Emerald Lake Fishing Guide, La Plata County, Colorado

• Overview

  In Colorado, Emerald Lake falls inside La Plata County. It sits in pine and birch country. Surface area runs to roughly 276 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. There is roughly 3.4 miles of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Size puts it in the front rank of our La Plata County list. 24 miles away sits Bayfield, the nearest town. Further out sit Durango (31 miles) and Pagosa Springs (31 miles). One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Emerald Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Across La Plata County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, brook trout and bluehead sucker. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Fish Emerald Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 52°F in July and bottom out at 16°F in January. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Break-up comes around late May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Climate figures give an open season running late May to mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. On Emerald Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Failing this one, try Little Emerald Lake, 0.6 miles away. For Emerald Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.