Fishing at Poison Lake, Larimer County, Colorado

• Overview

  In Colorado, Poison Lake falls inside Larimer County. The ground around here is rolling hill. Surface area runs to about 5 acres — small enough to read in one session. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Larimer County. Campion is the closest place, 5.3 miles off. The nearest city of size is Fort Collins, 16 miles away. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Poison Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. County-wide records name black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout, white sucker and rainbow trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Treat Poison Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 70°F, with January the cold end at about 29°F. The calendar is generous: something works in nearly every month. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. It sets the rhythm of the year at Poison Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Parking is close: a car park sits half a mile from the bank. 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. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Lon Hagler Reservoir is 1.4 miles distant. None of that is settled for Poison Lake in what we hold.