Big Rainbow Lake Fishing Guide, Larimer County, Colorado

• Overview

  You will find Big Rainbow Lake in Larimer County, Colorado. Country round the bank runs to rolling bush. This is a pocket water of some 5 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Larimer County. The nearest town is Estes Park, 31 miles away. Granby is 42 miles and Laporte 42 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Big Rainbow Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Public occurrence data for Larimer County names black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout, white sucker and rainbow trout. The county list is broader than any single water. Big Rainbow Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 51°F on average, February about 19°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Count the season from break-up, usually late May. Expect the water usable from around late May until roughly early November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. On Big Rainbow Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Upper Sandbar Lake, 0.3 miles away. Check the position at Big Rainbow Lake before loading the car.