Sculpin in Colorado
Colorado rules and lakes for sculpin.
- 20 a daylimit
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Colorado Sculpin at a glance
The 2026 brochure treats sculpin as a other species with 2 chart rows on its limits chart. The west of continental divide row allows daily bag 20, possession 20, in aggregate.
The water pages have not listed it so far.
How many sculpin a Colorado angler may keep
| Chart row | Zone | Limit | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speckled Dace, Sculpin | West of Continental Divide | Daily bag 20, possession 20, in aggregate | Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise |
| Speckled Dace, Sculpin | East of Continental Divide | No bag or possession limit | Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise |
2026 Colorado Fishing brochure (Colorado Parks and Wildlife), p. 10, retrieved October 25, 2026; the chart applies on every water not listed in the special regulations.
What else the brochure says about sculpin
- b. Crustaceans: The following crustaceans may be possessed east of the Continental Divide: virile crayfish, waternymph crayfish, calico crayfish, ringed crayfish and Southern Plains crayfish. The following crustaceans may be possessed on either side of the Continental Divide: freshwater shrimp …p. 8
- e. The only species allowed to be taken and used for personal use as bait (either alive or dead) by fishing, seining, netting, trapping or dipping are minnows, bluegill, hybrid bluegill, carp, sunfish, gizzard shad, sculpin, white and longnose suckers, yellow perch and rainbow smelt. Statewide bag …p. 9
2026 Colorado Fishing brochure (Colorado Parks and Wildlife),, retrieved October 25, 2026.
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- Speckled Daceother
A camera tour of the water by Sculpin
Photo: Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
Photo: USEPA Environmental-Protection-Agency, Public domain
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Chasing Sculpin from the plains to the high country
What may a Colorado angler take home in sculpin?
Daily bag 20, possession 20, in aggregate (west of continental divide); special regulations can change it on listed waters.
Where was the record sculpin caught in Colorado?
There is no CPW record entry.
Where do sculpin live in Colorado?
So far no Colorado water page includes it.
Do special regulations change the sculpin rules?
No special-regulation entry names it, so the statewide chart applies unless a water closes or limits all fishing.
What group is sculpin in?
Other on the CPW species list; the chart zones that apply are west of continental divide, east of continental divide.
Does Colorado close sculpin fishing?
Colorado waters are open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation closes them; no entry names it.
Which license should a sculpin angler buy?
Everyone 16 and older needs a CPW fishing license: $44.87 a year for adult residents, $124.01 for nonresidents, or $18.07 for a resident one-day license.
Can I enter a released sculpin for a record?
CPW prints no qualifying length for it; weight records need a state-certified scale and a CPW signature.
Target sculpin this season
Each lake and stream in the lists links to its own Colorado page.