Horsetooth Reservoir water level today 5412.21 ft, falling

Questions people ask about Horsetooth Reservoir

Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Horsetooth Reservoir.

Is it worth fishing Horsetooth Reservoir today?

7 out of 10 — biting. Worth a cast. The strongest stretch is 10:17 AM–12:17 PM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level.

What time should you fish Horsetooth Reservoir?

Today's major windows run 10:17 AM–12:17 PM and 10:40 PM–12:40 AM, with minor windows at 4:25 AM–5:25 AM and 4:57 PM–5:57 PM. Sunrise is 7:04 AM and sunset 6:31 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.

What is the water temperature at Horsetooth Reservoir?

No gauge on Horsetooth Reservoir measures it, so this is an estimate: roughly 65.5°F, worked out from the 7-day mean of air temperature at NOAA weather station KFNL (Fort Collins/Loveland - Northern Colorado Regional Airport). Checked against the lakes that do have a thermometer, that method lands within about 4.5°F of the real reading and was off by 8.3°F at worst. Treat it as a ballpark, not a measurement — and note the bite index above ignores it entirely, because an error that size would move the verdict as often as it would fix it.

What is the water level at Horsetooth Reservoir right now?

5412.21 ft, the reading for October 7 from the Horsetooth Reservoir and Dam gauge run by the USBR, which publishes one value a day. Over 24 hours it is down 0.14 ft.

Are water levels rising or falling at Horsetooth Reservoir?

Falling. The lake is down 0.14 ft in 24 hours and down 0.65 ft over the week. Over the last 9 days it has held between 5412.21 and 5413.03 ft. Every figure here is a difference between two gauge readings, not a forecast — what the level does next depends on rain and on what the dam releases.

Can you eat the fish you catch in Horsetooth Reservoir?

That is a health question, and it is answered officially rather than by us. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment publishes the fish consumption advisory covering these waters, where a baseline mercury guidance covers every water, with added PFOS advisories at Barr Lake, Runyon Lake and Chatfield Reservoir. Read it before you keep a meal — we give no eating advice.

CDPHE fish consumption advisory

Do you need a licence to fish Horsetooth Reservoir?

Yes. A Colorado fishing license covers this water, required from age 16. CPW sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What a Colorado license costs, and who is exempt

What size fish can you keep in Colorado?

It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: trout, arctic char, grayling and mountain whitefish, kokanee salmon, walleye, saugeye and sauger, largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.

Trout, Arctic char, grayling and mountain whitefish limits · Kokanee salmon limits · Walleye, saugeye and sauger limits · Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass limits · Check a length against the rules