Chama Lake, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Conejos County entry here is Chama Lake, in Colorado. The surface lies 11,532 feet up. About 19 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. It is high ground by Colorado standards. Some 15 miles away sits Chama, the nearest settlement. Pueblo sits 134 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Chama Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Fish documented in Conejos County include white sucker, brown trout, green sunfish and black-spotted cutthroat trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Chama Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 52°F, while January sits near 16°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late May. From about late May to around mid November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Anyone fishing Chama Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. 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. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. The nearest alternative is Trail Lake, 2.3 miles out. For Chama Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.