Alta Lake Reservoir in Conejos County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Alta Lake Reservoir lies in Conejos County, Colorado. The ground around here is dry open country. It is pond-in-a-field scale, with the far bank a short lob away. On size it sits at the modest end of our Conejos County list. The nearest place of any size is Questa, 30 miles away. It is 112 miles to Pueblo, the nearest city. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Alta Lake Reservoir

  This is salt or soda water, not a conventional fishery: do not expect the usual freshwater species here. Expect a pan of salt and mud most years; water arrives rarely and leaves fast. Anglers passing through do better on the neighbouring fresh waters listed on this page. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On Alta Lake Reservoir the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 19°F to 65°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Break-up comes around early April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Ice clears near early April and comes back about early December in a typical year. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. That shapes the year on Alta Lake Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records show it does not hold water year-round. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Alta Lake sits 1.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Alta Lake Reservoir.