Cove Lake Reservoir in Conejos County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Cove Lake Reservoir stands in Conejos County, Colorado. The water sits 7,736 feet up. It measures some 474 acres, and wind has room to build across it. It ranks high for size among our Conejos County listings. The closest town, Questa, is 29 miles away. Pueblo is the closest city, 109 miles away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Cove Lake Reservoir

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. County-wide records name white sucker, brown trout, green sunfish, black-spotted cutthroat trout and rainbow trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Anyone new to Cove Lake Reservoir should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 66°F; by January the average is down near 19°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late March. In an average year the thaw lands around late March and the freeze near early December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Cove Lake Reservoir fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Cave Lake Reservoir is 1.8 miles distant. For Cove Lake Reservoir in particular, ask before you travel.