Fishing Carson Lake in Mesa County, Colorado

• Overview

  Carson Lake is set in Mesa County, Colorado. The bank gives way to pine and birch. Surface area is around 38 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The edge runs 0.9 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Cedaredge sits 12 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Further out sit Orchard City (14 miles) and Palisade (15 miles). One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Carson Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. County-wide records name flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker, green sunfish and white sucker. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Carson Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 60°F; by January the average is down near 19°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near late November in autumn. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Anyone fishing Carson Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Parking is at Carson Lake Trailhead, some half a mile off. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Grand Mesa Reservoir Number 1 is 1 mile off. What applies at Carson Lake may have changed since it was mapped.