Fishing at Spotted Lake, Mineral County, Colorado

• Overview

  Mineral County in Colorado is where Spotted Lake sits. The water sits 11,670 feet up. It covers about 3 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Most waters listed here for Mineral County are larger. Start from Pagosa Springs, 19 miles down the road. Pueblo is the closest city, 134 miles away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Spotted Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Mineral County cover brook trout, black-spotted cutthroat trout, brown trout, rainbow trout and cutthroat trout. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. At Spotted Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 51°F on average, January about 15°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Count the season from break-up, usually late May. Average temperatures cross freezing around late May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. It holds true on Spotted Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. The nearest alternative is Archuleta Lake, 0.7 miles out. Nothing on Spotted Lake should be assumed from this page alone.