Harper Pond in La Plata County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Harper Pond is listed under La Plata County, Colorado. The surface lies 6,867 feet up. At 7 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Nearest place of any size is Bayfield, 3.5 miles away. Albuquerque is the closest city, 154 miles away. The nearest boundary is a fair way off. Trees shelter part of the bank when the wind gets up.

• Where to Fish on Harper Pond

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. La Plata County records list rainbow trout, brook trout, bluehead sucker and black-spotted cutthroat trout among the fish reported. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. At Harper Pond the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 67°F at the top of summer and 23°F at the bottom of winter. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Ice-out usually falls in late March, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late March until roughly mid December. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Harper Pond fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Mapping shows no built access close by; expect to walk in from wherever you can leave the car. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Failing this one, try Pine River Watershed PR-1 Reservoir, 8.6 miles away. For Harper Pond, the notice at the access point is the final word.