Fishing at Woods Lake, San Miguel County, Colorado

• Overview

  San Miguel County in Colorado is where Woods Lake sits. It sits at 9,452 feet above sea level. About 23 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Size puts it in the front rank of our San Miguel County list. The closest town, Mountain Village, is 11 miles away. Telluride is 14 miles and Ouray 23 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Woods Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Across San Miguel County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, black-spotted cutthroat trout, brown trout and brook trout. The county list is broader than any single water. At Woods Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 54°F on average, January about 18°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid May until roughly mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Anyone fishing Woods Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. You can camp half a mile off, which suits an early start. 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. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Navajo Lake, 3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing on Woods Lake should be assumed from this page alone.