Sugarloaf Lake Fishing in Summit County, Colorado

• Overview

  In Colorado, Sugarloaf Lake falls inside Summit County. The water sits 10,748 feet up. It covers about 4 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Nearest place of any size is Basalt, 9.2 miles away. The big place round here is Boulder, 95 miles distant. Nearby, in order: Shingle Lake 0.5 miles, Rim Lake some 1.3 miles off, Sundell Reservoir 1.7 miles, Erickson Lake some 2.5 miles off and Muckey Lake 2.8 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Sugarloaf Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Reported across Summit County: brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Sugarloaf Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 55°F at the top of summer and 17°F at the bottom of winter. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid May. Expect the water usable from around mid May until roughly mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. It holds true on Sugarloaf Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Shingle Lake at 0.5 miles is the sensible second choice. What applies at Sugarloaf Lake may have changed since it was mapped.