Blue Lake, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Look for Blue Lake in the San Juan County part of Colorado. It stands 12,169 feet above sea level. Around 47 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Size puts it in the front rank of our San Juan County list. The closest town, Telluride, is 4.3 miles distant. The big place round here is Colorado Springs, 172 miles distant. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Blue Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Fish documented in San Juan County include black-spotted cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brook trout and cutthroat trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Blue Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 51°F, the coldest about 13°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Once it clears, about early June, the fishing comes on quickly. Averages suggest open water from about early June through to roughly early November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. On Blue Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Porphyry Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at Blue Lake as something to verify.