Cone Reservoir Fishing Guide, San Miguel County, Colorado

• Overview

  Cone Reservoir stands in San Miguel County, Colorado. The surface lies 8,330 feet up. The water covers some 184 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The full circuit measures close to 1.8 miles on foot. Size puts it in the front rank of our San Miguel County list. Nearest place of any size is Mountain Village, 22 miles away. Telluride follows at 24 miles, then Ouray at 32 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Cone Reservoir

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Records held for San Miguel County cover rainbow trout, black-spotted cutthroat trout and brown trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Read Cone Reservoir before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 23°F to 64°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The lid usually goes in early April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages suggest open water from about early April through to roughly early December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. On Cone Reservoir the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Gurley Reservoir, 2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Cone Reservoir for certain.