Fishing at Laguna Venado, Conejos County, Colorado

• Overview

  Laguna Venado lies in Conejos County, in Colorado. It sits in mixed forest country. This is a pocket water of some 6 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Colorado listings. Chama sits 18 miles from the bank. Then Pagosa Springs, 26 miles, and Dulce, 29 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Laguna Venado

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name white sucker, brown trout, green sunfish and black-spotted cutthroat trout. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Read Laguna Venado before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 52°F, the coldest about 15°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. After late May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up sits around late May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Laguna Venado fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Victoria Lake is 1.7 miles distant. Treat access at Laguna Venado as something to verify.