Estes Lake
CPW set nets here in 2025 and caught 174 fish, most of them rainbow trout. TroutTips researches Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout at this water.
- Elevation
- 7,476 ftUSGS 3DEP at the mapped access point
- Approach
- Roadside or park access
- Last netted
- 20253 gill nets and 3 trap nets fished overnight
- Fish in the net
- 17424.7% sport fish
- Most caught
- RAINBOW TROUT17 fish
- Longest measured
- 30.24″TIGER MUSKIE
- County
- LarimerColorado
- Coordinates
- 40.3762, -105.4956Access point TroutTips uses
What was in the net
| Species | Caught | Share | Mean | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BROWN TROUT | 7 | 4% | 13.61″ | 8.27–24.02″ |
| RAINBOW TROUT | 17 | 9.8% | 11.54″ | 10.35–15.31″ |
| TIGER MUSKIE | 12 | 6.9% | 9.19″ | 5.94–30.24″ |
| WHITE SUCKER | 131 | 75.3% | 14.96″ | 3.23–20.24″ |
| YELLOW PERCH | 7 | 4% | 8″ | 7.32–9.06″ |
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 | 1 hr 12 min | 38 miles |
| Denver | 1 hr 38 min | 66 miles |
| Colorado Springs | 2 hr 52 min | 131 miles |
| Pueblo | 3 hr 34 min | 176 miles |
| Steamboat Springs | 3 hr 48 min | 143 miles |
| Alamosa | 5 hr 57 min | 298 miles |
| Grand Junction | 6 hr | 292 miles |
| Durango | 8 hr 41 min | 383 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 Brown Trout outings in Larimer CountyOther surveyed lakes nearby
By road from Estes Park, the town closest to this water.
- Carter Lake 194 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