Stone Lake in Boulder County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Stone Lake is a Boulder County water, Colorado side. It sits at 10,620 feet above sea level. It covers about 5 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Start from Granby, 14 miles down the road. Further out sit Fraser (16 miles) and Nederland (16 miles). The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Stone Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Species logged across Boulder County include black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout, brown trout, bluegill and rainbow trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Stone Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 17°F to 53°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Once it clears, about mid May, the fishing comes on quickly. In an average year the thaw lands around mid May and the freeze near early November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Time your trip to Stone Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Upper Lake at 0.3 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat Stone Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.