Ridgway Reservoir?

[Ambystoma]

Does Ridgway Reservoir ever get a safe lid? The few times I have been by it in the winter it was open except for a few coves.

[iceseaker1]

a couple years ago after a hard freeze i fished the marina cove and did pretty good the ice was about 8 inches if you go in the channel to the left of the ramp its pretty good for big browns.

[Ambystoma]

Thanks for the info. I'll have to give it a try sometime.

[_colorado]

I have to take my daughter to Grand Junction around Christmas time to visit a friend and was thinking about Ridgway for a couple of days.  If it doesn't ice consistently, then it's off to Big Blue...

[augergas]

Does anyone here ever fish Blue Mesa? I'm gong to be over that way for Christmas and would like to give it a whirl. Is there any spot that is best to start at? I don't really care what I catch, C&R pretty much anything anyway.

[_colorado]

The east end of Big Blue will freeze early, Sapinero in late January.  I've fished right at the east end, just below the bridge and you get a good mix of bows, browns and lakers if you fish 20-50FOW.  I've also gone across the bridge about two miles to the Iola boat ramp.  That's very easy access to the ice and there's a rocky point about 200 yards to the west that gets a lot of fishing traffic.  I did OK over there last year in 60-70 FOW.  I also have fished from a picnic area about 2 miles west of the first bridge but I can't remember the name of the area.  It was about 80FOW and I did real well there though none were of any great size.

[iceseaker1]

just to the west of the middle bridge about 500 yards west in the cove or off the point about 20-50 fow you will do great for lakers light bite and easy to lose but so fun

[brown-time]

Use tubes and sucker meat at that spot for decent lake trout, sometimes the big lakers come in there but won't touch the meat.  Have a second rod rigged with a Kastmaster and if a fish comes through at 40FOW on your flasher, give em the KM quick and catch it, it'll be a kokanee.  Fun stuff.  A few big browns on the drop from 50 to 75 there also.