Floating Lake, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Floating Lake is one of the Gunnison County listings for Colorado. Everything around it is mixed forest. About 6 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. You are 13 miles from Paonia. The nearest city of size is Boulder, 135 miles away. No border sits close enough to matter. Goodenough Reservoir sits 12 miles away and draws most of the attention.

• Where to Fish on Floating Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Reported across Gunnison County: rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, cutthroat trout and black-spotted cutthroat trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The near bank of Floating Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 60°F and January reads 18°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. At Floating Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. If the gate is shut, Hall Reservoir at 2.7 miles is the nearest alternative. For Floating Lake in particular, ask before you travel.