Chatfield Reservoir, Highlands Ranch Colorado - In addition to a healthy population of trout, smallmouth bass, and walleye you'll find channel catfish, yellow perch, crappie, bluegill, and carp.
Chatfield is one of Denver's most popular Front Range lakes and was built to control flooding after several floods caused major damage to Denver. There are plenty of trout to chase here but Chatfield has gained a reputation as a tremendous smallmouth and walleye fishery. Tiger muskie have been stocked in years past but we have spent time on the water searching for them to no avail. Chatfield, being close to the Denver metro area, is a popular destination for birders as well as boaters. The lake can get very busy on nice weekends.
Along with pleasure boating, Chatfield is a popular place for water-skiers and jet-skiers. An excellent swim beach and picnic area along the western shoreline is an excellent place for families as is a model airplane field with asphalt runways. There is plenty of hiking, biking and horse trials throughout the park and corrals with water to leave your horse overnight if you are camping here. Horses are allowed in most areas in the park. Hot air balloon enthusiasts may use the Montgolfier Launch site located near the Deer Creek entrance with proper permits.
2009 CDOW Fish Survey Results
Annual surveys include the use of gill nets and boat electrofishing. The 2008 results show that smallmouth bass comprised the majority (43%) of the sample, followed by white sucker (21%), and then walleye (11%). Due to higher than normal stream flows during spring 2007, a large number of walleye were washed through the dam. However, their numbers should rebound with annual stocking.
Although the majority of the bass population in the lake is smaller fish, there are bass up to 20”. Walleye up to 18.5” were collected in 2008, but there are larger fish that inhabit deeper water that are not sampled during our surveys. In fact, walleyes over 15 pounds have been collected during the annual walleye spawn at Chatfield. Rainbow trout are typically stocked at about 10” in length. The larger rainbows over 15” are fish that have lived in the lake several years.
Getting there: From Denver, take Wadsworth Blvd. (Colorado Highway 121) south past C-470, and turn left into the Park at the Deer Creek entrance. As an alternate route, take Santa Fe Blvd. south to Titan Parkway, turn west on Titan Parkway to Roxborough Park Road, and turn north to the Plum Creek entrance. Fees: Colorado State Parks Annual Pass $60 Aspen Leaf Pass - $30 per vehicle (CO Residents 64 years or older) Aspen Leaf Free Pass – No Cost (CO Residents born 1922 or prior) Columbine Pass - $12.50 (Disabled CO Residents) Disabled Veterans Pass – No Cost Centennial Pass - $12.50 (Income Eligible CO Residents)
Daily Pass: $6 per vehicle per day or $3 per individual entering by foot, bike, or horse. Boating: All Boats Allowed. Observe wakeless areas. Ice Fishing: Ice fishing allowed
Four camping areas have a total of 197 sites. All campsites are surrounded by native grass, are within walking distance to the lake and have picnic tables and grills. Facilities include pull-through or back-in campsites, flush toilets, hot showers, laundry, centrally-located water, firewood and a sanitary waste station. 120 sites have full hookups (w-s-e) located in A , B and D Loops. The remainder 77 sites in Loop B and Loop C have electrical hookups only.
Camping Permits fees are as follows: $20.00 per night for full hookups, sites with electrical hookups only are $16.00 per night. From May 1st through September 30th an additional premium camping fee of $2.00 per night is added to all full hookup sites.
