Purple Lake in Garfield County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Purple Lake is one of the Garfield County listings for Utah. The ground round it is rolling bush. This is a pocket water of some 15 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. You are 49 miles from Monroe. Panguitch is 50 miles and Richfield 56 miles. Close by you have: Blue Lake at 0.7 miles, Five Lakes 2.1 miles away, Jacobs Reservoir at 2.4 miles, Four Lakes 3 miles away and Spectacle Lake at 3.4 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Purple Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Garfield County include brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout and Arctic grayling. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Work Purple Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 55°F, while January sits near 20°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. The lid usually goes in mid May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Climate averages put the opening at about mid May and the closing near mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. The season on Purple Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Blue Lake is 0.7 miles distant. For Purple Lake in particular, ask before you travel.