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$10,000 in rewards for catching lake trout at Colorado’s biggest reservoir

By January 28, 2026 | updated 3 days ago

Blue Mesa Reservoir in western Colorado. (Gazette file)

Colorado Parks and Wildlife wants some predators out of the state’s biggest body of water. 

And for ice fishing enthusiasts who want to help, the agency is offering $10,000 in rewards. 

That’s the prize purse of the Blue Mesa Lake Trout Tournament, happening now through April 30 at the Blue Mesa Reservoir near Gunnison. 

The money will be divvied up to anglers who turn in the most heads of lake trout measuring 24 inches or smaller — $3,000 for the one who turns in the most, $1,500 for second, $1,000 for third and $500 for fourth. Anglers can turn in a raffle entry for each head. And for those who don’t finish in the top four, they’ll have a chance at $200 going to 20 names being drawn. 

It’s the fifth year of the tournament that “has proven to be both popular with the angling community and incredibly beneficial in working to meet our management goals of the Blue Mesa Reservoir fishery,” CPW aquatic biologist Giulio Del Piccolo said in a news release. 

Part of that goal: controlling numbers of lake trout that prey on kokanee salmon. 

“Unchecked lake trout population growth caused significant declines in kokanee abundance in previous decades,” according to the news release, which also cited troubling numbers in more recent years. 

CPW has stated its aim to provide “quality fishing opportunities for kokanee” at Blue Mesa, which also serves as an important source for eggs and restocking waters around the state. The news release continued: “Abundant kokanee are also essential for maintaining continued growth and condition of trophy lake trout.”

Hence the tournament’s call for lake trout smaller than 24 inches. CPW believes the Blue Mesa to be home to more than 20,000 in that size range — “prolific,” Del Piccolo said in the release, “and our research has proven that lake trout 24 inches and smaller consume the most kokanee. That’s why we target those fish in the tournament.” 

The 2025 tournament yielded 2,770 heads, according to the news release, which called that a record since the tournament began in 2020. It’s what CPW hoped for, following 2024 surveys that showed lake trout numbers growing and kokanee declining. The agency that year reported its lowest egg take at the Blue Mesa since 1975. 

“Ongoing harvest of small lake trout continues to be needed,” Del Piccolo said in the release. 

Also needed for anglers heading to the Blue Mesa: caution. Del Piccolo advised to “be on the lookout for signs of unsafe ice.”

Safety tips are listed in CPW’s announcement for the tournament: tinyurl.com/3kd26k2f

Also outlined are details for harvesting fish and turning heads in at collection points: the Elk Creek, Iola and Lake Fork marinas or CPW offices in Gunnison and Montrose. 

Seth Boster

Reporter

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