Chicago Lakes Fishing Guide, Clear Creek County, Colorado

• Overview

  Chicago Lakes sits within Clear Creek County in Colorado. The surface lies 11,414 feet up. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Colorado listings. Head to Georgetown, 7 miles away, for anything you forgot. The big place round here is Lakewood, 30 miles distant. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Chicago Lakes

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Clear Creek County records list black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and lake trout among the fish reported. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Chicago Lakes fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between February at about 18°F and July at about 50°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. After late May the shallows warm and the fish move up. The open-water window runs from around late May to about early November in an average year. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Expect Chicago Lakes to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. 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 tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Summit Lake, 1.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Chicago Lakes are worth checking on the day.