Ethel Lake Fishing Guide, Clear Creek County, Colorado

• Overview

  Ethel Lake is one of the Clear Creek County waters in Colorado. The setting is lake country bush. At roughly 4 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Our Clear Creek County list holds plenty of bigger water. Supplies mean a trip to Georgetown, 7.1 miles off. Further out sit Fraser (11 miles) and Idaho Springs (12 miles). A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Ethel Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Open biodiversity records for Clear Creek County list black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout and rainbow trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Treat Ethel Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 53°F, with January the cold end at about 19°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice-out usually falls in mid May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The open-water window runs from around mid May to about early November in an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Plan around that when you fish Ethel Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Byron Lake at 0.5 miles is the sensible second choice. The position on Ethel Lake is worth confirming on the day.