Carter Lake
CPW set nets here in 2025 and caught 194 fish, most of them walleye. TroutTips researches Rainbow Trout at this water.
- Elevation
- 5,784 ftUSGS 3DEP at the mapped access point
- Approach
- Roadside or park access
- Last netted
- 20255 gill nets fished overnight, 21 October 2025
- Fish in the net
- 19495.9% sport fish
- Most caught
- WALLEYE146 fish
- Longest measured
- 25.7″RAINBOW TROUT
- County
- LarimerColorado
- Coordinates
- 40.3533, -105.2140Access point TroutTips uses
What was in the net
| Species | Caught | Share | Mean | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLACK CRAPPIE | 1 | 0.5% | 15.1″ | 15.1–15.1″ |
| LAKE TROUT | 1 | 0.5% | 15.6″ | 15.6–15.6″ |
| RAINBOW TROUT | 37 | 19.1% | 13.4″ | 9.8–25.7″ |
| SMALLMOUTH BASS | 1 | 0.5% | 14″ | 14–14″ |
| WALLEYE | 146 | 75.3% | 16.9″ | 7.3–23.9″ |
| WHITE SUCKER | 8 | 4.1% | 14.7″ | 11.1–20″ |
CPW survey summary (PDF) · survey data extracted 2026-10-18
A survey count is not a catch rate. These fish were handled by biologists, not caught by anglers. A species missing from the table was not caught in those nets, which is not the same as absent from the lake. Mesh selects for a size range, and CPW states that Kokanee Salmon in particular are “difficult to capture and monitor with gillnet surveys”.
What CPW has stocked
The most recent stocking years CPW listed in this report. Years CPW did not list are not shown, and absence from this table is not evidence that nothing went in.
| Year | What went in |
|---|---|
| 2025 |
|
| 2024 |
|
| 2023 |
|
How far it is
| From | Drive | By road |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Collins | 43 min | 22 miles |
| Denver | 1 hr 26 min | 63 miles |
| Colorado Springs | 2 hr 40 min | 128 miles |
| Pueblo | 3 hr 22 min | 173 miles |
| Steamboat Springs | 4 hr 38 min | 214 miles |
| Alamosa | 5 hr 44 min | 295 miles |
| Grand Junction | 5 hr 54 min | 302 miles |
| Durango | 8 hr 37 min | 393 miles |
Driving times along the road network to the access point TroutTips uses, not straight-line distance.
Fishing it
This page is the survey record: what was in the net, and when. Access, regulations, seasonal timing and what the approach actually involves are in the planner, alongside the drive from your own town.
See Rainbow Trout outings in Larimer CountyOther surveyed lakes nearby
By road from Loveland, the town closest to this water.
- Estes Lake 174 fish netted 2025
- Blue Lake (Indian Peaks Wilderness) 8 fish netted 2023
- Isabelle Lake (Indian Peaks Wilderness) 8 fish netted 2023
- Long Lake (Indian Peaks Wilderness) 71 fish netted 2024