Fishing near Durango, Colorado

In La Plata County, Colorado, sits Durango. It is a short-drive town for fishing rather than a destination one. In order of distance: Chapman Lake within 3.8 miles, Pastorius Reservoir within 6.4 miles to the south-east, Smith Lake within 14 miles and Lemon Reservoir within 15 miles to the north-east. Smith Lake is worth a look when the shallow water elsewhere has warmed too far. The cold season shuts the open water down. Plan round the thaw rather than the calendar. Most of this was built rather than formed. Depth change matters more than ground covered. At 33 acres, Chapman Lake is the closest water to town. Water round here typically opens up around mid March. Open records for La Plata County list rainbow trout, brook trout, bluehead sucker, black-spotted cutthroat trout and brown trout. Local anglers in Durango tend to rotate between these through the season....