Finch Lake Fishing in Boulder County, Colorado

• Overview

  Finch Lake is one of the Boulder County waters in Colorado. The bank is 9,957 feet above sea level. Small at around 6 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Estes Park sits 14 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Beyond it, Nederland at 16 miles and Lyons at 17 miles. Others close at hand: Pear Reservoir 1.8 miles away, Twin Lakes 1.9 miles off, Chickadee Pond 2.3 miles away, Ouzel Lake 2.4 miles off and Sandbeach Lake 2.5 miles away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Finch Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Species logged across Boulder County include black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout, brown trout, bluegill and rainbow trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Finch Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 18°F to 51°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late May. The water is typically free of ice between late May and early November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Anyone fishing Finch Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Pear Reservoir, 1.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Finch Lake in what we hold.