Lake John, Walden Colorado - Lake John is a high plains lake outside of Walden, CO that has provided great action for large trout in the past. Species in Lake John: Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Sucker
6060 Broadway Denver, CO 80216 (303)297-1192 Website
656
7092 AF
8048'
Lake John is located in North Park, just northwest of Walden, Colorado. Historically, Lake John has produced trout over 10 pounds. Recently the lake has gone through some rough conditions and it remains to be seen how it will respond. Rainbows are the primary species here but browns are also present. The lake provides a lot of structure with weed beds and can be readily fished from shore. Undeveloped camping is available along the shore and there is a nearby resort for those looking for greater comfort.
2009 CDOW Fishing Forecast
History
Lake John has been managed by the Division of Wildlife since the 1960’s. Since then it has been managed to produce trout. White and longnose suckers have been a challenge to trout management in the lake. They successfully achieve high density and size and compete with trout. The first reclamation was done in 1969 removing yellow perch as well as suckers. The lake was treated with rotenone to remove all fish and a fresh start was made with newly planted trout. Yellow perch were not seen in Lake John again. Suckers made their way down the ditch feeding Lake John and eventually repopulated the lake. By the 1980’s, sucker composition was back over 60%. Another reclamation was suggested but opposition to the idea pushed the project back to 1993. A barrier was constructed on the inlet to prevent reestablishment by the suckers. Unfortunately there was a structural failure with the barrier and white suckers were reintroduced. Longnose suckers have not been sampled since.
The current species composition has returned to the historic high levels of suckers and white sucker biomass from gillnetting samples is over five times that of trout.
Management
Lake John is stocked with subcatchable (~5”) rainbow, cutthroat and rainbow/cutthroat hybrid trout. Brown trout have been planted when available. These small fish grow very quickly in Lake John and are around 10” after a full growing season.
The size structure changes year to year. Each size class is dependent on the size class below it from the year before. The 0”-12” class from 2008 suggests that the 12”-16” size class may be good for 2009, if the fish survive well through the winter. A partial winterkill occurred in the 2005-2006 winter really knocked the number of trout back. In 2006, we began rebuilding from the bottom up again.
Getting there: From Walden 0.5 miles west on Highway 14 to county road 12. Go 8 miles west to County Road 7 then 7 miles north to the lake. Fees: Habitat Stamp required. Boating: All Boats Allowed. Waterskiing, sailboards prohibited. Ice Fishing: Permitted
