Ptarmigan Lake Fishing Guide, San Miguel County, Colorado

• Overview

  Out in San Miguel County, Colorado, sits Ptarmigan Lake. Everything around it is rolling bush. It covers about 7 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is high ground by Colorado standards. Nearest place of any size is Telluride, 4.6 miles away. Colorado Springs is the closest city, 170 miles away. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Ptarmigan Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across San Miguel County include rainbow trout, black-spotted cutthroat trout, brown trout, brook trout and cutthroat trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Ptarmigan Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 13°F to 52°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. The lid usually goes in late May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages place the thaw at late May and the freeze at mid November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. On Ptarmigan Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Ingram Lake sits 1.1 miles off and takes the overflow. Confirm access to Ptarmigan Lake locally before you travel.