Standley Lake - worth it?

Imo get a refund as fast as you can the quarantine situation there is ridicules and yes once you take your boat out of there it will ruin half your summer way better fishing at other near by lakes. whatever you choose good luck!!

just my two cents

Ive lived six blocks from standley lake for over 20 years. I too have checked into whats required to boat there. It is ridiculous at best. The cost of season permits, the insurance required, the unreasonable quarantine rules, the hours you are allowed to fish, the short season dates, etc, etc. Unless you have an extra fishing boat specifically for standley lake its not worth it. Each "ranger d..k" I speak to gives me different answers to my questions. Theyre all in charge. Imo, its a resource they do everything to prevent us from using and enjoying. What an over regulated waste of taxpayers dollars. It seems its really only for those who ski or wakeboard, from memorial day to labor day. There is no swimming, no wading, no float tubing, no fishing after dark, no fishing before dawn, no jet skiing, no paddleboarding, and definitely NO drinking. Whats next? No smiling, laughing, or talking? Fire the entire staff from top to bottom and replace them with public friendly people. Start over.

And dont even think about fishing anywhere close to the dam, dont even look at it.

I wouldn't eat anything out of there!!

I don't think it's the rangers' fault. They're just enforcing what the city councils have passed. The lake is the primary drinking supply for 3 cities, so I understand the caution with mussels, as they could cause a lot of problems.

But the elimination of night fishing and no alcohol policy, not to mention the cost, seem like prime examples of the fun police with too much power.

I think they view the lake as drinking water, and any revenue they can generate from the general public is a bonus.

I'll be filing for a refund this week. I can't be locked down to one lake all summer. I have too many other trips planned!

Hope they give you a refund without a hassle. Im just sayin, its not a friendly environment, and those attitudes generally start at the top, and trickle down. Fun police is very accurate. My sons and myself rode our bikes with poles and a small tackle box to the old south boat ramp, the ranger came storming in towards us in his boat, told us we could be ticketed for fishing near the dam. We were at least 100 foot away, but casting toward the edge of the rocks on the dam. (In the cove, if youre familiar) My youngest son was walking along the shoreline with his feet in maybe 3" of water, i was informed also we could be ticketed for that. Their jobs are obviously looking for their own interpretation of law breakers. Getting their "jollies" to hopefully write a ticket. We just went to throw a few lures for an hour and maybe catch a fish. I would prefer my sons didnt witness the "officer's" unfriendly, and unprofessional behavior. We went from having fun together, to leaving. Im no fan of the standley staff.

What I learned,when I went to the Standley lake park is this. The res supply's water to three separate citys,its not a state park,the rules are there,as a stop gap messure. If zebra mussel's get in the lake,they will clog up the water supply system and one or all three citys could find their water supply shut down by the mussel's.If you want to see the results of Zebra mussel's,just drop by the Standley park office and take a look at the boat prop they have on display(came from lake Mead) I understand the problem.I don't like the way they have chose to protect their resource,but I understand the reason.Think of it like this . . .if the lake was your child,would you let your child spend the day with another child that had Smallpox or polio?There are Zebra mussel's already here in CO,and it only takes a spoonful of contamated water to bring the mussel's to a new lake. I don't know about you . . .but I have been boating since the early 70s and have see plenty of so called clean bilges that had water in them,from where? Where was that boat last launched from? The mussel's are very hardy and can survive in just a tiny amount of water.BTW . . .looks like the last walleye stocking was in 2013.

I grew up in Michigan and saw what zebra mussels did to Lake St. Clair. Turned a wonderful walleye lake into a wonderful smallmouth lake because the mussels filtered the water and it became too bright for walleye.

So I get it. Just disagree with the rest of it. Seems unnecessary. If they focused on making it a great walleye lake and allowed night fishing and me to have a couple beers while I'm out there I'd consider at least one season making it "my lake". But they seem to be going out of there way to make it difficult for fishing.

Another example, there is a no-wake area to get away from the water skiers, but it's also no motors, which means I can't go in there to fish, even if I'm idling.

Looks like I'll be making the drive to Chatfield. At least I know the regs there, not to mention the lake.

I received a refund statement already, and was told I'd get a check in the mail in the next few weeks.

Im not disputing the importance of keeping the lake clear of aquatic nuisances. I get it, but a 35 day "we keep your boat" quarantine? Ridiculous. Are there any other bodies of water in colorado where this is regular practice? And.... the display prop came from lake mead, where boats are in the water for months at a time, not from 7am- 7pm, on a long day. Overdone. Not to beat a dead horse, but I still question the whole ANS program at times, for example, boedecker, lon hagler, and lonetree. Wheres their ANS problem? No inspections, just a sign to remind us to clean, drain, and dry. If we boaters were more thorough with our vessels after fishing maybe we could go back to the good ol days of launching 24 hrs a day, without a guy "feeling up" our rigs, and telling us theyre clear of whatever. And no, i dont have an anchor. My gripe with standley is their attitude towards their patrons.

I think Chatfield does it right. A good combination of diligence and common sense. At first it annoyed me, now after seeing how Standley does it, it doesn't seem like a big deal at all.

The only way to truly prevent mussels from spreading is how Standley does it. Unfortunately it virtually eliminates the lake as a recreational resource for most of us.

So be it. What really sent me over the edge was all the other stuff. Things that have nothing to do with mussels. In their paperwork they claim the threat of mussels is why night fishing is not allowed. If you read between the lines, it's because there is no staff there overnight to inspect and tag your boat.....

Nevermind boating after dark, we expect there is no way they would allow that, but no bank fishing allowed from dusk till dawn. Wheres the logic in that?

Now that Chatfield is becoming a water storage resource...I wonder if the rules will change ????

Sorry guys, but that is just the way Westminster roles. As a thirty plus year resident I have watched the city become one that is ruled by the attitude of YOU CAN'T DO THAT HERE ! Go somewhere else to do business, maybe the powers that be will listen to their wallets, but I doubt it.
I am completely behind sound management of our water resources, but the staff around Stanley go to far in their over the top heavy handedness. There is a small neighboring body of water that my son and I used to float tube, but once that came under Westminster's control that became a ticketable offense.
Sorry about the rant , just saddened about what is happening to this town.

Chatfield's website:

Fishing

In addition to a healthy population of trout and bass, you’ll find walleye, channel catfish, yellow perch, crappie, bluegill, sunfish and carp.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife periodically stocks the lake with rainbow trout and other fish. Springtime signals the start of open water fishing and the park’s trout fishing is some of the best in the Denver area.
Throughout the summer, walleye, bass, perch, crappie, catfish and an occasional trout are caught, with the best action early and late in the day or at night. Fishing licenses are required, and may be purchased from the park office. Access available at the Handicap Pier and an accessible trail to a Platte River fishing platform.
(Updated: 1/2/2016 9:56 AM)

^^^ I'm not saying that any inspection rules they have changed yet, just wondering what might happen when water is actually being stored in the lake.

Maybe nothing will change... upstream impoundments (Antero, 11Mile, Spinny) have manageable rules and they have been part of the storage network for many years...but then there are the closer reservoirs, Cheeseman and Strontia Springs.

....Dum, Dum, Dummmm...

Speaking of Chatty . . .the Army core of engineers has been saying there are going to raise the lake for quite sometime now. I'll belive it when I see the homework being done to raise the lake.
Homework= moving the marina,stables,ballon launch field,new boat ramps/parking lots.Clearing out all the trees at the water line . . .back to 12 ft deeper.
Will Chatty become a fill it up when's there's water/draw it down,when the folks down river want their water? Like some other irrigation res are?
Things that make me say "himmmmm"!
As far as changing the boating regs . . .the South platte runs through a lot of urban turf and there are many sewer/sanitation depts. along the way,that empty into the river.I don't see them changing Chatty regs.

I had a pass for about 8 years. The quarantine period is now excessive. Rangers were friendly enough, if you needed help, there were there. Main reason I stopped getting a pass was the quarantine period and I just got tired of catching small mouth. Way to many in the lake, I think I knew them all by name

Just wanted to first say thank you to those who mentioned Chatfield does it right. We strive to provide a safe and fun recreational experience to all.

To my knowledge there will be no change to any of the ANS regulations at Chatfield at least this upcoming season.

Colorado is also completely negative for zebra/quagga mussels. Pueblo along with the Mountain lakes tested positive back in 2008, but have gone undetected since then which has allowed us to delist Colorado as a Positive state. (First Time Ever!) If you would like to learn more visit [log in for link] or come talk to me at Chatfield.

As for Standley Lake I grew up boating there and enjoying that lake for what it was, but it is sad to see what Eurasian Watermilfoil has done to that lake. I agree that the way they run their program the possibly of introduction is almost nothing compared to other lakes.

Chatfield SP, there won't be any change to rules regarding night fishing and such? I hope not. When I fished that lake a lot, I had a couple spots locked in for walleyes right after sunset.

and HP, I hope they do raise the Chatfield level. Chatfield is a gem, relatively close by. It needs more room for everyone. Give the Bud Lighters their space and leave the good fishing spots for us.

Not this season. I can't speak for the future, but it would seem unlikely to make any Chatfield specific regulation changes in the coming years, I could be wrong, but I haven't heard anything.

Ranger Green

P.S. Those looking for info on the water level rise at Chatfield visit [log in for link]

I know the how it feels to not fish other lakes with your boat. However the fishing at the lake has been getting better over the years. When fishing during the week there are only have a couple boats on the water all day long. Easy to run to the lake for a couple hours fishing after work.