Here’s something most people don’t know about Spinney Mountain Reservoir: it’s one of only a handful of waters in Colorado designated a “Gold Medal” fishery, meaning the trout density and size here are so far above average that the state restricts how you can fish it. Single barbless hooks only. No bait. Fly or artificial lure. The rules aren’t there to be difficult — they’re there because what swims in that water is genuinely worth protecting.
I first drove out to Spinney from Woodland Park on a Tuesday in early October, figuring I’d have the place mostly to myself. That’s reason number one to go: the timing. Summer weekends at the nearby Eleven Mile Reservoir draw campers, motorboaters, and everyone else. Spinney, which sits adjacent but operates under separate regulations, stays quieter. On a weekday in the shoulder season, I counted maybe a dozen anglers spread across several hundred surface acres. The high-prairie stillness out there — brown hills rolling toward the Collegiate Peaks, the occasional pronghorn drifting past — is its own reward even if nothing bites.
Reason number two is the fish themselves. Spinney is known for trophy-sized rainbow and brown trout, with a decent population of pike thrown in. I’m not a catch-and-release purist by nature, but the slot limits here (you can keep one trout over 20 inches, period) enforce a certain patience and selectivity that actually improves the experience. You start paying attention differently when you can’t just keep everything you land. The fish fight hard at this elevation — around 8,700 feet — and the cold water keeps them strong well into November.
The third reason is practical: access is genuinely straightforward. From Woodland Park, you head south on Highway 24, cut through Divide, then drop south on Highway 9 toward Hartsel. The whole drive takes about 45 minutes and it’s scenic the whole way. Day passes run around $10 per vehicle through Colorado Parks & Wildlife, and a valid Colorado fishing license is required on top of that. If you’re visiting from out of state, budget a bit more for a non-resident license — still worth it. There’s a boat ramp if you have a craft; float tubes and kayaks let you reach the flats that wading anglers can’t touch.
Gear-wise, I’d bring 5- or 6-weight fly rods if you have them, and don’t underestimate the wind. The South Park basin is notorious for afternoon gusts that turn a pleasant morning into a casting nightmare. Get there early, fish the north shore shallows at first light, and you’ll be ahead of both the wind and the few other anglers who show up by mid-morning.
No concessions, no rental equipment, no guided services on-site. That’s not an oversight — it’s part of why Spinney stays what it is. You bring your own lunch, your own gear, your own patience. The reservoir sits at the edge of South Park, which is genuinely one of the stranger and more beautiful landscapes in Colorado: high, wide, and treeless in a way that feels almost austere. After a morning out there, the drive back up to Woodland Park through the pines feels like returning to civilization. In the best possible way.
