With the Fourth of July weekend at hand, for Colorado fishermen the action may or may not be hot as a firecracker.
An escape to the mountains, both to escape the summer heat and find the best fishing prospects seems in order. Mountain lakes and reservoirs continue to offer good fishing, both for recently stocked trout and fish that have been in the water for some time. Northern pike are becoming active in some mid-elevation reservoirs, and fishing for kokanee salmon remains good at Blue Mesa Reservoir, among others.

Though the calendar says summer officially has arrived, Colorado fishermen might be getting some mixed messages.
While warm-water fishing has come alive across the lowlands, high-country enthusiasts are finding snow banks, drifts, mountain creeks running bank-to-bank through the brush and in many cases, ice still covering Alpine lakes.

For Colorado anglers, June is breaking out all over. After a late-arriving spring, water temperatures are rising. Cold-water fishermen continue to enjoy good activity on most mountain lakes and reservoirs, and after a prolonged wait, warm-water fishing has taken off in many lower-elevation impoundments.

For Colorado fishermen in mid-April, the joys of springtime may be largely in the eye of the beholder. The season is a time of transition, and that is reflected in the outlook.

With gradually warming temperatures, fly fishermen revel in the springtime hatches, but they are fishing on borrowed time. With a few exceptions, rivers across the state generally are clear.