by Holly Fletcher

Created on: March 08, 2008

An hour and a half north of Ft. Collins, Colorado lies a trout fishing paradise well know to locals in the area. Red Feather Lakes boast several gorgeous and productive fishing ponds, two of my favorite being Bellaire Lake and West Lake. Dowdy Lake is larger and allows boats on the lake for fishing.Pack a picnic lunch and plan to stay the day even if you are not camping. The beauty of the lakes is alluring and once you get to hooking those trout you won't want to leave.

To get to Red Feather Lakes, take Highway 287 North and then make a left turn onto County Road 74 at Livermore. Even if you don't plan to fish, this drive is worth taking for scenic value alone.

West Lake is right off 74 across form the local grocery store. If you run out of bait or lures, or forgot a cooler to put your fish in, the store is a great place to get those items. Bellaire Lake is a couple of miles further up the road. Bellaire Lake has more pine trees surrounding the lake and is farther off the main road than West Lake. Dowdy Lake allows motorized boats and trolling. All three lakes offer day use and camping areas for a fee and are open between May 28th and September 4th.

If you are a cheapskate like me and don't want to pay for camping, there are many free camping spots on the road up towards Bellaire Lake. Just try to get there as early in the day as possible if you plan to camp because the free spots fill up quickly, especially as the summer season gets into full swing.

Fly fishing and bait fishing are both popular and work well at the lakes. I have always had the best luck with bait fishing during the colder months of May and June. By July the lakes have warmed up and the fish are right under the surface waiting for juicy flies to land on the water. Fly fishermen seem to have better luck during this time than bait fishers.

I recommend going to Red Feather Lakes as early in May as possible. The lakes have just been stocked for the season and there are fewer fishermen to compete with. It is usually pretty windy and the day time temperatures can be brisk, even in June, so be sure to take a jacket and long pants just in case. All of the camp grounds have grills you can use to cook your catch and nothing is better than a grilled trout after a long day of fishing. The limit is four fish per person, but you can still catch and release all day.

One trip to Red Feather and you may find out that your the one who's hooked!

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