Sunset Lake, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Look for Sunset Lake in the Mesa County part of Colorado. Height above sea level is 9,820 feet. Small at around 20 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. The closest town, Cedaredge, is 14 miles distant. Palisade is 14 miles and Orchard City 17 miles. Nearby alternatives: Jumbo Reservoir lies 0.2 miles on, Beaver Lake about 0.3 miles, Glacier Springs lies 0.3 miles on, Mesa Lake about 0.6 miles and South Mesa Lake lies 0.6 miles on. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Sunset Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Survey and observation records for Mesa County include flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker, green sunfish and white sucker. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Sunset Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 18°F to 59°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That shapes the year on Sunset Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Mapping shows parking within half a mile. You can camp half a mile off, which suits an early start. Facilities run to toilets half a mile from the water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Jumbo Reservoir, 0.2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat Sunset Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.