I fish Antero Reservoir more than any other body of water in Colorado, so this one hits close to home. Antero Reservoir will close to all recreation on May 13, 2026 as Denver Water drains the lake to move water into Cheesman Reservoir during one of the worst snowpack years on record. It's the first full closure since 2002 — and the reservoir could remain closed until 2027 or longer.
If you're a Colorado stillwater angler, this changes the season. Here's what's happening, what it means for the fishery, and where to redirect your trips.
Colorado stillwater anglers are pivoting fast. These four waters are absorbing the Antero crowd this season — and producing fish.
Our Guide's Choice Box — $95 for 25 flies — covers the chironomids and leeches producing on Spinney, Eleven Mile, Delaney Buttes, and beyond. Hand-tied fresh to order.
Shop Guide's Choice Box →According to Denver Water, the utility will drain Antero and route the water downstream into Cheesman Reservoir to prevent roughly 5,000 acre-feet from evaporating during Colorado's historically low snowpack year. With statewide reservoir storage already strained, every drop matters.
Before the closure, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will relocate fish out of Antero. The last day to fish the reservoir is May 13, 2026. After that, the gates close to boats, anglers, and all recreation until lake levels recover — possibly 2027, possibly longer depending on next year's snowpack.
Guide services across South Park — including Call of the Wild Outdoor Adventures — are already rescheduling all Antero trips for the season. The bigger concern isn't the lost guide days; it's the fish themselves. Antero held a state-record-class brown trout fishery and a stocked muskie population, both of which took a decade or more to mature. The community is hoping CPW can relocate the largest fish to Spinney Mountain, Eleven Mile, or Cheesman before drawdown begins, but moving fish that size at scale is logistically brutal — and not all of them will make the move.
Per CBS Colorado's coverage, anglers across the Front Range are already adjusting plans. The good news is Colorado's other stillwaters are still wide open — and most of them fish exactly the same way Antero does.
The Antero closure doesn't end your stillwater season. It redirects it. Here's where to redirect:
All four fish on the same chironomid, leech, and indicator program that produces at Antero. The tactics travel.
The chironomid patterns that produce at Antero produce everywhere else in the South Park watershed. Don't reinvent your fly box — relocate it:
The fish at Spinney, Eleven Mile, Delaney, and Carter eat the same insects. Your fly box is already loaded for these waters whether you knew it or not.
If you were planning an Antero trip this season, don't cancel — redirect. The fish are still there, the tactics still work, and Colorado's other stillwaters are ready.
Related reading: our complete Spinney Mountain guide, 11 Mile Reservoir fly fishing, and Delaney Buttes & Lake John.
Every fly mentioned in this guide is hand-tied fresh to order by Thomas Frank. Proven on Colorado's best stillwaters — tied on 2x heavy wire hooks with tungsten beads.
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