Cowboy Lake Fishing Guide, Ouray County, Colorado

• Overview

  Cowboy Lake falls in Ouray County, part of Colorado. It stands 9,311 feet above sea level. At 5 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. The closest town, Ouray, is 16 miles distant. Telluride follows at 25 miles, then Montrose at 25 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Cowboy Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Records held for Ouray County cover rainbow trout, brown trout, black-spotted cutthroat trout, white sucker and bluehead sucker. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. At Cowboy Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 55°F at the top of summer and 17°F at the bottom of winter. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid May. In an average year the thaw lands around mid May and the freeze near mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Time your trip to Cowboy Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. West Fork Cimarron River at 0.7 miles is the sensible second choice. For Cowboy Lake in particular, ask before you travel.