Monument Lake Fishing in Las Animas County, Colorado

• Overview

  Within Las Animas County, Colorado, you have Monument Lake. The setting is lake country bush on every side. It measures about 87 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The full circuit measures close to 1.8 miles on foot. Trinidad lies 30 miles from the water. Walsenburg lies 32 miles off, Raton another 40 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Monument Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Survey and observation records for Las Animas County include rainbow trout, white sucker and brook trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Fish Monument Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 60°F at the top of summer and 25°F at the bottom of winter. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. On average, mid April opens the water and early December closes it again. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on Monument Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Mapping shows a ramp about 150 yards from the shore. Public data has parking about half a mile from the shore. You can camp half a mile off, which suits an early start. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. North Lake sits 1.9 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat access at Monument Lake as something to verify.