Hang Lake in Jackson County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Hang Lake in Jackson County, Colorado. It lies 11,155 feet above sea level. At 3 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Jackson County list. For a base, Estes Park sits 26 miles out. Granby follows at 37 miles, then Laporte at 40 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Hang Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Survey and observation records for Jackson County include brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout and Arctic grayling. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Fish Hang Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 52°F and February about 19°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Count the season from break-up, usually late May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late May and starts locking again about early November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Anyone fishing Hang Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. There is a campsite half a mile from the water. 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. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Blue Lake, 0.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Hang Lake in particular, ask before you travel.