Pole Creek Lake in Saguache County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Pole Creek Lake falls in Saguache County, part of Colorado. Everything around it is pine and birch. Compared with other Colorado water on our list, it sits high. 32 miles away sits Center, the nearest town. For a city, Pueblo is 57 miles off. Close by you also have: Lower Sand Creek Lake 2.4 miles off, Upper Sand Creek Lake within 2.7 miles, Cottonwood Lake 4 miles off, Hanging Lake within 4.2 miles and South Colony Lakes 4.6 miles off. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Pole Creek Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Saguache County, recorded fish include brown trout, white sucker, brook trout, black-spotted cutthroat trout and cutthroat trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Read Pole Creek Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 54°F on average, January about 16°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Break-up comes around mid May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Break-up sits around mid May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. At Pole Creek Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Lower Sand Creek Lake, 2.4 miles out. Confirm before you fish Pole Creek Lake.