Steuart Lake Fishing near Georgetown, Colorado

• Overview

  The Clear Creek County end of Colorado holds Steuart Lake. The bank is 11,503 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to about 5 acres — small enough to read in one session. Compared with other Colorado water on our list, it sits high. For a base, Georgetown sits 9.3 miles out. Boulder sits 25 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Steuart Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Clear Creek County include black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and lake trout. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. At Steuart Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 17°F in January and 52°F in July. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late May. The water is typically free of ice between late May and early November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Steuart Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Part of this sits inside or beside James Peak Wilderness, so read the notices. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Reynolds Lake at 0.1 miles is the sensible second choice. Rules at Steuart Lake are worth checking on the day.