Fishing Adams Lake in Grand County, Colorado

• Overview

  The Grand County end of Colorado holds Adams Lake. What surrounds it is lake country bush. It covers about 7 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. For supplies, Granby is 13 miles out. After that come Estes Park at 17 miles and Fraser at 17 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Adams Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Grand County list black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout and rainbow trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Treat Adams Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 51°F and January reads 16°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late May until roughly early November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Adams Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. If the gate is shut, Watanga Lake at 1.4 miles is the nearest alternative. For Adams Lake in particular, ask before you travel.