Lake Dillon is one of the largest reservoirs in the state. The fishing potential is huge. The problem is that with so much water, the fish could be anywhere. The reality is that finding fish isn’t that complicated. Here are three factors that will help you find fish.

The first factor is depth control. Depth is one of the most important factors on any lake. In earlier periods of the year, fish can be caught higher in the water column because the temperatures are better suited to digest food. This allows fish to continue to be aggressive and chase bait. The other thing that depth brings is a difference in temperature. During summer months, temperatures dramatically increase and can get too hot for a fish to stay in warmer locations. One of the ways fish cope with this is moving deeper.

The second factor is temperature. Temperature can dictate fish behavior and location. Spring and fall bring cooler temperatures which are ideal for fish. This can lead to more active feeding than during the summer months. The reason for this is digestion. The proper temperatures can help fish digest food quicker which results in more activity. During summer the water temperatures increase and fish have two options. The first is to go deep. Water temps cool as less light penetrates. The other option is to go into the inlets. The inlets provide cold water from mountain streams which keep fish comfortable.

The final factor and maybe the most important is prey. At a young age, I read books and watched videos on fishing, like a madman. They all taught me techniques and presentations that have changed and improved my fishing technique. During this time my grandfather gave me some of the fishing books that he used when he was a kid. In reading these articles I found a paragraph that would change the way looked at fishing. It talked about a story of a little boy who grew up down south and wanted to catch bass. He followed guys with half ounce jigs and jitterbugs but never had much luck. One day he decided to try to catch some sunfish when he hooked a 3lb bass. I then realized that if there is prey, the predator will be close behind. Nate Zelinsky, Sam Heckman, Eric Allee, Louis Chapman and Randy Ford all catch fish 24/7. The reason being, they fish baits that imitate prey where that prey lives. This principle also applies at Dillon. Rainbow trout and kokanee are the main forage in the lake. The key to finding them is looking for the guys on the bank throwing bait for rainbows. The rainbows will be your indication on the brown trout’s location.

All these factors will help you find fish and catch fish at Dillon reservoir.