Mike and I caught our first ever rainbow and brown trout at the Los Pinos River Trout Fishing at Vallecito Reservoir, Northeast of Durango, Colorado!
We were not sure if we would catch anything, as we were told the rivers and creeks were pretty much fished out, so we started out fishing the Vallecito Reservoir, but soon realized we did not have the right fishing gear. We talked to one successful fisherman and he told us that he was catching trout off the bottom of the lake. We saw him catch 3 trout in about 15 minutes, so we knew he was telling us the truth. They were larger, maybe 15″ or longer.
We headed around the lake to where the Los Pinos River enters the lake to try our luck there as we had been skunked for the second day in a row, in this area around Pagos Springs. We were wondering if we were going to catch anything as there are so many fishermen in the area.
It only took mike a few casts before he landed his first trout catch of the week, and of his life.
Mike started out with a Mepps Comet 0 Spinner. He had two or three trout fighting with him in no time. We were having a great time as the weather was a perfect 70 or 75 degrees, plus we were finally catching trout for the first time.
- Package length: 2.4 cm
- Package width: 4.9 cm
- Package height: 17.2 cm
- Product Type: SPORTING GOODS
This product was presentation was made with AAWP plugin.
Mike is an experienced bass fisherman from Oklahoma, but he didn’t know everything about trout fishing. He did some research before this trip and knew what kind of lures the trout like, and he also knew the water was warmer and the trout would probably be deeper, in the cooler water.
I believe all the fish he caught during the week were in the deeper pools of water.
Most fishermen will try different lures, different colors, sizes, etc, and Mike is no different. Mike switched to a Red Fly Spinner and found that worked as well as the Mepps Comet Spinner.
- All Spin Flies are either dressed with natural hackle or a classic wooly worm
- Polished brass (gold) blades produce best when it's overcast
- Work weed beds, submerged timber, rip-rap, undercut banks and just about any other cover where fish hang out Great fishing action
- Stainless steel shaft to resist bending Extra strong folded brass clevis Solid brass blades, bodies and beads Mepps quality throughout
This product was presentation was made with AAWP plugin.
Mike gets so excited being in the outdoors and catching fish. He is mostly a catch and release guy, so all of these trout lived to see another day.
This was a fantastic fishing hole, primarily due to the fact that we were able to catch some trout.
Check out the video below to see all the catches and the incredible scenery.
It had been a long few days so we decided to have someone else cook for us this evening, and we were feeling like steak, so we asked around and found a great restaurant a few miles north of Pagosa Springs, called the Ole Miner’s Steak and Chophouse.
This was a beautiful restaurant. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. They told us that a lot of the wood in the restaurant have been taken from actual old mines in the area.
Both Mike and I highly recommend having dinner here.
- UGLY STIK 7’ ELITE CASTING ROD: 35% more graphite than the Ugly Stik GX2, plus premium cork handles. From the makers of the #1 rod series in the world.
- 8-17LB LINE RATING, MEDIUM POWER, EXTRA FAST ACTION: Built tough to stand up to what's next. Lure rating of 1/4-5/8 oz. One piece fishing rod features Ugly Stik Clear Tip design for strength and sensitivity.
- DURABLE CONSTRUCTION: Constructed from graphite and fiberglass for a lighter weight rod, while maintaining legendary toughness and strength. Ugly Stik Fishing Rods are covered by a 7-year warranty you won't find anywhere else.
- 9 DURABLE GUIDES: Ugly Tuff one-piece stainless steel guides provide excellent corrosion resistance and durability and eliminate insert pop-outs during rough treatment.
- REEL SEAT: Exposed Blank reel seats with cushioned stainless steel hoods provide comfort for your hands and protection for your reel. Premium type-A Cork rod handle is lightweight and slip-resistant, so you can hold on when fishing gets tough.
This product was presentation was made with AAWP plugin.
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I have been to Los Pinos river Colorado. But I haven’t gone fishing there yet. After reading your post I can’t wait to try it myself. People also told me that “the rivers and creeks are pretty much fished out” there. Quite a coincidence.
Thanks for all the nice pics and the video was awesome.
Hi Abel. We were told by a Forest Service agent that, due to the recent drought and over-fishing in some areas, the rivers are not the best bet. He recommended focusing on the reservoirs. We tried both and he was right, many areas on the rivers are over-fished and we saw one fisherman catch three really nice bass out of the Vallecito Reservoir in 15 or 20 minutes, however, through persistence and trying a lot of different rivers and streams, we caught several 10″ trout, a couple of 12″ trout and one 15″ trout. It’s all about persistence and, in September, when we went, it was about finding deep pockets of water.
Rick