Clayton Lake (James Peak Wilderness)
CPW set nets here in 2023 and caught 68 fish, most of them cutthroat trout. TroutTips researches Cutthroat Trout at this water.
- Elevation
- 10,981 ftCPW survey table
- Approach
- Walk in on a trail
- Last netted
- 2023a single 150-foot gill net fished overnight from a belly boat
- Fish in the net
- 68100% sport fish
- Most caught
- Cutthroat Trout68 fish
- Longest measured
- 14″Cutthroat Trout
- County
- GilpinColorado
- Coordinates
- 39.8892, -105.6843Access point TroutTips uses
What was in the net
| Species | Caught | Share | Mean | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cutthroat Trout | 68 | n/a | 9.9″ | 6.7–14″ |
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
CPW's stocking record in this report covers the James Peak Wilderness as a whole, not this lake on its own.
| Year | What went in |
|---|---|
| 2024 |
|
| 2022 |
|
| 2020 |
|
How far it is
| From | Drive | By road |
|---|---|---|
| Denver | 2 hr 26 min | 84 miles |
| Steamboat Springs | 3 hr 3 min | 109 miles |
| Fort Collins | 3 hr 17 min | 132 miles |
| Colorado Springs | 3 hr 28 min | 140 miles |
| Pueblo | 4 hr 10 min | 185 miles |
| Grand Junction | 5 hr 11 min | 240 miles |
| Alamosa | 5 hr 29 min | 232 miles |
| Durango | 8 hr 8 min | 348 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 Cutthroat Trout outings in Gilpin CountyOther surveyed lakes nearby
By road from Fraser, the town closest to this water.
- Heart Lake (James Peak Wilderness) 30 fish netted 2023
- Iceberg North Lake (James Peak Wilderness) 32 fish netted 2022
- Betty Lake (Indian Peaks Wilderness) 31 fish netted 2023
- Bob Lake (Indian Peaks Wilderness) 4 fish netted 2023