Lake Ann, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Chaffee County, Colorado, is where Lake Ann sits. What surrounds it is rolling bush. Small at around 13 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. It sits higher than most water we list in Colorado. The closest town, Buena Vista, is 19 miles distant. Colorado Springs sits 89 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Lake Ann

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Chaffee County include brown trout, rainbow trout and black-spotted cutthroat trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Lake Ann the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 50°F and January near 11°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice-out usually falls in early June, and the weeks after it fish hardest. In an average year the thaw lands around early June and the freeze near early November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Expect Lake Ann to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Clohesy Lake, 3.6 miles out. Check the position on Lake Ann before loading the car.