Fishing in or around Colorado Springs (Woodland Park, Palmer Lake: home, purchase, store)

[kristie73]

What's an easy place to take my 5 year old son for his first fishing adventure? I want somewhere local. Will my son need a fishing license or just my husband? Can my husband purchase the license at the fishing pond, river, lake?

Thanks for the suggestions.

[jazzlover]

101 Places to Take a Kid Fishing - Colorado Division of Wildlife

and

http://wildlife.state.co.us/NR/rdonlyres/6DE0299B-B621-4248-B56A-00DFF8A66BB3/0/08fishbrochure.pdf (broken link)

[kristie73]

Thanks for the links. I've been all over the internet and websites for fishing info for Colorado Springs. I was hoping to come here for people's experience and recommendations. Anyone else?

[ryanek9freak]

It's a pretty far drive anywhere for really good fishing, but here's a little secret. THere's a pond up in Briargate , at the end of Jamboree, in a park. There's lots of really easy to catch blue gills and crappie for a kid to catch.

Take Jamboree all the way till it ends at Parliment st, and take a left. The pond is on the left hand side.

[dhc247]

There is a place off of highway 105 in palmer lake, a general store which sells fishing license, bait and the lake is right across the street where they will direct you for parking. I would give it a great rating due to the nice park, friendly help and you will catch a fish with the bait the store sells.

-Dave

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by dhc247

There is a place off of highway 105 in palmer lake, a general store which sells fishing license, bait and the lake is right across the street where they will direct you for parking. I would give it a great rating due to the nice park, friendly help and you will catch a fish with the bait the store sells.

-Dave

Palmer Lake is a pleasant spot. JUST STAY OFF OF THE RAILROAD TRACKS next to the lake.

[DOUBLE H]

Although it is maybe 45 minutes from downtown, give Manitou Lake a try. It is 6 miles north of Woodland Park, and as I recall there are picnic tables and a slide and swingset for the kids. You won't pull 8lb. German Browns out of ther, but it is adequately stocked. It HAS been a while since I have been there. Hopefully the Springs folks will weigh in. BTW, south of the lake has a great view of Pikes Peak.

[ryanek9freak]

Manitou lake has nothing but really small fish. I speak from experience

[Shaun85]

I will be in Colorado Springs late next week and into the weekend and I'm considering a fishing rod to keep me company. I see there are Pike in some of the rivers and lake Now I love my bass fishing but how are the Pike? If it is anything like where I am from (IL) then you either love or hate them.

The equipment I use is:
Baitcast & Spinning (I don't know how to fly-fish)
Lures = anything from crankbaits, tubes, topwaters, spinnerbaits

I realize it is still early in the year & the water may still be chilled, but how is the overall fishing within the Colorado Springs area from now and throughout the year?

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Palmer Lake is a pleasant spot.

I can speak to that. Our little lake is indeed a great fishing spot for kids and beginners (like me). What's more, they just restocked the lake on the 5th of May and when I was down there this morning a guy I was chatting with reeled in a nice little rainbow.

Palmer Lake is not catch-and-release only, but it is pretty heavily used so it would be nice if you released most of or all of what you catch. Nothing illegal about taking a trout or two home for the frying pan, as long as you've got a license, although I'm not sure I'd want to eat what comes out of here anyways.

As for pike, word has it that some folks have been stocking their own supply of pike into the lake (where you get a personal stock of pike I don't know). This is good if you want to fish for pike but it's horrible for the rainbow population. I really hope it does not continue, but, for now, there is supposedly a stock of pike in Palmer Lake.