Don't wait: Colorado fishing season starts now, according to mountain guides

A record-low snow year has already reshaped Colorado's ski season, and now it is starting to impact another major Colorado pastime: fishing.

In Silverthorne, guides -- who are now making trips far sooner than usual -- said conditions on the water are excellent for anglers but might not stay that way all summer long, opening a potentially short-lived window.

Cutthroat Anglers fishing guide Mike Anderson said the shift was hard to miss.

"It feels like May. .. late May," he said. "We're getting this window right now for the outstanding fishing because the fish are eager to eat after the winter."

He mentioned visibility plays into that as well, with less snowpack runoff to stir up turbidity, it's hard for the fish to hide. But that early-season boost comes with some concern.

"We're prepared for changing how we operate as guides," Anderson said. "Maybe more lake fishing, maybe cutting it off earlier in the day or earlier in the year."

It's more than just low flows, though. With less water running through our waterways, the fish themselves can find difficult conditions.

"Warm water, low oxygen can stress the trout out," Harlan Kimball, shop manager for Cutthroat Anglers said.

Kimball said that directly affects the responsibility and success of anglers.

Regardless of what Anderson called "worrying" concerns about the rest of the year, he said adapting would be key as the season evolves. Kimball agreed.

"We might be fishing higher alpine creeks ... alpine lakes instead of the bigger rivers," Kimball said. "We will still be fishing, it's just going to look a little different this year."

While there was still hope for spring moisture, Colorado has yet to produce any meaningful precipitation in what has been an aggressively hot and dry spring so far. For now, guides said the message was simple: take advantage of the conditions while they last.