Cherry Lake Fishing Guide, Custer County, Colorado

• Overview

  Cherry Lake stands in Custer County, Colorado. The surface lies 11,762 feet up. About 14 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Colorado listings. Salida is the closest town at 32 miles. Then Cañon City, 33 miles, and Center, 34 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Cherry Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Public occurrence data for Custer County names rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout, black-spotted cutthroat trout and rudd. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Cherry Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 52°F, with January the cold end at about 15°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late May. Averages place the thaw at late May and the freeze at mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Cherry Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Failing this one, try Teasup Lake, 0.9 miles away. What applies at Cherry Lake may have changed since it was mapped.