Johnson Lake Fishing in Sedgwick County, Colorado

• Overview

  Out in Sedgwick County, Colorado, sits Johnson Lake. The ground round it is farm and woodlot. At roughly 18 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Julesburg is the closest town at 5.8 miles. The nearest city of size is Greeley, 129 miles away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Johnson Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Public occurrence data for Sedgwick County names green sunfish. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Johnson Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 26°F in January up to 74°F in July. The freeze here is occasional rather than annual. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. That is the shape of the year on Johnson Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Bluegill and other panfish take small jigs or worms under a float near any cover. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Chappell Lake is 12 miles distant. For Johnson Lake in particular, ask before you travel.