Cooney Lake Fishing Guide, Lake County, Colorado

• Overview

  In Colorado, Cooney Lake belongs to Lake County. The bank gives way to lake country bush. It covers about 5 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It sits higher than most water we list in Colorado. Head to Leadville, 7.5 miles away, for anything you forgot. Lakewood sits 64 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Cooney Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Lake County: rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout, cutthroat trout and black-spotted cutthroat trout. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Fish Cooney Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 50°F and January about 13°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early June. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early June and starts locking again about early November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Cooney Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Oliver Twist Lake at 0.8 miles is the sensible second choice. For Cooney Lake in particular, ask before you travel.