Priest Lakes Fishing in San Miguel County, Colorado

• Overview

  Priest Lakes lies in San Miguel County, Colorado. Height above sea level is 9,593 feet. Surface area runs to about 8 acres — small enough to read in one session. Nearest place of any size is Mountain Village, 6.8 miles away. It is 180 miles to Colorado Springs, the nearest city. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Priest Lakes

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for San Miguel County list rainbow trout, black-spotted cutthroat trout, brown trout and brook trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Take Priest Lakes a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 55°F and January near 17°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid May. Climate averages put the opening at about mid May and the closing near late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. It holds true on Priest Lakes more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. You will be walking about half a mile from the nearest car park. You can camp about 80 yards away, going by the mapping. There are toilets mapped about half a mile away. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Trout Lake, 0.7 miles away. Confirm before you fish Priest Lakes.