Green Lake in Gunnison County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Gunnison County, Colorado, this is Green Lake. It lies 10,633 feet above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 3 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Our Gunnison County list holds plenty of bigger water. For supplies, Crested Butte is 2.9 miles out. Gunnison follows at 21 miles, then Snowmass Village at 26 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Green 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. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Fish documented in Gunnison County include rainbow trout, brown trout, brook 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. On Green Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 12°F and July at about 54°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid May. Climate figures give an open season running mid May to mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That shapes the year on Green Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. If the gate is shut, Peanut Lake at 3.2 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat Green Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.