Dinkle Lake in Eagle County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Dinkle Lake falls in Eagle County, part of Colorado. The bank is 8,491 feet above sea level. At 6 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Start from Basalt, 6.4 miles down the road. The nearest city of size is Boulder, 110 miles away. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Dinkle Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Across Eagle County, recorded fish include brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Work Dinkle Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 57°F at the top of summer and 15°F at the bottom of winter. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. On average, early May opens the water and mid November closes it again. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Anyone fishing Dinkle Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. The closest car park is half a mile away, so pack accordingly. There are toilets mapped about half a mile away. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Saint John Reservoir sits 2.6 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat Dinkle Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.