Bullion King Lake, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Bullion King Lake stands in San Juan County, Colorado. Beyond the shoreline you have pine and birch. Small at around 2 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. It is a small entry by San Juan County standards. The closest town, Telluride, is 5.1 miles distant. The nearest city of size is Colorado Springs, 171 miles away. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Bullion King Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for San Juan County include black-spotted cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brook trout and cutthroat trout. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Treat Bullion King Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 13°F in January up to 51°F in July. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Winter locks it down, and early June brings it back. The open-water window runs from around early June to about early November in an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. At Bullion King Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. A car park lies half a mile away, so the walk in is short. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Porphyry Lake, 0.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Bullion King Lake may have changed since it was mapped.