Public fish salvage begins at Sands Lake State Wildlife Area, Salida

Colorado Parks and Wildlife opened a public fish salvage at Sands Lake State Wildlife Area today to all licensed anglers ahead of a restorative dredging project to remove several feet of material. The lake was last dredged in 2006. Photo taken Oct 29. CPW Photo 1/Bryan Johnson Oct. 30, 2026

SALIDA, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife begins an emergency public fish salvage at Sands Lake State Wildlife Area in Chaffee County, effective today, allowing licensed anglers to harvest fish ahead of a restorative dredging project.

Sands Lake is a pond downstream of CPW’s Salida-based Mt. Shavano Hatchery. It stores water from the hatchery before reaching the Arkansas River and is typically dredged every 10 to 15 years. The last dredging was in 2006, and this effort removes excess material on the lake bottom and dispose of that material.

The fish salvage is intended to maximize public use of the fishery before the dredging project begins.

“Aquatic habitat improvements are important to the long-term management of Sands Lake, but the work could affect fish currently in the lake,” said Paul Foutz, CPW senior aquatic biologist. “Opening for public salvage gives anglers an opportunity to make the best possible use of the fishery before work begins, while allowing CPW to move forward with the dredging.”

Sands Lake is a popular State Wildlife Area connected to the community trail system just north of downtown Salida. The lake provides fishing opportunities for stocked rainbow and cutbow trout.

“Sands Lake is a highly productive water source due to its connection to the Mt. Shavano Fish Hatchery,” said Bryan Johnson, CPW Mt. Shavano Fish Hatchery Manager. “Larger-than-average trout can be caught here. Trout can be caught on the typical flies, lures, and bait, but expect the larger fish to be more wary. ‘Matching the hatch’ will help anglers fool some of these larger specimens.” 

Under the emergency salvage order, normal size, bag and possession limits are suspended at Sands Lake, allowing licensed anglers to harvest fish without those restrictions until CPW ends the salvage when drainage begins. Contractors will close access with barricades and flagging at that time.

All licensed anglers are invited to take advantage of the public salvage opportunity to harvest fish before planned work begins. At the same time, anglers are reminded the pond has several feet of sediment in it could become easy for anglers wearing waders to become stuck in this material. 

Emergency fish salvage regulations
The following regulations apply only to Sands Lake at Sands Lake State Wildlife Area:

• A valid Colorado fishing license is required.
• Normal size, bag and possession limits are suspended during the emergency salvage.
• Permitted fishing methods: Only currently legal angling methods are permitted. Unlike some previous emergency salvages, the order does not authorize additional methods such as nets, traps, snagging, gigs, archery equipment, unlimited fishing rods, trot lines or jugs.
• Capturing and transporting live fish from one body of water to another remains illegal.
• The salvage does not apply to any other waters, including the Arkansas River, which runs along the wildlife area.
• The public salvage is authorized under Parks and Wildlife Commission Regulation 104.G. All other applicable fishing regulations and state wildlife area rules remain in effect.

CPW will post signs at Sands Lake identifying the salvage area and announcing when the emergency order is lifted. The salvage will remain in effect until CPW determines that conditions have changed or the salvage is complete.
For additional information about Colorado fishing regulations and licensing, visit CPW's fishing webpage.

###

PHOTO CAPTIONS: Colorado Parks and Wildlife opened a public fish salvage at Sands Lake State Wildlife Area today to all licensed anglers ahead of a planned restorative dredging project to remove several feet of material. The lake was last dredged in 2006. Photos taken Oct 29. CPW Photo 2/Bryan Johnson and CPW Photo 3/Bryan Johnson
 

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.