Lake Hatcher Fishing Guide, Archuleta County, Colorado

• Overview

  Lake Hatcher is listed under Archuleta County, Colorado. Height above sea level is 7,736 feet. Roughly 87 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Around 1.9 miles of margin, front to back. Few waters listed in Archuleta County are bigger. The closest town, Pagosa Springs, is 6.5 miles away. Pueblo is the closest city, 152 miles away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lake Hatcher

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Across Archuleta County, recorded fish include brook trout, rainbow trout, black-spotted cutthroat trout and bluehead sucker. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. The shape of Lake Hatcher decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 62°F in July and bottom out at 20°F in January. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up near early April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Time your trip to Lake Hatcher by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Stevens Reservoir is 2.4 miles distant. Treat access at Lake Hatcher as something to verify.