Fishing at Cottonwood Lake, Chaffee County, Colorado

• Overview

  Look for Cottonwood Lake in Chaffee County, Colorado. The country round it is lake country bush from end to end. Surface area is around 39 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. On our Chaffee County list it sits near the top for size. Buena Vista sits 9.1 miles from here and is the nearest stop. After that come Salida at 23 miles and Leadville at 32 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Cottonwood Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Species logged across Chaffee County include brown trout, rainbow trout, black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout and california golden trout. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Cottonwood Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 14°F to 52°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late May. Ice usually gives way near late May, and forms again about early November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Cottonwood Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Public data records a boat ramp half a mile out. A parking area is marked roughly half a mile out. Overnight stays are possible half a mile away. A toilet block sits half a mile away. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Rainbow Lake at 2.2 miles is the sensible second choice. Confirm before you fish Cottonwood Lake.