Bailey Lake in Rio Blanco County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Bailey Lake is set in Rio Blanco County, Colorado. It stands 8,802 feet above sea level. Small at around 13 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Size puts it in the front rank of our Rio Blanco County list. The closest town, Meeker, is 20 miles away. For a city, Boulder is 121 miles off. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Bailey Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Survey and observation records for Rio Blanco County include flannelmouth sucker, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, bluehead sucker and mountain whitefish. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Fish Bailey Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 58°F; the cold one sits at 20°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early May. The water is typically free of ice between early May and late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It sets the rhythm of the year at Bailey Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Bar-Bel Lake sits 2.5 miles off and takes the overflow. What applies at Bailey Lake may have changed since it was mapped.