Island Lake Fishing in Lake County, Colorado

• Overview

  Lake County in Colorado is where Island Lake sits. It lies 10,036 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to about 3 acres — small enough to read in one session. Most waters listed here for Lake County are larger. Head to Leadville North, 4.8 miles away, for anything you forgot. Leadville lies 5.5 miles off, Minturn another 19 miles. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Island Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Public occurrence data for Lake County names rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout and cutthroat trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. At Island Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 53°F and January at 16°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid May. Averages place the thaw at mid May and the freeze at early November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That shapes the year on Island Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Home Lake is 0.2 miles distant. Signs at Island Lake carry more weight than any list.