Fishing Mills Lake in Boulder County, Colorado

• Overview

  Boulder County in Colorado is where Mills Lake sits. The ground around here is mixed forest. At 14 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Estes Park sits 8.8 miles from the bank. The big place round here is Boulder, 27 miles distant. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Mills Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Boulder County list black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout, brown trout and bluegill. The county list is broader than any single water. Read Mills Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 52°F and February about 19°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice-out usually falls in late May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. On average, late May opens the water and early November closes it again. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. That shapes the year on Mills Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is a campsite half a mile from the water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Jewel Lake sits 0.2 miles off and takes the overflow. Check the position at Mills Lake before loading the car.