West Lake Fishing Guide, Larimer County, Colorado

• Overview

  Look for West Lake in the Larimer County part of Colorado. The water sits 8,235 feet up. Surface area runs to about 23 acres — small enough to read in one session. The edge runs 0.9 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Some 25 miles away sits Laporte, the nearest settlement. The big place round here is Fort Collins, 29 miles distant. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on West 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. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. County-wide records name black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout and white sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The shape of West Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 60°F and January about 26°F. Whether it freezes depends on the year. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. Anyone fishing West Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. There is a launch about half a mile from the bank. A car park sits roughly half a mile away. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. Facilities run to toilets half a mile from the water. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Snake Lake at 0.4 miles is the sensible second choice. Check the position on West Lake before loading the car.