Yellow Lake Fishing Guide, Garfield County, Colorado

• Overview

  Yellow Lake sits within Garfield County in Colorado. It sits at 10,400 feet above sea level. Small at around 8 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Glenwood Springs at 7.1 miles is the nearest place to stop. New Castle is 12 miles and Silt 18 miles. Within a short drive: Deer Lake 0.8 miles away, Haypress Lake 1 mile off, Ute Lake 1.3 miles away, Blue Lake 1.9 miles off and Bowen Lake 2.3 miles away. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Yellow Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Species logged across Garfield County include cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and brown trout. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. The near bank of Yellow Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 17°F and July at about 57°F, the water has a wide range to work through. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early May. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Anyone fishing Yellow Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Deer Lake, 0.8 miles away. Where Yellow Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.