Fishing at Heart Lake Reservoir, Garfield County, Colorado

• Overview

  Heart Lake Reservoir is listed under Garfield County, Colorado. The water sits 10,719 feet up. It measures some 296 acres, and wind has room to build across it. Shoreline length is close to 4.8 miles, and each section fishes a little differently. Few waters listed in Garfield County are bigger. You are 15 miles from Glenwood Springs. It is 110 miles to Boulder, the nearest city. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Heart Lake Reservoir

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Garfield County records list cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, bluegill and brook trout among the fish reported. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Read Heart Lake Reservoir for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 53°F and January reads 15°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Look for the thaw near late May; the fishing lifts straight after. Ice usually gives way near late May, and forms again about early November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. That shapes the year on Heart Lake Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Bison Lake at 1.1 miles is the nearest alternative. Nothing on Heart Lake Reservoir should be assumed from this page alone.