Middle Lake, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Eagle County end of Colorado holds Middle Lake. Everything around it is lake country bush. Small at around 11 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Nearest town is Avon, 8.3 miles off. Boulder is the closest city, 78 miles away. Nearby, in order: Rainbow Lake about 0.9 miles, Lake Thomas 1.5 miles away, Polar Star Lake about 1.9 miles, Big Pine Lake 2 miles away and New York Lake about 2.2 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Middle Lake

  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. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Fish documented in Eagle County include brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. At Middle Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 54°F and January at 17°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid May. The lid tends to go about mid May and return around mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. At Middle Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Rainbow Lake sits 0.9 miles off and takes the overflow. Signs at Middle Lake carry more weight than any list.