Rito Alto Lake in Custer County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Rito Alto Lake sits within Custer County in Colorado. Country round the bank runs to pine and birch. This is a pocket water of some 6 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It sits higher than most water we list in Colorado. Nearest town is Center, 33 miles off. The nearest city of size is Pueblo, 59 miles away. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Rito Alto Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Custer County include rainbow trout, brook trout and brown trout. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Rito Alto Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 52°F and January reads 15°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Ice-out usually falls in late May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The season between ice runs from about late May to mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Rito Alto Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. San Isabel Lake, 1.2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Rito Alto Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.