Fishing at Willow Lake, Pitkin County, Colorado

• Overview

  Willow Lake is a Pitkin County water, in Colorado. This is mixed forest ground. Surface area runs to about 21 acres — small enough to read in one session. It ranks high for size among our Pitkin County listings. Head to Snowmass Village, 7.3 miles away, for anything you forgot. Then Aspen, 9.7 miles, and Crested Butte, 17 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Willow Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Reported across Pitkin County: cutthroat trout, brook trout and rainbow trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Take Willow Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 51°F and January near 12°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Look for the thaw near early June; the fishing lifts straight after. Averages place the thaw at early June and the freeze at early November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. The season on Willow Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Maroon Lake, 1.3 miles out. Check the current arrangement for Willow Lake.