW says kokanee have started their fall run from Blue Mesa to Roaring Judy Hatchery, and taking kokanee in the Gunnison above the standing water line is prohibited until Nov. 1. Handle any you catch there carefully and get them back in fast. See CPW's Sept. 30 release.
• CPW reports: No new CPW fishing report for Blue Mesa this week, and it is not on the current CPW trout stocking report.

How to fish it

Lake trout, kokanee, and rainbows are the fish here. As surface water cools into October, trout typically slide shallower along points and drop-offs, which helps shore and small-boat anglers. From the bank, work spoons and soft plastics along the steepest structure you can reach. Mornings are usually calmer. If whitecaps show up, get off the water.

Access

A pool this low means long, steep, muddy walks to water and stumps and rock near the surface that are normally deep. Motorized and trailered boats need an inspection before launch. Hand-powered craft should still be Clean, Drain, Dry. Check the NPS boat ramp page the morning you go.

Safety

Blue Mesa wind can turn a flat morning into a dangerous afternoon, and the water is cold. Life jacket on in any boat, tell someone your launch and return time, and skip it if storms are building. See our Colorado safety page and the cold-water checklist.

Regs

Check CPW fishing regulations and Colorado eRegulations for the exact water you plan to fish. We do not print bag limits.

Plan it

Last report: Blue Mesa, week of Sept. 20. Background: Blue Mesa day-trip prep. Build the day in Trip Builder.

Updated Oct. 1, 2026 (first posted Sept. 29). Sources: NPS Curecanti ramp status and the CPW Sept. 30 closure release.