Fishing at Twin Lakes, Garfield County, Colorado

• Overview

  Out in Garfield County, Colorado, sits Twin Lakes. Country round the bank runs to rolling bush. With some 51 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Roughly 1.1 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. On our Garfield County list it sits near the top for size. Some 27 miles away sits Glenwood Springs, the nearest settlement. Gypsum lies 28 miles off, New Castle another 29 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Twin Lakes

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Garfield County include cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and brown trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The near bank of Twin Lakes is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 53°F at the top of summer and 14°F at the bottom of winter. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The lid usually goes in late May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Climate figures give an open season running late May to early November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Plan around that when you fish Twin Lakes.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Flat Tops Wilderness runs up to the bank here, which usually means extra restrictions. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. If the gate is shut, Gwendolen Lake at 1.7 miles is the nearest alternative. Check the position at Twin Lakes before loading the car.