Fishing Rock Lake in Conejos County, Colorado

• Overview

  Rock Lake sits within Conejos County in Colorado. It sits in pine and birch. About 4 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Most waters listed here for Conejos County are larger. For supplies, Chama is 17 miles out. Pueblo sits 127 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Rock Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. 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. County-wide records name white sucker, brown trout, green sunfish and black-spotted cutthroat trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Read Rock Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 53°F and January near 15°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late May. Open water usually runs from late May until about mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. The season on Rock Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Beaver Lake, 0.4 miles away. None of that is settled for Rock Lake in what we hold.