Blue mesa

[AFDan52]

[font "Arial Black"][red][size 3] Can anyone here help me with some info about Blue Mesa Lake or is it a Reservoir? I understand that there are some very nice lake trout in there and I am wanting to bone up on this place. [/size][/red][/font]
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[font "Arial Black"][#ff0000][size 3]AFDan52[/size][/#ff0000][/font]
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[DonInDenver]

Dan-

I've never fished Blue Mesa, so what I'm about to tell you is second hand, but from some guys who fish it a lot. I'm short on time right now, so I'll have to add to this later.

Blue Mesa Res. is outside Gunnison. In April 2003 it gave up the state record mack (44 lob. 5 oz.), but I have heard that the number of big fish has declined dramatically since then due to (1) excessive harvest (the Colorado DOW has basically declared war on lakers in that water) and (2) a decline in the numbers of kokanee, their primary food source.

It would take almost as long for me to drive to Blue Mesa pulling my boat as it takes to get to Flaming Gorge and I think the mack fishing is much better at the Gorge these days.

Here's the text of an article written back in April 2003 about the record fish. Hope it helps:

"Matt Smiley's weeklong roll at Blue Mesa Reservoir makes him want to buy a lottery ticket. In six days of vertical jigging, the young chemist who lives in Aspen boated 27 big lake trout, including the state record and largest fish ever caught in Colorado.
Smiley, a 2000 Western State College graduate and quarterback who once roomed with former record-holder Jerome Vinet, hooked the 44-pound, 5-ounce lake trout a week ago today on a 4-inch glow/green tube jig fished 55 feet deep at Cebolla Basin. It measured 43 ½ inches long, with a portly girth of 30 ½ inches. Smiley's fish eclipses the 41-pound, 10-ounce record lake trout Lee Cox caught July 1, 2002, at Blue Mesa. It snatches biggest-fish-of-all-time honors from a 42-pound grass carp Adam Wickam caught in 2001.
"I was just in the right place at the right time," Smiley said. In six days of fishing, his haul included four lake trout heavier than 30 pounds, including the record.
"It's been my week," he said. "In five years I've caught only two or three over 30 pounds. Now I've gotten four in the last the week. I'm assuming it has to end, but I'm riding the wave now."
Smiley released all his fish on the spot except the record, which another boater weighed on the lake at 45 pounds, 6 ounces. The fish lost 1 pound, 1 ounce in transport to official scales at Gene Taylor's Rod & Gun sporting goods store in Gunnison.
Smiley said he fought the big lake trout for more than 30 minutes.
"I couldn't get it off the bottom," he said. "Then it rolled on its side and looked like a barn door going back down."
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[AFDan52]

[font "Arial Black"][red][size 3] Thanks Don, I heard some of my co-workers talk about some place in Colorado called blue mesa something , but never caught the whole conversation so thought someone in your area would be able to help me out. I am going to research this further, looking forward to the rest of your post. Hope to fish it soon.[/size][/red][/font]
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[font "Arial Black"][#ff0000][size 3]AFDan52[/size][/#ff0000][/font]
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