Fishing at Barefoot Lakes: What You Can Catch, the Rules, and Late-Summer Tips
Yes, you can fish the lakes at Barefoot — here's what bites, the license and community rules worth knowing, and how to make the most of a late-summer evening on the water.
By Laura Owen
If you have spent any time driving through Firestone lately, you have probably noticed that water is the first thing that catches your eye at Barefoot. The community is built around roughly 100 acres of lakes, and one of the most common questions I hear from people researching Barefoot Lakes is a simple one: can you actually fish here? The short answer is yes. Here is what you can catch, the rules worth knowing, and how to make the most of a late-summer afternoon on the water.
Fishing at Barefoot Lakes, Firestone
The lakes are the reason the neighborhood has the name it does, and they were designed to be used, not just looked at. Around the water you will find designated angling spots where residents drop a line for warm-water species. In my experience walking these trails with buyers, the fish people report catching are the usual Front Range panfish and bass: largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish, and bluegill. None of it is trophy water, but for an after-dinner cast or a first fishing trip with a young kid, that is exactly the point.
A few practical notes. The lakes are for paddling and fishing, not swimming, so plan on a kayak, canoe, or paddleboard if you want to get off the bank, and leave the swimsuit at the pool. Speaking of which, the resort-style pool and The Cove are separate amenities, so a fishing morning and a pool afternoon can absolutely be the same day.
The rules worth knowing before you cast
Two sets of rules apply here, and it helps to keep them straight.
First, the state. Colorado requires a fishing license for anyone 16 and older, and kids 15 and under fish free and can still keep a full bag limit. A resident annual license runs in the mid-$40s for adults, with a discounted youth rate for ages 16 and 17, per Colorado Parks and Wildlife. You can buy one online in a couple of minutes before you head out, and standard CPW bag and size limits apply to whatever you pull in.
Second, the community. Barefoot's lakes sit inside an HOA-managed community, and access is intended for residents and their guests. Rules on things like electric versus gas boats, catch-and-release expectations, and where you can and cannot put in change over time, so I always tell people to confirm the current lake and amenity rules directly with the Barefoot community or HOA rather than assume. If you are touring as a prospective buyer, it is a fair and easy question to ask on site.
Best late-summer times and family tips
Late summer on the Front Range means hot, bright middays and beautiful edges of the day. For both comfort and better fishing, the first hour after sunrise and the last two hours before sunset are your friends. Panfish and bass tend to move shallow and feed when the light is soft, and you avoid the worst of the afternoon heat.
If you are bringing kids, a few things make the difference between a keeper of a memory and a meltdown:
Keep it short. Thirty focused minutes of actual biting beats two hours of waiting.
Fish for panfish, not bass. Bluegill and sunfish bite readily and keep little hands busy.
Bring water, sunscreen, and a backup activity. The lakeside trails and nearby parks give you an easy pivot when the fish stop cooperating.
That trail network is part of what makes a fishing outing here easy. There are roughly three miles of lakeside paths, so you can walk the shoreline, scout a spot, and turn the whole thing into a loop. Families searching for a Barefoot Lakes park to pair with a cast will find several — picnic-and-playground spots, natural climbing areas, and open lawns are scattered through the community.
Nearby water when you want more
One of the quiet advantages of living in this pocket of Firestone is how much water sits within a short drive. Union Reservoir in Longmont is about fifteen minutes away and fishes very differently — it holds walleye, wiper, catfish, bass, crappie, and more, with a handful of special bag and size limits and a daily or annual permit (Longmont residents get a discount). There is also a handicapped-accessible fishing pier there. The St. Vrain corridor and the Carbon Valley parks round out the options when you want to make a bigger day of it.
Put together, that is the case for water at Barefoot in a sentence: you can learn to fish in your own backyard and graduate to a bigger reservoir fifteen minutes up the road, all in the same weekend.
Late summer is the easy season to try this. Grab a license, wait for the light to soften, and start with panfish off the bank — it is about the lowest-stakes way to see whether lake living fits the way you want to spend a weekend.
If you are weighing whether a lake-centered community like this matches how your family actually spends time, walking the shoreline on a quiet evening tells you more than any brochure. That is the kind of thing I am always happy to point people toward.
Laura Owen, The Owen Group at RE/MAX Momentum. Licensed in Colorado.