Mackinaw Lake, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Colorado holds Mackinaw Lake, in Eagle County. It sits at 10,820 feet above sea level. At 12 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Gypsum at 21 miles is the nearest place to stop. Boulder sits 101 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Mackinaw Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Eagle County: brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Mackinaw Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 16°F in January and 53°F in July. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late May. Break-up near late May, freeze-up near early November: that is the shape of an average year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Mackinaw Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. You can park half a mile away and walk in from there. There is camping recorded roughly 130 yards off. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Crescent Lake is 0.3 miles distant. None of that is settled for Mackinaw Lake in what we hold.