Emerald Lake Fishing in Eagle County, Colorado

• Overview

  Emerald Lake lies in Eagle County, in Colorado. It sits at 9,629 feet above sea level. Small at around 4 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. For supplies, Gypsum is 19 miles out. The big place round here is Boulder, 98 miles distant. More in the same country: Still Waters some 0.7 miles off, Crater Lake 2 miles away, Buck Lake some 2.1 miles off, Star Lake 2.1 miles away and Bull Lake some 2.3 miles off. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Emerald Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Eagle County: brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and black-spotted cutthroat trout. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Emerald Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 53°F in July and bottom out at 16°F in January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice-out usually falls in late May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Ice usually gives way near late May, and forms again about early November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Plan any trip to Emerald Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. There is a campsite 130 yards from the water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Still Waters is 0.7 miles distant. None of that is settled for Emerald Lake in what we hold.