Fishing at Parson Lake, San Juan County, Colorado

• Overview

  In Colorado, Parson Lake falls inside San Juan County. Elevation runs to 12,520 feet. This is a tiny water, and one quiet approach covers all of it. Most waters listed here for San Juan County are larger. Ouray lies 9.3 miles from the water. Telluride is 12 miles and Mountain Village 14 miles. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Parson Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for San Juan County cover black-spotted cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and brook trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Read Parson Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 12°F in January and 50°F in July. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early June. Climate averages put the opening at about early June and the closing near early November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Anyone fishing Parson Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Lake Emma sits 1 mile off and takes the overflow. Ask locally about Parson Lake if anything is unclear.