Fishing at Hecla Lake, Boulder County, Colorado

• Overview

  The Boulder County end of Colorado holds Hecla Lake. Elevation runs to 5,354 feet. About 7 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Start from Louisville, 1.1 miles down the road. The big place round here is Boulder, 8.1 miles distant. More in the same country: Waneka Reservoir (0.6 miles), 1.9 miles away is Louisville Reservoir, Burke Lake (2.2 miles), 2.2 miles away is Erie Lake and Harper Lake (2.3 miles). This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Hecla Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. 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. Survey and observation records for Boulder County include black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout and brown trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Hecla Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 31°F in January up to 73°F in July. Fishing continues through most of the calendar, with quiet spells rather than closures. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Hecla Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. You can park half a mile away and walk in from there. Yakoda Supply is the mapped fishing point, half a mile out. Facilities include toilets around half a mile from here. Part of this sits inside or beside Greenlee Wildlife Preserve, so read the notices. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Waneka Reservoir sits 0.6 miles off and takes the overflow. Ask locally about Hecla Lake if anything is unclear.