Duck Lake near Vail: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Duck Lake sits in Summit County, out in Colorado. This is rolling bush country. Surface area runs to about 8 acres — small enough to read in one session. It sits higher than most water we list in Colorado. You are 8.8 miles from Vail. Minturn is 13 miles and Avon 14 miles. Other water nearby: Cliff Lake after 1.1 miles, Bubble Lake within 1.1 miles, Dora Lake after 1.3 miles, Doig Lake within 1.9 miles and Upper Cataract Lake after 2 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Duck Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Species logged across Summit County include brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, black-spotted cutthroat trout and cutthroat trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Read Duck Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 53°F in July and bottoms out near 17°F in January. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Ice-out usually falls in mid May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages suggest open water from about mid May through to roughly early November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. On Duck Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Cliff Lake, 1.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Duck Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.