Butts Lake Fishing in Delta County, Colorado

• Overview

  Butts Lake falls in Delta County, part of Colorado. This is rolling bush ground. At 24 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Start from Cedaredge, 11 miles down the road. Orchard City lies 16 miles off, Palisade another 22 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge. The surroundings are ordinary; the fishing is the reason to come.

• Where to Fish on Butts Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Reported across Delta County: rainbow trout, white sucker and flannelmouth sucker. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Butts Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 56°F in July and bottoms out near 17°F in January. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. After mid May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Open water usually runs from mid May until about mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That shapes the year on Butts Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. The closest car park is half a mile away, so pack accordingly. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Rockland Lake, 0.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Butts Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.