Warning: The information provided is subject to change. Stocking programs change, the ecology of the lakes change, and the list goes on... We will do our best to provide you with updates as new info comes in.
Regulations: All statewide limits apply. We have taken the liberty of posting those limits next to the present fish species listed below. Bow hunting for carp inside city limits is illegal! I will turn you in if I see you shooting my pets.
Prospect Lake is a typical Colorado Springs stillwater fishery. By this I mean that it is fed by city water, is fairly shallow, and many different cold and warm water fish species call it home. All three major lakes (Prospect, Quail, and Pikeview) are what I like to call "mutt" lakes. By this I mean that -depending on the time of year- these lakes are home to so many different fish species it can be hard to tell what's on the end of your line. This list includes...
Rainbow Trout - 4
Snake River Cutthroat Trout - 4
Largemouth Bass - 5
Wiper - 10
Striped Bass - 10
Walleye - 5
Saugeye - 5
Channel Catfish - 10
Black Bullhead Catfish - unlimited
Green Sunfish - 20
Bluegill - 20
Black Crappie - 20
Hybrid Grass Carp - unlimited
Common Carp - unlimited
These are just the species my friends and I have caught, and there could very well be more! I have even noticed over the last couple of years that someone thought it would be cute to release koi/goldfish into the lake, and they are there in surprising numbers.
Of course, where there are thriving fish there is a ton of food in the form of insects, crustaceans, and forage fish. These food options include...
Insects:
Chironomids
Callibaetis
Damsels
Ants
Beetles
And probably more! These are just the hatches and terrestrials I've witnessed during my time spent there. Literally, chironomids start coming off the moment the reservoir is free of ice, and the callibaetis and damsels start earlier as well. This is due to Prospect's lower elevation compared to the more popular places such as Elevenmile and Spinney.
Crustaceans:
The only crustacean that I know of is the crawfish. I have talked to people who have used scud shrimp and landed fish, but I don't know if scuds were put there by the CDOW after they last drained and relined the lake. I will keep you guys posted if I find out otherwise.
Forage Fish:
Gizzard Shad
Golden Shiner
The only other potential food source I can think of is the resident fish species themselves. Yes, they do eat each other...
Guide Tip: You will start to see clouds of black bullhead catfish fingerlings around late June/early July. These giant schools of baby catfish stay shallow because they make for easy targets for predatory fish. You will notice that as the size of the fish in these schools get larger, the size of the schools get smaller. The other fish in the lake really key in on these little guys, and it's a great time to toss a dark olive or black colored wooly bugger. Black also seems to be a good color for common carp during this time.
Click on the boxes and interest points on the map to learn about each spot! To better avoid the annoying white information box click on the full screen icon on the upper right corner of the map!
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