Sweetwater Lake in Garfield County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Garfield County, Colorado, you have Sweetwater Lake. The bank is 7,720 feet above sea level. Around 73 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. There is roughly 1.5 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Size puts it in the front rank of our Garfield County list. 16 miles away sits Gypsum, the nearest town. Beyond it, Glenwood Springs at 19 miles and Eagle at 21 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Sweetwater Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Garfield County include cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, bluegill and brook trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Sweetwater Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 59°F and January near 18°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. The lid tends to go about early May and return around late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Time your trip to Sweetwater Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Public data records a pier about half a mile out. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. There are toilets mapped about half a mile away. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Hack Lake at 1.9 miles is the nearest alternative. Where Sweetwater Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.